It Was a Battle

[kjwarnold]

So, I re-read Brad's post on grooming heads that has amazing instructions and pictures. I had my tools ready (stripping knives, Mars Coat King, scissors, thinning shears, pumice stone, etc.) and I was ready to work on Kirby's head. OMG, I would never have believed that a little 15 lb. dog could be so strong and wiggle so much! There was no way he was letting me strip his face and I barely got anything done by myself.

I finally had DH hold Kirby's body while I used one hand to hold his head and the other to strip with the pumice stone. It was still a battle and DH laughing like a hyena at how much Kirby fought didn't help. They were both wiggling! I think he finally wore himself out (Kirby, not DH), because he held still a bit so I could really get some fur off. He still has a ton of long fur on his head, but it's starting to look better. I never did get to his tail, but he doesn't fight so much with that. Guess I'll tackle the head again another day, maybe after we've had a 30 mile hike or something, so he's tired!

How on earth do you get your Cairn to hold still to do their head? I don't have a grooming table.

[Hillscreek]

I don't have a grooming table either.

When I stripped Angus I didn't do his head or legs. The legs weren't ready and I wasn't sure about the head even though I read up about it like you did. However as time went by the hairs loosened and some I pulled and some I left and some just came out by themselves as he ran about through long grass and stuff.

I think Brad's advice to me re stripping was just to weed out the head hairs so they always have something left. This part grows the slowest several people have said.

Angus also very wiggly so another reason for me to go slow!

[Lynn in TN]

If you could only see the different positions I get into to strip Kelly you would roll on the floor laughing. I use her leash and tie it to the porch rail ( I make it very short so she can't move except in a circle) Then I wrap my legs completely around her if she isn't cooperating. She does very well when i'm doing her face though. It's her rear end that she doesn't like. To get her head I wrap my hand completely around her nose, and to get her nose area i wrap my hand around her neck. hehehehe. I don't hurt her, but if someone was walking by they might think I was trying to wring her little neck.

[bradl]

I couldn't live without a grooming table (and noose). So useful for so many things, some of them even grooming

For me table is necessary but not sufficient. If grooming alone I too use a variety of head-locks and contortions to work on various parts of the dog. Some very well conditioned dogs will simply stand and be groomed (believe it or not some seem to enjoy it) - but given my lack of discipline and lack of routine it's typically a tactical exercise to get everything done. As often as possible I enlist help. Typically holding the head immobile will still most of the dog. (I find the most control with hands held up tight against the back of the skull (making a ring with the hands behind the occiput and mandible).

There are lots of tips and tricks that sometimes work on some dogs, but not others, so they are hard to present as "tips" -- more like, "well, you can *try* this and see if it helps."

Example, if a dog is lifting or pulling away a leg as you try to groom it, try lifting the opposite leg ... that tends to unbalance them so they have to put their grooming foot back down. For some dogs, that's all it takes. Others will suspend themselves by the neck in order to get all four feet off the table if need be. Sigh.

[hheldorfer]

If I'm persistent and lucky Buffy will let out a big, disgusted sigh after 5 minutes and allow me to do pretty much whatever I want - for 10 minutes, max. Then she shakes herself off and gives me a look that says "Let me down from here NOW unless you want to hear the Cairn Death Screech!"

[kjwarnold]

Lynn, I was in those same positions. I was sitting on the dock (so I could just let the fur fly) and had Kirby pinned in my legs. One hand was holding his head and the other trying to catch the rest of him. I needed 6 hands! And you're right, if someone had come by, they would have thought I was wringing his little neck! I'm giving him a few days, then I'm going to go back at it. Maybe I'll try working on his head on top of the hot tub. That's a good height for me in terms of seeing what I'm doing, but I can't use my legs to trap him!

[jimnconnie]

How on earth do you get your Cairn to hold still to do their head? I don't have a grooming table.

I think you answered your own question right there! A table may be the most important piece of equipment that I have for

grooming our dogs. Even with the table it's a battle to strip Bailey. He's such an actor, whining, and pulling his feet & legs away when I'm trying to pull hair. I can't imagine trying to do it without having him anchored down, both at the front & rear ends! Sophie on the other hand is an angel on the table, she almost never complains. It's funny that the one with the heaviest & hardest to pull coat (Bailey ) is the one that is the fussiest, while the one with the coat that pulls the easiest (Sophie ) just stands there and lets me do whatever I want. You should seriously consider getting a table, it's worth the investment many times over.

Good Luck! Jim

[KShep]

Has anyone ever seen the hair come out like this? It is like plucking a chicken. Just a Border Terrier thing? Ripley tolerates it much better if I pull with the direction of the hair.

[Hillscreek]

Yes when I stripped Angus at six months it was like this. The hair practically fell off. I tried to pull in the direction the hair grew. Head, tail, legs and belly took longer. In fact I was still working on the back of the legs when the new hair was growing in.

[Carolinasmom]

Kshep, that's amazing! Ripley is just kicking back and dealing with it! Ellie goes into a panic as soon as I start pulling. Clearly I have a lot of work to do to get her to r--e--l--a--x!

[KShep]

Kshep, that's amazing! Ripley is just kicking back and dealing with it! Ellie goes into a panic as soon as I start pulling. Clearly I have a lot of work to do to get her to r--e--l--a--x!

That's not Ripley! That's a border terrier I found when researching handstripping. Ripley has softer hair and puts up a fight