Clipping to hand stripping?

[*Louisa+Harley*]

Hi
Can you hand strip a cocker after it has been clipped for the past 2yrs. Ive got a black spayed bitch who gets clipped about every 3months but her hair had got thicker and isnt very soft or glossy when its grows back. Ive seen hand stripped cockers and they all have beautiful natural, and would love to acheive this with mine.
I didnt know much about the breed when i got her and had her clipped because is was what are groomer at the time did and i didnt know any different! i regret it know and would love to be able to hand strip her...so do you think that it will ever be possible?

Many thanks from another newby, Louisa and Harley 

[Beth]

I think the spaying would have changed the coat and made stripping very difficult.

[JennyBee]

Hi and welcome to the forum!  Like Beth says, I think that once the dog has been spayed or clipped then it’s not possible to handstrip… I know what you mean about the thick coat though, as Brodie’s went like that after she was spayed

[ladylola]

I think it would be almost impossible to hand strip her.  I have a black spayed bitch and so far [she has never been clipped] I am managing her coat with a coat king. Don't know how long I will be able to use this.

[BabyB]

I think it would be almost impossible to hand strip her.  I have a black spayed bitch and so far [she has never been clipped] I am managing her coat with a coat king. Don't know how long I will be able to use this.

I don't meam to hijack the thread, but Katie is spay and she's only been hand-stripped.  Now she's looking like a teddy bear  - does a coat king work as I really don't want to start clipping her? Thanks

[ladylola]

I find the coat king very good, takes out a lot of the undercoat.  Ellie has been spayed a year now and it is still working on her very thick coat. It does cut the hair a little and can leave some whispy bits, but to me it is preferable to using clippers. I have been told it won't work forever so will wait and see.  It has no effect on my other spayed bitch who is very curly, she has to be clipped. A lot of people seeing Ellies coat think she has been handstripped and isn't spayed.

[BabyB]

I find the coat king very good, takes out a lot of the undercoat.  Ellie has been spayed a year now and it is still working on her very thick coat. It does cut the hair a little and can leave some whispy bits, but to me it is preferable to using clippers. I have been told it won't work forever so will wait and see.  It has no effect on my other spayed bitch who is very curly, she has to be clipped. A lot of people seeing Ellies coat think she has been handstripped and isn't spayed.

Katie was spay a year ago too, whilst the hair is fine their is a lot of it IYKWIM.  I'll get a coat king and see what happens.  I do use a comb with a rubber band, and this works well down her back, but her legs are like moon boots (she's on the left of the picture in my profile).  Thanks for the advice 

[ladylola]

She is gorgeous they both are, You could use thinning scissors on her legs

[Tori]

She is gorgeous they both are, You could use thinning scissors on her legs

Was going to say the same.  I've helped keep a rather lovely orange lady's coat in show condition since she was spayed 5/6yrs ago i think it was, her owner is an absolute star working on her to keep her coat looking just so but i do find that a coat king on a spayed coat that has not been clipped can keep it looking quite natural.  You could try hand pulling on the fluff on the legs if you wish, generally i find it is very soft and fluffy or lightly thining into it. 


Louisa i'm very sorry but IMO you can't really go back on a coat that has been clipped for so long and spayed.  I know how frustrating you may find this 

[*Louisa+Harley*]

Hi thanks for all of your advise. Can anyone reccommend using anything else to groom her which isnt as harsh as clipping. I have seen that many people use a Coat Kinng... would that be suitable for my dog?

many thanks, Louisa

[Tori]

You could try it......may take awhile and i'm still not convinced that you will get the effect your wanting but it does very depend on the individual coat type.  I've have tried it before with not much success i'll be honest.   LOther than that you could try thining over the body with thining scissors?

[BabyB]

She is gorgeous they both are, You could use thinning scissors on her legs

Was going to say the same.  I've helped keep a rather lovely orange lady's coat in show condition since she was spayed 5/6yrs ago i think it was, her owner is an absolute star working on her to keep her coat looking just so but i do find that a coat king on a spayed coat that has not been clipped can keep it looking quite natural.  You could try hand pulling on the fluff on the legs if you wish, generally i find it is very soft and fluffy or lightly thining into it. 


Louisa i'm very sorry but IMO you can't really go back on a coat that has been clipped for so long and spayed.  I know how frustrating you may find this 

Thank you

Henry's coat is totally different - perhaps because he's a boy with all his 'bit's'  .  I can strip Henry no problem, and I use thinning scissors on the bulk of his legs at the sides.  I find the front hasn't needed stripping as it's stayed short.

I do find though if I use thinners on Katie's legs, they tend to get a little knotty.  I'm not too sure if it's because of the long and short hair together???

Off to order a coat king for my moon boot baby 

[Ninasmum]

Hi Louisa,  you could also try using a Spratts 76 comb.  It is always a useful comb to have.

[6thSense]

I have a 4 year old Black Bitch who had puppies 10 mths ago and has now also been spayed. She has always been clipped and her coat was very fluffy and unkempt and she had dandruff and it just looked very dry. Since getting into the Showing world I have learnt a lot more about Hand Stripping and I am hand stripping her 3  babies. It made me start to think about her coat and how beautiful she looked before having kids and being spayed and clipped. So I started to give her the supplement Yumega that I have been giving to the pups and I invested in a coat king to basically just give it a go and see what I could achieve. I used thinning scissors in some places on the feet upper leg and the tops of the ears as well. She is know looking much more herself and has a lovely glossy coat again. I don't know if it is down to the Coat King, the Yumega or both, but I am extremely happy with the outcome.

[BabyB]

Where's the best place to get a coat king, and what size would you get too?
Ta again Kerry