Should My Dog be Hand Stripped or Clipped?
The choice between having a dog hand stripped or clipped is very much a personal choice of the owner. However, there are some things to bear in mind when making the decision:

• Dogs with wiry, fairly waterproof coats, such as Scotties, Westies, Airedale Terriers etc, can be hand stripped.
• Hand stripping involves gently plucking out the long, dead hairs on a dog leaving behind only the new growth.
• Hand stripping does not cause discomfort to the dog, indeed many dogs seem to find it quite therapeutic and will lie down and relax on the grooming table while you work on them. However, occasionally a dog with particularly sensitive skin will not tolerate it.
• The advantage to hand stripping a wiry coat is that the coat will keep that harsh texture which keeps it waterproof. Dirt will often simply fall off a wiry coat once it is dry, although sometimes a little brushing is required to help it along! For breeds such as Airedale Terriers hand stripping will keep the natural colour of the coat.
• If you clip a wire haired dog - regularly then gradually the undercoat will become more profuse and the top coat will soften so that it loses that wiry texture and becomes less waterproof. Colours will also become dulled when wiry coats are regularly clipped.
• Hand stripped dogs will generally need to visit the groomers' less frequently to keep them looking good – on average every 4 - 5 months as compared to every 2 – 3 months if the dog is clipped. However, the price is slightly higher as hand stripping takes longer to do.

The choice is very much your own but you need to make the decision early on as once a coat has been clipped a few times then it is likely to be too soft to hand strip in the future.

Nervous Dogs:
Gail has rescued very nervous dogs herself in the past and so understands the need to instil them with a sense of trust and confidence in the person who is grooming them and to provide them with consistent instructions that can be easily understood. This is a relationship that has to be built up over time, but it starts with gentle handling from the beginning, coupled with rewarding the dog when it has behaved well. (Please let Gail know if your dog has any dietary requirements that would affect any food rewards given).

For some highly nervous dogs it is best if the owner remains with them during the grooming session, however for many it is better if they are left alone with the groomer as they then have no-one else to worry about or try to protect and this can help them to relax more quickly. It also allows them to concentrate on the groomer and what is being asked of them, helping them to understand the process more quickly and making the experience less stressful all round.