Such a fluffy coat! Stripping or Coat King?

[BeeBladen]

Gretsch has a very fluffy, soft coat. I love it now, but want to see if I can strip or pluck his puppy fur so his adult coat may come in more wiry. It really doesn't matter to me what his coat is like, I love him to death, but want to keep his coat and skin as healthy as possible. I have tried to strip a part of his back jacket but It won't come out very easily and getting mostly undercoat. (maybe I just need to wait? He is 12.5 weeks now.) As you can see in the photos, his hair is almost 2" long. Any reccomendations? I have been carefully clipping the hair by his eyes so he can see well. He is just so fluffy! If anyone has experience with a Mars Coat King I'd also like to know what number you would recommend. I was thinking a 16 because he is so soft? Again, he is only 12.5 weeks, maybe I should wait?

Anything would be of help!

Thanks in advance!

PS we don't normally dress him up, but it was veerryy cold out that day!

[kintra]

Granted, every dog is different, but I usually try to have puppy coat off of them by 10 weeks (I go to Mary's and help strip puppies coat's before they go to their new homes). When they're that young, I typically just strip them by hand as opposed to using a stripping knife. It may take a few strippings before you start to really notice very wiry hair, but as long as you keep up with it on a regular schedule, it will come.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Mars Coat Kings...I dislike the fishished result I get with them and don't feel like they do any favors for the coat.

[carolinaila09]

i dont really have any help with that, but he is SOOO CUTE!!!!! paisley is not nearly that fluffy!! but her wire coat is coming in strong.

[Kit'sOwner]

I'm curious about what everyone has to say. I'm not sure if I should be doing something about my puppy's coat right now. She's 6 months old and you can definitely see her winter coat coming in. She is not scratching and doesn't appear to be itchy. We live in Canada where it's going to get REALLY COLD....so basically, I'm really wondering about when it is really necessary to strip your dog's coat. I like the way she looks, she appears to be comfortable, and she's going to need the extra warmth....so in what situations do we need to bother? I would post a picture but don't know how to.

[hfitz1]

Granted, every dog is different, but I usually try to have puppy coat off of them by 10 weeks (I go to Mary's and help strip puppies coat's before they go to their new homes). When they're that young, I typically just strip them by hand as opposed to using a stripping knife. It may take a few strippings before you start to really notice very wiry hair, but as long as you keep up with it on a regular schedule, it will come.

Personally, I'm not a fan of the Mars Coat Kings...I dislike the fishished result I get with them and don't feel like they do any favors for the coat.

My girl is almost 11 weeks now. Should I strip her whole coat off?

[Hawkeye]

I can't give any advise on stripping a puppies coat, but just had to say how cute Gretsch is. I love his little coat; he will be the talk of the neighborhood!!!

[BeeBladen]

Thanks so much for the info guys! ( and Gretsch says thanks for the compliments!) I have tried to pull out his longer hairs, but I have to do it reeaaaallly hard, they don't come out easily. I will try to give him some treats tonight and try to do it a little while he is busy or tired. I do love his coat, but I want him to be healthy as well. Is the best way to hold the skin taught and just pull in a jerking motion? I can't tell what is undercoat and what is outer coat, he is so fluffy! I did hear that you should start stripping early (12 weeks) to bring in the adult coat and keep them getting used to the pulling. I don't want to wait too long, but it doesn't seem ready yet. ????

I am one confused Cairn mommy!

[kintra]

It is a matter of choice for everybody whether they would like to strip coats or not. Since I show Cairns/other Wire breeds, stripping is a must and I'm very partial to the look and fuction of a stripped coat. An unstripped coat is simply dead hair that turns soft/fluffy/stringy...a stripped coat offers protection from the elements (water resistant, insulation, etc) and for the undercoat.

As more comes off, it becomes easier to tell the difference between outer and under coat. The undercoat is super soft and seems 'downy' when pulled out (its not very easy to pull it out either)and will typically be a lighter color than the outer coat. As you continue stripping and notice the color change in the outer coat, this becomes more evident (Watson used to be red...he is now black with a red undercoat). When I was first starting, it always helped me to tell the difference of outer/under coat by running my hand backwards over the coat.

When to pull the coat off is probably a matter of preference, too. I've learned from my mentor and she always takes puppy coats off before they go to their new homes at 12 weeks. Granted I've also stripped out puppy coats when they were a few months old and it was fine.

