Stripping 101 . . . for Border Terriers!

I love my dog, as you have surely figured out if you've noticed my presence anywhere on the internet. There is little I have touched in the electronic world that does not have a picture of Max somewhere within it's files, often up front and center as my avatar. I can't help it, he's just so darn cute! But in all the love I have for my boy, there is one aspect of having him in my life that I don't love - stripping.

For those of you uninitiated into the joys of owning a Border Terrier, or a dog with similar coat needs, stripping is the term that refers to pulling out the longer, harsher 'guard' hairs of a dog's coat while leaving the shorter, softer, 'undercoat' behind. This process allows the dog to maintain the coarseness that provides waterproofing and also loft for warmth. Were the dog still used for it's original purpose, running along with a fox hunt to 'go to ground' and bolt the fox from it's den, the longer hairs would naturally be pulled out by shrubbery, thorns, and the like leaving a dog with a coat with very little maintenance needs. Unfortunately, the Border Terrier kept as a household pet, even when allowed plenty of outdoor activity, is very unlikely to ever be able to maintain his coat as of old. This is where the owner comes in. The dog must be stripped, variable based upon each dog's needs, about twice a year.

Some people choose to clipper the dog's coat short, but this ruins the texture of the coat, eliminates the waterproofed aspect, and can allow the hairs which need to be shed to cause infections in the dog's skin. There are times when it is kinder to the dog to clipper, but it is mostly advisable to maintain the coat as decades of breeding have dictated.

So when faced with a lack of gorse bushes through which to send your dog running, a desire to do right by the traditions of the breed, and the need to maintain your dog's health, you are faced with two options: Learn to strip the dog yourself, or hunt down a groomer who actually knows what stripping is and subject your dog and your wallet to the professional grooming experience. As my dog started of his early years as a casual show dog, I chose to learn how to groom him myself so that he could always be in good coat for the next show. I can't say we were always 100% successful on that front, but I won't go into that here.

The basic rundown of stripping is as follows: Using your bare hands, vinyl gloves, rubber secretary's fingers, a specialized tool known as a stripping knife, or some combination of the above, you choose a place to begin on the dog and gradually work your way over the whole body, pulling out the longer hairs of the coat, in the direction of growth, in small clusters, sometimes just a couple of hairs at a time. If the dog's coat is fully 'blown,' meaning ready to be stripped, this process can be quite simple, quick, and entirely painless for the dog, barring a few of the more tender areas which it is generally considered kinder to clipper. If the dog's coat is not ready to be stripped, the process is much lengthier and certainly more uncomfortable for the dog. So, I generally wait until Max looks like a a cross between a hyena and a fluffy porcupine before I strip him.

Now, as I said above, you can choose a place to begin this process. In the past, I have usually chosen to start between his shoulder blades as this seems to be the area which has the fastest growing hair and so is ready to go sooner. Unfortunately, since this is a painstaking task, it is often necessary to make one full grooming last over the course of a few days. This delay has left me with a dog who looks like this:
But recently I decide that if Max and I had to go through this painstaking task I was going to have more fun with it. So this time I started out with his legs and then moved on to a small portion around his butt. Amusing, but nothing stellar:
Finally, at least as finally as I have so far progressed, I moved the work further forward and down around most of his belly as well. I'm quite pleased with the result and regret that I will have to finish up, but after the Eismann gave me a very confused look and I attempted to explain in Germlish exactly what was going on, I figure it will just have to be done if I don't wish for my German neighbors to call the loony bin on me. Still, I think he looks kind of royal with his cape, excepting the much suffering look he always gives me when I make him pose for a photo:
I'll be sure to post the final photo when he's done.