Hand Stripping Workshop for Dog Groomers

You are not required to bring any equipment with you to the course as all professional equipment and protective clothing will be supplied. We only use the very best professional equipment as this sets the standard for our work. You do need to bring a dog suitable to work on for the workshop that is prepped and ready for the day.

Hand stripping can feel rough without the highest quality tools and can put the dog’s comfort in jeopardy. We know what dog stripping tools work the best from many years of experience. All our tools are time-tested, durable and stand up to frequent use. We can show you how you can use these superior dog stripping tools to create a show-worthy coat.

We know that to keep a dog’s coat and skin healthy they need grooming on a regular basis, but not all dogs can be groomed with a haircut or a shave - some dogs need hand stripping.

Like the name suggests, this is done by hand and removes the coat from the root so that a new coat is able to grow through.

Every time you clip a dog you are simply removing the top layer of dead hair on the dog’s coat and leaving the roots behind, which can lead to a duller coat with each clipping. The hand stripping process will enable the dog to grow a whole new luscious coat each time.

Dogs with an ‘undercoat’ - a very dense and soft top coat which is wiry and much longer - need hand stripping. The growing cycle of this particular type of wiry hair means that it becomes thicker and darker as it grows. By pulling the hair out from the root, a healthy new coat is able to grow through again.

Rest assured that it will not hurt the dog when the groomer has been expertly trained.

Some dogs might not like the sensation of hand stripping, but it should not be painful. Certain areas might be more sensitive to the dog, such as their tummy area or their ears. Sometimes dogs really enjoy the feeling of hand stripping! The most bothersome part of the process for the dog is having to stand still for a certain length of time.

Hand stripping will not hurt the dog because in wiry haired dog breeds the hair is not attached like human hair. Each wiry hair has a hard wire point that is semi hollow down to the undercoat. It is therefore very soft at the base and only very lightly attached.

Hand stripping is hard work and many dogs will need their coats hand stripped every week to every two weeks for the most healthy, vibrant coat.

There are many benefits for this hard work - it’s not just for a dog which looks shiny coated and show-ready!

Dogs with wiry coats were hunters in the past - their wiry coats were naturally dirt and water repellent and would protect them as they crawled through undergrowth and brambles. The soft hair follicles meant their hair follicles would release and fall out when a predator tried to get them in their grip. Nowadays pet dogs don’t have to deal with undergrowth and predators in the home, but they still need to shed this hair.

If a wiry, rough coat is not removed by hand the hair follicles become clogged leading to more oil on the skin than the dog needs. This can lead to skin irritation for your dog which in turn leads to more advanced problems later.