[BeeBladen]

Hello everyone,

I have a furminator for my shorthair cat, and tried it out for a few minutes on Gretsch. It did actually take alot of hair out, but I think it is mostly undercoat. ( I don't see too many roots or longer hairs) I did try to go backwards up his back to see if I can tell the difference but they are both light and both soft. Should I just make him "naked" and get out anything I can? I don't want to harm him. As long as he's got a kong with peanut butter in it he lets me rake him. I am going to try some latex glove tips and/or some baby powder to see if It helps to just pull out longer hairs. Ill try to keep updating the process, I'm sure there are other soft coated cairns out there that may need some advice.

[Cairnmania]

Hello everyone,

I have a furminator for my shorthair cat, and tried it out for a few minutes on Gretsch. It did actually take alot of hair out, but I think it is mostly undercoat. ( I don't see too many roots or longer hairs) I did try to go backwards up his back to see if I can tell the difference but they are both light and both soft. Should I just make him "naked" and get out anything I can? I don't want to harm him. As long as he's got a kong with peanut butter in it he lets me rake him. I am going to try some latex glove tips and/or some baby powder to see if It helps to just pull out longer hairs. Ill try to keep updating the process, I'm sure there are other soft coated cairns out there that may need some advice.

You definitely do not want to make Gretsch naked You do not pull undercoat, only outercoat. Undercoat will come out with brushing, although what I tend to do is backcomb and that gets a lot of it out. I don't know where you acquired Gretsch, but if he is from a breeder you might get some help from him or her. (The breeder might also have pulled most of the outercoat before he went to his new home.) The outercoat on puppies does tend to be fluffy and sticks out from the rest of the coat. Not the most attractive feature, IMO. If you are finding the longest hairs and they are hard to pull out, leave them alone for a couple of weeks. There is no rush. In a few weeks time it should be easier for you to tell the difference between outercoat and undercoat and make your job easier.

BTW - what a cutie!

[hallswel]

I also pull down my puppies before they go to new homes so by 12 weeks they are naked looking. My Saffron is a wheaten and has a very thick puppy coat when she sits in my lap in the evenings I pull out more coat trying to get a good coat coming in. Her brother came to visit and I neaten up his coat, he is a red and has a very nice hard coat coming in. They will probably take him to a groomers after this because it is a long drive to my house.

You might see if there is a Cairn breeder near you to help. I have helped on dogs I didn't breed...hands on help so to speak

[kintra]

Furminators are great for taking out undercoat, but be careful, its very easy to get carried away and make holes in the undercoat.

And it is a bit hard to tell with his coloring, but in your photos it looks like a lot of the outer coat is gone (obviously the darker stuff around the face is still outercoat)

If you're handstripping for your pet puppy, its not necessary that it be perfectly done every time. Even if some of the outer coat is left right now, it can still be pulled in a few weeks when it becomes more obvious. It may take several grooming sessions to get a very nice, wiry coat.

[Kit'sOwner]

I tried brushing/pulling at Kit's coat and nothing comes out. Does this mean that her coat is not requiring anything at this point? It's grown to be quite floofy over the last few weeks, especially over her back legs and along the "skirt". I am quite skeptical about all of this and wonder if the Scottish farmers would bother "back in the day" and why it's required now though they don't live outside as a breed as they originally did which probably helped to pull a lot of the coat out.

[kintra]

No while Scottish farmers back in the day probably didn't set up their grooming tables and make an afternoon of stripping dogs, Cairns were working on the craggy rocks/underbrush of Scotland that pulled their coat out.

The wiry coat is a breed trademark and helps keep them as close to the standard as possibly/high functioning. Preferably, I like having a hard coated dog that offers them insulation and protection from water and as true to the original Cairns as possible.

[Kmurch64]

I don't have much advice here but what a cutie!

[hfitz1]

I also pull down my puppies before they go to new homes so by 12 weeks they are naked looking. My Saffron is a wheaten and has a very thick puppy coat when she sits in my lap in the evenings I pull out more coat trying to get a good coat coming in. Her brother came to visit and I neaten up his coat, he is a red and has a very nice hard coat coming in. They will probably take him to a groomers after this because it is a long drive to my house.

You might see if there is a Cairn breeder near you to help. I have helped on dogs I didn't breed...hands on help so to speak

Can you use the Mars Coat King on a puppy? Mine is 11 weeks.

