Author Topic: What is hand stripping?  (Read 93538 times)

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Offline Pammy

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #45 on: October 09, 2002, 08:58:10 PM »
I know this may sound like a really stupid question but I am going to ask any way. I am supposed to use the coat king 'with ' the coat and not against it aren't I?
The other thing is he has a really curly head, what should I do with that?

Angela

Yes - you go with the direction of the hair growth with the coat king - not against it. The curly mop on top should be hand stripped - never cut. It is one of the easiest parts to do actually and is easy to do with them sat on your knee - they'll drift of to sleep eventually as you become more skilled in doing it. ;)

As soon as you can hold a curl - just a small amount of hair - between you finger and thumb - enough of a curl for it to wrap around a bit - it's long enough to come out. grip tightly and pull - quite briskly and it should come out. Go all over the top of the head and you'll soon have a really lovely head to look at. You can do the tops of the ears slightly on some dogs - but it can be tender on others - you'll have to judge your dog.

If you have a really curly head - it is well ready for doing. Don't be alarmed at how much comes out - the short new growth will be hiding underneath. Stripping the head when it has become overgrown is one of the most dramatic changes you'll see in how your dog looks - they take on a whole new persona - much more mature and grown up - rather than an unruly fluffball ;D

hth                    
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Offline Jane S

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #46 on: October 09, 2002, 11:06:09 PM »
I shall be slightly controversial here & say that I only handstrip the heads of show dogs. I feel that it is perfectly acceptable to use a Coat King and/or thinning scissors on the top knot (long curly hair on the head) of a pet puppy, especially if it's a very thick coated solid black. Whereas the top knots of particolours can be quite easy to strip out (though not always), those of solid puppies (from show lines) can be nightmares to do, specially with puppies that are not used to being "plucked". I also would not pluck the tops of the ears on a pet puppy (unless they had particularly easy coats :) ) - most find it too uncomfortable. It's different for show puppies - they are trained from an early age to accept stripping & show owners tend to be doing a little bit here & there every day so their pups don't get fed up. I guess it depends on what you are aiming for - if you want your puppy to be trimmed as if for the show ring, then yes, hand strip the head but be warned, with a solid, this can be a very long job indeed ;D                    
Jane

Offline Mike

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #47 on: October 10, 2002, 09:14:38 AM »
I used the coat king to deal with the curls (affro!) on top of the head. It worked well, and as Pammy said, the difference in her overall look was huge (in a positive way).                    

Offline angelad

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #48 on: October 10, 2002, 09:46:34 AM »
Thankyou for your help peoples :D My video & scissors arrived this morning, so guess what I will be doing this weekend! ;D I don't think I will be showing Cooper as there aren't many shows up here in the back of beyond - thats why the cybershow was good, gives me a chance to show him off! ;D
I suppose I will have to wait a while for really good results as he has been clipped 3 times and I seem to have ended up with lots of sticky out bits but I will persevere.                    
Angela & Cooper

Offline Jane S

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #49 on: October 10, 2002, 10:38:20 AM »
I'd forgotten Cooper had been clipped so I would say definitely forget about trying to handstrip his head - just aim for a nice neat appearance using your Coat King & thinners. A lot of show people also don't handstrip their dog's heads & if it's done skillfully, it's not always easy to tell. Just do what you feel comfortable with :)

Jane                    
Jane

Offline angelad

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #50 on: October 10, 2002, 12:43:01 PM »
Thanks for that Jane, I'm not sure about the 'Skillfully' bit though LOL ;D                    
Angela & Cooper

Offline Pammy

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #51 on: October 10, 2002, 09:29:28 PM »
Just to say - I sucessfully hand stripped the head of a bitch who had been clippered in the past and got her head looking lovely again in no time. I find the head the easiest bit to do myself. I could have just been lucky with the Cockers I've seen and done. I would ay thought that if I ever had a dog that really didn't like hand stripping at all - then I would always look for another way that made it better for them -even if that meant clippers.

I'm lucky though in that I only have the two to do now and so do have the time to strip their heads and the rest of them. I generally do the head on an ongoing basis - when they are sat on my knee watching telly - so it never gets to the stage where it's a curly mop. I find that works well for me. I would imagine doing a full curly mop-top would be quite hard on the dog.

jmho                    
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Offline Jane S

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #52 on: October 10, 2002, 09:57:58 PM »
Just to say - I sucessfully hand stripped the head of a bitch who had been clippered in the past and got her head looking lovely again in no time. I find the head the easiest bit to do myself. I could have just been lucky with the Cockers I've seen and done. .

