Hand stripping is the process of pulling out the dead coat of wire haired breeds and spaniels and some other breeds.

It is not painful and it encourages the correct coat texture and colour.

Dogs have 3 coats the undercoat; top coat and dead coat. When the dead coat is removed it encourages the new coat to grow through. If it is not removed the new coat grows but clogs together with the old coat and then it becomes very hard to strip and sometimes means the dog has to be completely stripped down to the skin to start again or as I prefer to do, try to take out the very longest coat and work every month or so until corrected.

Neutering changes the dogs coat and makes it softer and more difficult to strip unless the dog is kept slim and the dogs come more regularly.

An overfed dog will grow a thicker coat and the coat wont strip as it isn't dead. The undercoat grows thicker and clogs the pores stopping the new coat from growing Usually reducing the food intake will correct.



I only hand strip rather than use a knife and I will only pull hair that is dead. If a coat has been cut with scissors or a stripping tool with a blade it wont hand strip until this has grown out 

How much hair strips out depends on the dogs coat I recommend 6 to 16 weekly appointments only for stripping