Preston

[lmp2009]

Hello! I have a 3 month old Cairn, Preston, who I've started to strip, and I have a few questions, how long will it take to grow back out? and do I have to strip the whole head? I know it sounds silly, but I'm a bit confused!! Heres a picture...

[carolinaila09]

i have a 2 1/2 month old baby who needs to be stripped soon too. from what ive understood from various posts, websites, and diagrams, the wire coat could take a few months to completely grow back in and youll have a cat-looking puppy for a little bit. make sure you take the top 1/3 of the hair off the top of his ears..i believe you do the entire body including their head as well. some of paisleys coat is starting to come out pretty easily. mostly around her backside. her hair on her ears doesnt want to budge though and that seems to be what everyone pulls first!! she seems to mind sometimes when i pull, so i think it may need a little longer...

any suggestions by others will greatly help me out too sorry im not much help from experience, but there are manyyyy posts and pictures about stripping on here if you use the search.

[josie&holly]

I cannot help you with the stripping question but I think Preston is a very handsome pup!

[Dixieandme]

They are both so cute , I have no idea how to strip............My Dixie sure needs it done!!!!

[Hawkeye]

I can't help on stripping a puppy's coat either, I got Bailey when he was 8 months and the breeder had stripped him down. But I did want to comment on how cute they are!!

[Angieh]

I should be the last person offering advice on stripping because I am a relative newbie, but that never stopped me before. Benny came to us when he was over 12 weeks old and the breeder had removed all his puppy hair already. Kimmy came to us when she was 10 weeks old and she still had some puppy hair that we removed. My husband held her and I used a pumice stone to pull her hair. It worked really well. I pulled all the puppy hair I could get--even off her head and ears. It doesn't seem like it took that long for her hair to grow back in.

Now I use a stripping knife that a friend showed me how to use and a Mars Coat King Stripper. I use them every two weeks or so. I don't pull all of the coat. I asked their groomer about stripping them completely and she knows how so I think I might have her strip their coats completely soon.

I hope that's somewhat useful to you. There are many grooming threads on here that you could read too.

[Idaho Cairns]

Hate to get into this but, Cairn puppies do not need to be stripped to get a good coat. Simply brushing the dog with a good quality wire brush will remove all the "dead" coat necessary for good growth.

I do recognize that there are some skin conditions that require the stripping of hair and that some Cairn fans like the stripped look but the practice is not absolutely necessary for a good Cairn look. This is my ten month old female that is well coated (good insulation from the heat as well as the coming cold) and sufficiently "unkempt" to look like the rough little terrier these Cairns are. Not that I think she is perfect--she isn't, but only that she has only been brushed and lightly trimmed since we got her.

[bradl]

Guess it would be no surprise that I'm a "Cairn fan" who appreciates a stripped coat. Not the best photo but here's an example of the sort of lush, tight, multilayered coat that comes from stripping and "rolling" a genetically sound coat. (Some dogs have soft coats and nothing will change that.)

To me this also is nice scruffy look. This isn't my dog but I can tell you just from looking at that coat that it is harsh, luxurious, well insulated, and very resistant to weather, dirt, and so on. It may be harder to tell from the photo, but much of its satisfying thickness and bulk comes from the fact that it is really several coats, each of different lengths. If you could slip your fingers in like a pair of scissors and fan the coat, you'd see the different lengths. I might prefer the overall coat to be just a touch longer, but that's a fairly subjective matter.

[Idaho Cairns]

It does all come down to preference and tastes do change over the years. I am fortunate to have found John Marvin's "The New Complete Cairn Terrier" 2nd ed 1986 in which Marvin has published a fairly complete set of pictures of past champion Cairns in both England and especially America which clearly shows a progression from fairly heavy coated, apparently lightly groomed (if at all) Cairns in the early years to obviously groomed dogs in the 70's and 80's. Tho the breed standard indicates that the Cairn requires "minimal grooming", that is obviously not the current practice with these dogs. Much also depends on the dog and the genetics--some dogs, like some people, are simply blessed with good coats--some are not and grooming can improve faults that might exist.

In any case, if one has the time and the inclination, stripping and "rolling" (assuming the owner both knows and can recognize the going, coming, and prime condition coats in their dogs) probably will add to the pleasure of owning a Cairn.

[bradl]

Well said. Here's a personal favorite of mine, born in 1949. I'd be willing to bet this dog was stripped, albeit to a different ideal than today.

Marvin's book is a treasure and I'd encourage every Cairn enthusiast to acquire a copy.

[Autumn & Lola]

IdahoCairns, are you saying that it is not necessary to strip a Cairn's coat *ever* to get a good coat, or just when he/she is a puppy?

My Molly is 17 months old (we've had her for 5 months). We've never stripped her and I don't know if she was stripped in the past. We had her clipped when we first got her, as we didn't know any better. To me, her coat looks thick and lovely, and it is a hard coat. I'll try to get some decent photos of her this weekend. My husband combs and brushes her about 3x a week. For months he was getting a lot of hair out and now not so much, but I still think she has that "rough and ready" Cairn look.

[Idaho Cairns]

Autumn, I am saying that I don't strip my dogs ever. Apparently stripping at 8-10 weeks encourages a thick and luxurious coat and, frankly, a puppy that young is a bit of a mess anyway--coat wise. I have clipped dogs in the past and would never, ever do that again, it has made a full heavy outer coat almost impossible for my dogs to develop.

Bear in mind, I live in an area with extremely low humidity, no fleas, and very few ticks to deal with. While our weather is hot, it is not oppressively so. Therefore our dogs do not suffer heat related skin problems with pests or climate. I am sure that if I lived in some areas of the country, I would see grooming differently than I do.

