I've been taking my Airedale (1.5 years) to a groomer for hand stripping for every grooming appointment she's ever had. The coat feels coarse and great coloration. The only problem is it doesn't lay flat. She gets hand stripped every 4 weeks for 2 hours at a time. I was hoping this frequency and short duration would provide more continuous maintenance to keep the coat short and maintained. At the last appointment my groomer said they had a hard time getting much hair out - seems like this isn't a good sign. As an aside, the groomer does not use stripping knives, just their hands. Any advice on what I'm doing wrong or how I can get the coat to lay flat.
Hello David and welcome to Breedia. I used to hand-strip my rough Griffons, but never as frequently as every four weeks. The coat has to be long enough for the hairs to be held firmly enough and the hairs ready to be stripped out. The fact that your groomer said they had a hard time getting much hair out sounds like your girl's coat was just not ready to be stripped, but I am afraid that I cannot suggest any way to help her coat lay flat.
It could be that the excessive hand stripping is causing the problem. If the coat isn't ready, it's likely to be not too comfortable either
I agree that four weeks is a shorter time than usual interval between strips - probably because your groomer thought it would result in shorter hair, which might lie flatter. I am cautious about giving advice, not having seen or felt the coat texture, and I am not a Terrier specialist. Some coats will never make those really tight jackets but - if this was my dog - I would be tempted to try lightly scraping, in the direction that the coat lies, between her strips using a Mars Coat King, (or an equivalent). Do be careful that you are not scraping right down to the skin as with breeds with black skin it is easy to get carried away and end up with thin patches.
I can't offer any advice - I never handstripped my terriers. Personally, I like the natural look with the curly wirecoat.
@lenzda - just a thought. Are you showing your girl? Because if you are not, I would suggest you forget hand-stripping, buy a good quality stripping knife, and groom her yourself. I had two rough Griffons who were never shown, and when necessary I kept their coats clear from dead hairs and looking neat, by using a stripping knife. To them it was just like their regular brushing. Obviously that could not have been done with dogs that are shown, but for pets or brood bitches, it was ideal. It also saved my fingers, as hand-stripping was not my idea of a pleasurable activity, but as I said, it is obviously not suitable for show dogs.
Thanks for all the advice. I've got a good set of mars stripping knives that I'll use from time to time. I may just need to brush her more frequently to get her undercoat to lay flat.
The Mars Coat King isn't a stripping knife. It is comprised of a row of vertical hooked teeth which act as a rake. They come in a variety of numbers of teeth and widths. You're aiming to retain the hard wire guard hair and to remove the soft undercoat which I guess is what is stopping the coat from lying flat to the body.
You might get in touch with a local airedale club and even ask for recommendations for a groomer. Then you can learn from them how best to achieve the look you want. Meanwhile, I would back off on the grooming all around. The more you mess with her coat, the more you could mess it up permanently. Letting it all grow out while you talk to some airdale experts, and hopefully be able to see them grooming, will not harm the coat. But by continuing, you may not ever see the result you want.
By all means talk to some Airedale breeders, but I wouldn't let the coat grow out - the undercoat will thicken and the top coat will grow through it longer and softer. To keep a tight jacket you will need to keep her well stripped out.
Sorry. I didn't mean to let it grow out indefinitely, just for a month or so while the OP talks to some airedale folks. Leaving it alone for 4-8 weeks shouldn't be a problem (just basic brushing, etc). And it will be easier for an experienced groomer to do it right than if they are working on an over groomed coat. I just worry that in their attempt to get a perfect coat, the OP will do too much of the wrong thing and make things much worse. It might be that this dog will never have that perfectly flat coat due to genetics.
Thanks again for the advice. I’m letting her grow out a little and using a mars coat king while I look for a reputable groomer in my area. While her coat feels corse, it looks like the undercoat is long and not laying flat. There is a wired hair German Sheppard breeder 30mins from our house that groomed and showed our first Airedale. I may have to get back in contact and send her away for a week to get her coat properly groomed.
Do you mean German Wire Haired Pointer? They could help but you shouldn't need to leave her for a week. Be better if she would let you watch how to maintain your Airedale's coat between strips.
