hi , can anyone tell me why  you have to have their short spiky fur plucked out at about 16 weeks, have read it in a book, and was told by the vet.

Hi

You don't have to - it's up to you!  This is called hand-stripping (think also known as rolling, but I might have got the wrong end of the stick).  Most people who hand -strip either show their dogs, or prefer the more 'traditional' look of the westie.  This is what we do.

But a lot of people also go for shaving the dog instead - and this can be done in different ways and styles too.  Stripping is more expenisve than clipping, but I've heard that once you've started to clip you can't back to stripping (or plucking as you called it).

I am only a novice pet owner, but I'm sure someone else will be along to offer their advice.

HTH

Hi,

I can tell you what is generally done with Cairns, who are closely related to Westies.

Cairn puppies have a sort of a "puppy fluff" which stands out from their coat and starts to get loose when they are about 12 weeks old.   This loose outcoat is pulled out so the adult coat can grow in properly.  If you take a few pieces of the spikey hairs between your thumb and finger and give it a gentle tug it should almost fall out of the hair shaft naturally.

From then on you can keep your Westie looking need by taking him or her to a groomer to be clipped, if you choose.

A show dog's coat is rolled on a continous basis - meaning the longest hairs of the outer coat are pulled out, usually once a week.  I do this with my Cairn, she's not a show dog, but I just prefer the way it looks.  Otherwise her hairs would grow long and she would eventually look like a mop on little legs - at which point she would need to be stripped.  Stripping involves removing all of the outer coat, which will be replaced by a brand new one.

Stacey