Yes you have been lucky Pam, but I suspect when you have had to trim as many Cockers as I have, you might change your mind :) There are lots of different coat types out there -some are easy & some most definitely are not & a solid black with a curly top knot definitely comes into the second category ;D

Jane                    
Jane

Offline Michele

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #53 on: October 10, 2002, 10:28:24 PM »
Just to say - I sucessfully hand stripped the head of a bitch who had been clippered in the past and got her head looking lovely again in no time. I find the head the easiest bit to do myself. I could have just been lucky with the Cockers I've seen and done. .

Yes you have been lucky Pam, but I suspect when you have had to trim as many Cockers as I have, you might change your mind :) There are lots of different coat types out there -some are easy & some most definitely are not & a solid black with a curly top knot definitely comes into the second category ;D

Jane

Otis's 8) top knot certainly took time and patience, if you brushed it up he looked like Woody Woodpecker ;D
All the pet cockers that I trim either have their heads clippered or I use thinning scissors, which I agree with Jane you can still achieve a very presentable finish. We all agree hand stripping takes time and unless the hair is really so dead that it just about falls out, then I don't think its fair on the dog

imho  :)                    

Offline bobby

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #54 on: November 17, 2002, 11:05:52 AM »
Hi all,

Please can someone write me a shopping list of the coatking and other things that i will need to de-mop Bailey.

He has'nt a lot of coat at the moment as he's only 17 wks old.

He love's the shower and bath. He also loves getting caked in mud.

I have brought some scissors and trim his feet, tail and ears.

Please help,

Claire

P.S i'd like to get a table to groom him and have tried to do this on the side board with my husband holding him but he just wont have it!                    

Offline Michele

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #55 on: November 18, 2002, 04:28:54 PM »
Hi all,

Please can someone write me a shopping list of the coatking and other things that i will need to de-mop Bailey.

He has'nt a lot of coat at the moment as he's only 17 wks old.

He love's the shower and bath. He also loves getting caked in mud.

I have brought some scissors and trim his feet, tail and ears.

Please help,

Claire

P.S i'd like to get a table to groom him and have tried to do this on the side board with my husband holding him but he just wont have it!

Hi Claire, I have gone through this thread and copied the relevant comments for you. As you will see Jane has already mentioned what you should need for keeping Bailey tidy.
What I would suggest is that you start now even if he hasn't got much coat as this gets him used to the equipment and to being handled in a controlled situation. You may have to use a firm voice if he's a bit of a wriggler, but standing him on a non-slip surface should help enormously.

Quote
You could have a go though - you'll need two pairs of scissors, a normal straight-edged pair for trimming round feet etc & a pair of thinning scissors (one blade with serrated teeth) for thinning out hair on the ears, along the throat, under the tail etc. Then you need a Spaniel comb, a slicker brush and/or a Coat King. You can buy a video on hand stripping a Cocker (available from http://www.doggrooming.uk.com/) & there are 2 sites which might help too, have a look at http://www.turmalin.freeserve.co.uk/Cocker...Show%20Trim.htm & http://pamgair.homestead.com/Howdoyougroomthem.html

Handstripping is when dead/excess hair is removed by hand, using finger & thumb in a plucking motion or by using a special Spaniel comb (fine-toothed comb which also removes dead hair when pulled through the coat)


The spaniel comb that Jane refers to is called a Spratts 76 and is available by mail order from Diamond Edge Ltd. It can be found if you click on this address http://www.diamondedgeltd.com/acatalog/Onl...e_Combs_26.html
Another good way of getting dead puppy coat out is to thread an elastic band through the teeth of a metal comb and this will also help 'pull' out any dead coat.

Re: blade size for Coat King
I would suggest the 26 blade one is best for a cocker



Quote
How do you all make your dogs stand still long enough to groom them? I have a Spratts 76, and Brie just attacks it, rolls on her back and becomes hyper!


Never attempt to groom a puppy on the floor - you are on a hiding to nothing as it is too easy for pups to wriggle & squirm & generally get away with murder if they are on the floor Always groom on a table, using a rubber car mat or shower mat to make the surface non-slip -you'll be amazed at the difference it will make (it's a lot easier on your back too )




Quote
Ok, so having sorted out the coat king and comb (lets hope they come with instructions) which thinning scissors should I be looking at? - what a choice! Any help would be gratefully received.

