stripping

[DKC]

Molly is going on 19 weeks old and I'm noticing a bit of kind of a fuzziness to her. It's like some wispy little pieces of hair that stick out around her. I've read a lot on here about stripping, but what's confusing me is that when I hold her and run fingers through her hair, nothing comes out. If I tug a bit on some of the wispy ones, they don't come out (and I feel like I'm tugging pretty good on them). I have used a slicker brush on her, but very little came off, so I know that's not taking care of it.

Could she still just not be ready even at 19 weeks old?

[sjleworthy]

there is no 'must' for stripping or trimming. you dont have to trim at all At 19 weeks your cairn might very well have a few 'wispy' tufts, but thats ok. no problem. why not leave them? it's not causing the dog any discomfort. (i think maybe it's more causing the owner aesthetic discomfort).

we have Amy trim once maybe twice a year. usually around autumn and spring. also, Amy starts to easily loose fur to indicate she's ready for a hair cut. and thats when we'll get it done.

our local dog clippers will also advise me when i pop into her shop with Amy when we're passing.

[Sandi16]

SjeWorthy... it does cause the dog discomfort if left too long as a Cairn doesn't shed, therefore the dead hairs stay in the skin causing itching and skin issues. That's why a cairn should be stripped.

To the original poster.. I would wait a week and try it again. I had that same problem with Louie. He looked like he neededd a strip but nothing came out. I just tried on occasion here and there for awhile and eventually it easily came out. Good luck!!

[kittdog]

Just keep trying a few hairs every week. Some puppies lose all their puppy fur on their own and it never needs to be stripped out. She probably has her adult coat coming in and the whispy hair could be a bit of leftover puppy fluff. You can use latex gloves or finger cots to get a grip on the hair better too.

[DKC]

Thanks for the information everyone. Mollys look isn't really bothering me at all - I think she looks cute actually. I just knew that it's good to strip them when they need it, both for looks and for their comfort. I'll just keep checking on it and see how it goes.