I trim ears, tail, feet, and get the "Grouchos" around the eyes--brush a couple of times a week and bath only when necessary (skunks or when they get really muddy) and that's it. Like you, brushing seems to remove a lot of dead hair at certain times of the year and then the brushing generally keeps the knots out of the coat and keeps them clean.

I think stripping is fine so long as the dog and the owner don't get frustrated with the process--it is hard to ruin a dog's coat if you are stripping them, what ever mistake you make will be covered with new growth--I just don't have the patience to strip and I know my dogs don't care for it--annoys them and I simply like the heavier coat. Nice thing about Cairns is that they aren't poodles! Imagine the fear and trembling that would go with not getting those little balls on their knees perfectly round!

[tk223]

I haven't stripped Kooper's coat either-he's just over a year old-I use the Mars Coat King 1x month, brush weekly and have the groomer clean up his face, feet and rear end. He looks much like Idaho Cairns photo. I like the way Kooper looks. Although I think he'd be absolutely adorable completely stripped too. But I don't know how nor do I have the time to do it myself and I can't find a local groomer who strips coats.

[carolinaila09]

so if you do not strip the puppy coat, will it eventually fall out by itself through brushing and the wire coat will just grow in over it? im more confused now!! haha

[cleokiki]

Today as I was walking Skye, a mobile groomer was at our new neighbor's who has two light blonde Scotties. The groomer was in her car waiting and we started chatting so I asked her if she stripped. She then told me she only strips show dogs because stripping is very painful for the dog and the dogs turn "nasty" over the years and she has personally seen this.

I kind of stood there incredulously. I told her that I just had my puppy lightly plucked and she enjoyed it. She then told me there was a difference between stripping and plucking and that it is stripping with a knife that is painful.

Is there a difference between the two? Also, I saw my grommer lightly strip using a small steel comb to hold the hairs and Skye was fine. No pain.

Ada

[Sam I Am]

Jocks breeder has stripped his coat a few times when he was younger and I love the colors that come out. I have tried and dont have the patience (neither does Jock) nor the skill. I also use the Mars comb, trim his ears and scissor his legs. I also used the thinning shears around his head and neck. Jock is a brindle and I do find that when he was stripped his coat colors were way more visible, but overall I like the " I just rolled out of bed look" that Cairns have. Stipped or brushed.

[Nena]

Stripping is not painful if you support the skin and pull with your other fingers. Your's is really young to strip but you will know with they get that lions mane look. They hair will come out easily when stripped but you can brush all you want and some will come out but nothing like when you strip.

No the hair will not come out by itself. Do a seach on this forum for stripping techniques you will find many. I use a pumice stone if gets out so much hair in a short time. Stripping is not just for looks, it is for a healthy coat and keep your dog cleaner. They old hair collects dirt and oils. Allergies are helped by stripping also. It is not hard and your dog will look great after. I do it once a week for just a short time.

[sanford]

"stripping is very painful for the dog and the dogs turn "nasty" over the years and she has personally seen this."

I don't know about the groomer you spoke to... I've never heard that stripping makes dogs nasty over the years, although some don't tolerate it well and in the senior years, a dog's skin might be more sensitive. But for that matter, some dogs, like mine, never liked being brushed or combed at all, let alone stripped. (Personally, I would be somewhat concerned that maybe this groomer has a heavy hand or manner that makes the dogs nasty)?

In my search for a proper groomer, I've decided that many groomers actually don't know how to strip, even though they may speak like authorities. Or else they will tell you whatever they think will dissuade you from having them strip your cairn because they don't want to take the time & trouble. Bottom line ... I've consistently gotten best grooming advice from breeders and owners at shows and events, not from groomers, I'm sorry to say.

"She then told me there was a difference between stripping and plucking and that it is stripping with a knife that is painful." "Is there a difference between the two?"

...I don't know the difference. I thought they were the same thing, but perhaps not.

Until I was shown how to strip, I didn't understand that only a very few of the longer hairs were tugged at one time. You should have a firm, but reasonably light touch so only the hairs that are ready to be released from the follicle will come out. This was recently shown very well on this site in close-up photos. See them in the post from Shazza, Aug 6, 2009, Behavior & Health, Post #3. This makes a big difference in the comfort level of the dog, but it's what also makes stripping, for me, a time consuming project.

[bradl]

The aforementioned post.

[cleokiki]

sanford and bradl,

Thanks for more info. Luckily I had already found a great groomer who knows how to strip and he was very gentle and only lightly took out what was loose since Skye is a puppy. I watched while he was doing it. I also brush Skye at least every couple of days, both to get her used to keep her healthy.

I just find it sad how some groomers try to scare people away from stripping. I know it is a personal choice for everyone but groomers should present all options truthfully and without bias. Also, I saw the neighbor's Scotties she groomed. THey were clipped so close you could see the freckles on their skin, which is not a good idea in our hot searing sun. (They were blonde coated Scotties).

I agree about getting recommendations and seeking advice at shows. Since I am all the way down at the tip of the USA, no shows here, but I asked around alot before I got Skye and got a great recommendation.

Ada & Skye

[jodi0553]

Just to add to the topic of dogs tolerating the stripping...Currey tolerates having his ears, neck and back stripped. In fact, he absolutely loves to have his neck stripped both by hand and MCK. However, he is very sensitive on his face, belly and legs. I only hand strip his ears and the top of his head. The rest is MCK territory. I tend to alternate MCK and scissors on his legs and chin just because I don't have the patience for fighting him on it.

On a related note, I just returned from Ireland and saw several cairns there. They all wore their coats quite long and shaggy, quite different from in the US. I suppose since 70 degrees is a "hot" day there that the coat length is ok. Here in NY I keep it longer in the winter, shorter in the summer.