[Jetti]

My Paco is well beyond the puppy stage but I have a question too.:I have plucked him since the day I

got him and he has a nice wire-touch but I think he does not have much hair. I got a cd for learning

how to strip from www.special grooming nl and the dog they show has a LOT of hair. As for me I have to

be very carefull not to make holes.

On the bright side however, his legs are getting "hairier" and less soft but his belly is still wanting.

Do they grow more hair as they get older - it looks so to me - or is it my whishfull thinking?

[kintra]

Paco looks like a total sweetheart!

Some dogs just don't have as much hair as other dogs. Another thing that affects this is how often/how much you pull. When I'm keeping my dogs in a show coat, I personally strip one "layer" of hair every other week. After you've stripping on a consistent basis for awhile, layers will start to form in the coat. Its difficult at first, you just sort of need to get a feel for what you're pulling.

Holes are inevitable and happen to everybody. Sometimes I just get focused in on one spot and go 'grooming happy' until I realize you can see Zach's undercoat peeking through. The great thing about it is, hair grows back, so don't be too worried about holes.

[Kit'sOwner]

I just dug out the old Furminator that I had on hand for our Lab that was recently put down and it works wonders on our Cairn's coat! I was careful not to overdo it. Thumbs up on the Furminator!

[Cairnmania]

Abby's coat is much thinner than Rudi's. She is a breeze to groom, but it is very easy for her undercoat to show. Even my twelve year old stepgrandaughter remarked the last time she saw her, "she has a hole in her coat!" And then she realized it was just undercoat, but Abby's undercoat is light wheaten and her outcoat is gray and black, so even a spot with thin outcoat is noticeable.

I swear that Rudi grows coat whilst I am grooming him. It is so thick and profuse that I get discouraged before I even start, hence he is rather shaggy at the moment. It is almost impossible to pull holes in his coat, but I have managed to create sort of a ripple effect down his back where there are "lumps" with lots of hair and flatter spots with less hair. Not attractive.

[hfitz1]

I just wanted to mention something that may help you. I had to rinse Mary off today, then I dried her a bit with the towel. While she was still wet I started stripping some fur and it was so much easier. I don't know if the fur being wet helped me get a better grip or what, but I got a bunch of fur out. She is still a big fluff ball, but it is progress! You might want to give it a try.

[Tracy A.]

Abby's coat is much thinner than Rudi's. She is a breeze to groom, but it is very easy for her undercoat to show. Even my twelve year old stepgrandaughter remarked the last time she saw her, "she has a hole in her coat!" And then she realized it was just undercoat, but Abby's undercoat is light wheaten and her outcoat is gray and black, so even a spot with thin outcoat is noticeable.

I swear that Rudi grows coat whilst I am grooming him. It is so thick and profuse that I get discouraged before I even start, hence he is rather shaggy at the moment. It is almost impossible to pull holes in his coat, but I have managed to create sort of a ripple effect down his back where there are "lumps" with lots of hair and flatter spots with less hair. Not attractive.

I'm there with you! One dog with a thinner coat and yes you can over groom and have undercoat showing... and one dog who is my fluff ball who I use a furminator, mars coat king and stripping knife on before...yes that is Before I start hand stripping! LOL it's all I can do to make it more managable!

[BeeBladen]

Thanks for that advice! I am going to spray Gretsch down with some water (instead of a whole bath) and see if I can at least get ahold of some hair on his jacket. Its REALLY hard to tell what is undercoat and outer unless I pull it and see what comes out! (they are the same color, except for the black hairs that are obviously outer. Maybe I should just wait until it grows longer and I can see the difference? He has a really soft coat, no wire at all so in the next few weeks I'll be able to tell if I can strip him at all. Even the breeder had concerns but I fell in love with him! In the end I don't care if he is clippered. I would probably do it myself with thinning shears instead of straight clippering. Any thoughts? Anyone seen a fluffball like this? (not just puppy fur?) Thanks for all the advice! Will def try the water and see!!!

[Tracy A.]

OMG, what a cutie and young. You'll need to wait for the puppy coat to be blown before you strip it out and leave the undercoat behind.

You'll see longer hairs sticking up from the undercoat, you might want to search the fourm on stirpping puppy coat and you'll see some images taken showing what the hair looks like when it's time.

[BeeBladen]

Here is a photo up close of his coat. Maybe I should take the above advice and wait another week or two to really see if the longer hairs appear? The few that have the black tips do come out but they are sparse. Let me know if this photo helps! All the advice is great.