Hi
I have a lovely 4 month male mini schnauzer. I could do with some advice on if i should clip him this year, or wait til next summer as my vet has advised. I am not planning on showing him, and do quite like the scruffy look when their hair isnt really short. My worry is that he will need to get used to the grooming parlor, as i'm sure once i start getting him clipped i am sure it will be a regular occurence. I do bath him myself on occasion, which he doesnt mind too much. The vets reasoning was that a longer coat will keep him warmer in the winter, but its growing pretty fast at the mo, and i'm not sure he can see too well under all that hair!
Any advice would be appreaciated,
Jeni

if you dont want him clipped yet but still want him to get used to going,then why not take him to the groomers for a bath and play,he will get used to the noise of the clippers as well,or have him stripped instead!
my friend owns a groomers and some dogs come just to play.
mel:)

Mel

I've had Poppy (7 month old mini s) clipped every 8 weeks since she was 14 weeks. I have to say we always prefer her look a week or two after the clip when she is a little more casual!

Just out of interest what happens if a mini s. is left unclipped or not stripped for many months - I understood that they may start to loose their coat??

Thanks
Karen

I too have had my mini clipped every 7 weeks since he was 15 weeks old. I personally love the trimmed look and I find the coat is much easier to look after in between cuts. You probably haven't got to the matted stage with the legs yet but it does come. As for the Winter, on the really cold days, my mini will wear a coat. Whatever you decide, I think the suggestion about taking him/her to the groomer regularly is a good idea, otherwise your dog will have quite a shock the first time it goes. I have a friend that held off from taking her mini to the groomer and now he has to be muzzled.

im not sure what would happen if they werent clipped,zak is hand stripped as short as possible on his back,with big fluffy furnishings,i was just saying to the original poster that if she didnt want her dog clipping to just take the dog to get used to the groomers.
zak is a regular at the groomers and has never been left more than 8 weeks,i would presume the hair would matt up quite badly and probably cause the dog some discomfort though if not done on a regular basis.
mel:)

Hi Jeni,

If I were you, I would take him for a cut as there is plenty of time
before the cold weather sets in.
I too loved Rufus in his puppy scruffy stage, but honestly once
you have him cut you won't look back! The first time you go to pick them up his priceless, I wasn't even sure they have given me
the right dog!

Rufus adores going as he has about 3 women all fussing, stroking and
cooing over him - and he bounds in everytime!

As someone said it makes their coat so much more manageable
although my groomer only trims the beard and legs, in order to
maintain the classic schnauzer cut - so you have to keep well on top
of home grooming.

My advise would be ask around, and find a reputable groomer
who is trained in cutting schnazuers as they are much more
difficult to cut/groom properly. I have a friend who has schnauzers
and the groomer they go to does a very poor job.

Louise