Dog Grooming Stripping or Plucking

Should wirehaired breeds be plucked or clipped? Wirehaired Terri en-breeders who show their dogs express dismay at the mentions of clipping. A clipped terrier does not have a typical show appearance. But those who are not interested in showing their dogs will find that the dogs like clipping better than plucking. The clipped coat is smoother,the dog is not subjected to the annoyance of plucking, and the job cost sonly about half as much. A dog may be clipped every three or four months for a year and be in trim condition all the time at a cost no greater than that of two plucking's.

Summer clipping is advisable for long-haired dogs for hygienic rae-sons as well as for the dog's comfort. At one time it was generally thought that since dogs have few sweat glands in the skin it was unnecessary to clip them in hot weather. Some people even insisted that the long hair served as a protective insulation against heat. Our own experience with hundreds of long-haired dogs has convinced us that this reasoning is fallacious. Clipped dogs are definitely and obviously nudism comfortable in extreme heat. In addition, a clipped dog is more easily cared for. It requires less combing, keeps cleaner, and does not shed long hair throughout the house. It is also much less likely to get fleas or skin disease since many parasites prefer skin that is under heavy coats of long hair. If, in spite of clipping, your dog should get a skin disease, it is more readily curable and requires less medication than would be the case without clipping.
Most dogs are groomed by professionals who know how to do it correctly. Great skill in grooming is required to turn out a Poodle, for instance, in style. It generally pays to have the work done by those who know how. An amateur cuts off the hair all right, but sometimes the result resembles a moth-eaten garment. Professionals with efficient clip-per's do a much smoother job.

However, you can learn to do this as have many experienced non-professionals when properly equipped. If you have never clipped or plucked a dog, the following brief instructions should enable you to make a workmanlike job of it. In addition, you will need, depending on the breed you're dealing with, stripping comb, a dog razor, and an electric clipper. The Zoster clipper,made especially for trimming dogs, comes with several kinds of replace-able blades.

Some experts deplore the use of electric clippers. Most people who have had experience with both methods, however, feel that a clipped dog looks as good - to the owner, at least - as a stripped one. Certainly clipping is a much quicker way of removing surplus hair and obviously it is much easier on the dog. Among thousands of dogs clipped at one grooming establishment, there were hundreds that had previously been plucked. In almost every instance the owner was so well pleased with the appearance of the clipped dog that he changed to that method exclusively. In any event, the choice between clipping and plucking seems relatively unimportant since a clipped dog soon has hair long enough to look plucked.

If your dog is one of a breed that is ordinarily plucked and you intend to show it, by all means have it plucked. For example, if you own one of the wirehaired breeds and have lots of time, you will probably want to groom it wills a plucking comb, available at any pet shop.