Hand Stripping

 

This technique involves pulling out the dead top coat by hand to leave a more natural look than clipping. It is used on breeds with a wire coat to maintain coat texture and colour.

 

Clipping a "wiry" coat can dilute the dog’s colour, soften the texture, and cause the coat to be prone to matting (because of the new "softer" texture).
 

Hand stripping retains proper coat texture and colour;
With hand stripping, results can vary at different times of the year, depending on the stage the dog's coat is in. Dogs can either be maintained at three to six week intervals (for optimal coat growth), or every three months or so. Hand stripping is extremely labour intensive and, therefore more expensive, but has benefits not only in maintaining the proper breed "look" for your dog, but also for your dog's skin and coat.

We finish the hand strip with precision scissoring to give final shape to the likes of the legs, feet and face.