Thinning scissors for Cockers should be the ones with 46 teeth in the serrated side. There are many different makes available at very different prices - someone I know has some Japanese thinners which cost £200, slightly out of the price range of most people I prefer the Roseline range of scissors (available from Simpsons, http://www.simpsons-online.co.uk/) but many people start with a pair of Gotta 65 thinners - a good, sturdy scissors which will do the job (widely available including from Diamond Edge, http://www.diamondedgeltd.com/acatalog/Onl...issors_21.html)

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I tried to get the video using the link that Jane provided and unfortunately it seems that the telephone number is wrong on their site, so for anyone else I managed to get it fromhttp://www.dezynadog.co.uk/pages/index2.html

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Having used the coat king and spratts comb, Daisy is now looking much neater and tidier, but I'm not really sure what to do with her feathers. Should they be 'stripped' too? Is this where thinning scissors come in (which I don't have yet)? I want the feathers to be a tidier than they currently are, but don't want to lose too much length if thats possible. What do our resident grooming experts recommend please?

If Daisy has profuse feathering on her front legs - the thinners can be used to thin it out. Only trim the length if you need to. You can take the ends off - lightly - to remove any unsightly straggles.

You can also thin the chest furnishings if they are very thick. It's really down to you and the look you want and how much hair you want to deal with. Scour the web for pictures of Cockers and find ones you like the look of then you know what you're aiming for. Keep that picture to hand when trimming - it'll help you picture how it looks against your girl.

The main thing is to snip once - brush step back and look again - you can take more off but you can't put it back on.!! We ALL wish we could at times.

Use the thinners on her throat to trim the hair close to the skin - this can be difficult and you have to be very careful not to catch the dogs throat - coz it hurts

Have you got some straight scissors? You'll need them to do the feet. Cut away all the excess hair under the paws so that it is level with the pads. Don't go in between the pads. When she is standing - take your straight scissors and cut vertically down against the side and front of her paw to cut away all the hair that sticks out.

It is not easy and takes time to learn. You will make mistakes - honest we all do.

I have some info on on my web-site about trimming and also a link to another site that gives some really good pointers.

A word of warning about the video. I have it - it's not bad but doesn't really deal with a dog that has a lot of coat or one that wriggles and has ticklish feet

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I know this may sound like a really stupid question but I am going to ask any way. I am supposed to use the coat king 'with ' the coat and not against it aren't I?
The other thing is he has a really curly head, what should I do with that?

Yes - you go with the direction of the hair growth with the coat king - not against it. The curly mop on top should be hand stripped - never cut. It is one of the easiest parts to do actually and is easy to do with them sat on your knee - they'll drift of to sleep eventually as you become more skilled in doing it.

Re Hand Stripping the Head
Quote
As soon as you can hold a curl - just a small amount of hair - between you finger and thumb - enough of a curl for it to wrap around a bit - it's long enough to come out. grip tightly and pull - quite briskly and it should come out. Go all over the top of the head and you'll soon have a really lovely head to look at. You can do the tops of the ears slightly on some dogs - but it can be tender on others - you'll have to judge your dog.

If you have a really curly head - it is well ready for doing. Don't be alarmed at how much comes out - the short new growth will be hiding underneath. Stripping the head when it has become overgrown is one of the most dramatic changes you'll see in how your dog looks - they take on a whole new persona - much more mature and grown up - rather than an unruly fluffball
                   

Offline NickyS

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #56 on: December 10, 2002, 12:45:05 PM »
Hi everyone,

I was just going to order my Spratts 76 and Coat King 26 when I thought about ordering some thinning scissors and some small scissors for fur around his pads etc. When I looked at the Diamond Edge site there were tons of options and I was totally confused!

Please can someone help me and tell me the best one to buy.

Thanks

Nicky                    

Offline angelad

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #57 on: December 10, 2002, 01:52:26 PM »
I got these ones from Diamond Edge

No. 402
46 teeth, one blade serrated. Our own brand top quality German scissor. Black oxidised carbon steel, with silencer.

and Jane recommends the Gotta 65 ones. So there are 2 choices for you (narrows it down a bit) there is about £5 in price difference.

I'm afraid I can't help with the straight scissors though as I was lucky enough to be give a 'cast off' pair by a hairdresser. They throw them away when they consider them not to be sharp enough! nice japanese pair they are! So if you can find a friendly hairdresser, ther's your answer ;D                    
Angela & Cooper

Offline Jane S

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #58 on: December 10, 2002, 04:23:56 PM »
If you just want a reasonable pair of straight-edged scissors for feet etc, then Boots used to do a very good priced pair (less than a tenner) & Micki also do an inexpensive pair (Micki range is in most good pet shops) - both are perfectly ok for basic trimming tasks

Jane

PS I would love some Japanese scissors but the ones I've seen cost £200 - a bit out of my price range ;D                    
Jane

Offline Michele

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What is hand stripping?
« Reply #59 on: December 10, 2002, 05:26:15 PM »
PS I would love some Japanese scissors but the ones I've seen cost £200 - a bit out of my price range ;D
Jane, perhaps we could ask a certain lady in the Newbury area who has won many grooming competitions if we could have her cast offs ;D