# Hand striping vs clipping



## jac

To clip or to strip?

Read around the two different ways to groom and it appears from what I can gather clipping leaves a fluffy edge and stripping keeps the wirey texture.

I'm aware that cockapoos hair type all vary but what is best for cockapoos? 

I want to keep as much length as possible but want to keep chunky legs and round face as a priority so shorter body doesn't frighten me completely. 

Eeeek I'm not this worried about my own hair haha!


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## Marzi

Bella is so scrummy - I do love a black 'poo 
The grooming experts will be along soon to give you their advice.
I think that they will say that hand stripping is a technique used on wire haired breeds.
For cockapoos the options are scissors or clippers. I think clipping makes their coats more curly, but then again it might just be age that does that.
Is Bella 8 months now? Dot was clipped for the first time about a month ago.


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## RuthMill

Don't know much, but Bella is very bella! 

Think hand stripping is for wire haired dogs. But I am not an expert!


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## Cat 53

I think you can only hand strip dogs with an undercoat and a top coat. Cockerpoos don't have an undercoat. I may be wrong tho,.


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## Lindor

Hand stripping is for terriers like westies, schnauzers ect. They also do it on spaniels. Its very time consuming so most only for people who show their dogs.


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## arlo

My sister has a border terrier they hand strip once a year, his coat is very different to a cockapoo, really coarse. Are you thinking of having a go at clipping yourself? Bella is such a sweet girl


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## jac

Thanks everyone that has answered my question, so clipping it is .... Eeek.

Not gonna do it myself just yet but I've enquired about local dog grooming courses, I'd hate it if I did a botch job so gonna try learn the basics first before I have a go. 

I don't like the idea of taking her to groomers again .... Took her in February for 'puppy's first groom' so just a wash/dry and trim of her paws bum and face ... But she came back smelling of cigarettes and had way more cut off than i asked.. I cried and so have been researching exactly what I want and where I will take her. 

She is almost 9months and now and her adult coat is appearing and so are the dreaded mats, her coat is changing colour as it grows too, kind of browning a little and silvery grey hair coming through. Still my beautiful baby Bella though!


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## Cat 53

Ask at the vets to see if they know any groomers. No way should she come back smelling of ciggy smoke. Also if you see a dog with a groomed coat, ask where they go. You should be able to find a better place.


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## jac

Thanks  it's just so frustrating all the decent ones round here are that good they are booked up till summer. So just gonna keep researching and asking around not gonna rush into it like last time.


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## Cat 53

If their is a grooming school nearby, maybe they could reccommend someone. I'd book in for the summer anyway.....just in case.


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## fairlie

We don't take Rufus to a groomer anymore but here are some tips, find one you and your dog love, tip her/him really well and book the next appointment before you leave each time. A good groomer is worth their weight in gold.


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## Lexi&Beemer

fairlie said:


> We don't take Rufus to a groomer anymore but here are some tips, find one you and your dog love, tip her/him really well and book the next appointment before you leave each time. A good groomer is worth their weight in gold.



Do you groom yourself?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


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## fairlie

I think calling it grooming is a bit of a stretch but we do bathe him now and then, and brush him and use the clippers on him every second week. It keeps him kind of ok, but his legs and snout are still problematic. My sister does his nails which are atrocious right now. Getting him to a groomer is expensive and far, plus he loathes it.


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## jac

Thanks for the advice I'm constantly searching the web looking at various pictures of cockapoos ... short hair, long hair, dark hair, light hair, groomed not groomed. Then there are so many different styles of coat, curly wavy straight then there is puppy coat and adult coat differences to bear in mind. It's a minefield of options and inevitably I won't really know what her coat will look like until I just get it done!! The groomer is really gonna hate me with all my anxieties. I will be sure to tip her well haha. 

I'll defo post before and after pics when I eventually brave it!


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## RuthMill

Just remember you are allowed to specify. You're paying!


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## DB1

You could ask any if they would do a scissor cut for you, you really can't keep the coat much longer than 1" when using clippers, which is what a lot of the older poo's would have, but I always think its a shame on a pup if they are not getting matts yet, just a little trim around eyes (specify no clippers on nose), the best description to give a groomer would probably a longish teddy bear cut.


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## jac

Thank you, I took her to a groomers and asked for trim round face genitals and paws she came back with shaved nose and far too much of her paws, she looked like a poodle trotting on her tip toes, I was very upset. So I won't be going there again! 

Ive had to bide my time wait for it to grow a bit before I get a full cut, I think scissor cut sounds perfect for her 2nd groom if she can do that!


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## edenorchards

Jac

Get yourself a metal tooth comb and a good pair of shears (curved shears are awesome and helpful) and do it yourself.
I groom the dogs myself, not because I don't want to spend the money, but because I'm never happy with their cuts. Never. They never come back looking proper and it makes me nuts!

You sound like you want a good teddy bear cut on the body and legs. Generally a round face is best. Some people prefer to leave a longer beard and I've noticed that is more popular in the UK.

A pair of clippers should be used on the body and head/neck and to clean up genital areas, etc. Clippers make cleaning up the pads of the paws an easy task. You want to prevent mats from forming in between the pads because that is very uncomfortable.

Scissors/shears should be used on the legs to keep them longer. And the face can easily be hand scissored. You can scissor every couple of weeks and then it will only take you a minute to keep things neat, clean and perfect.

Or you can do the whole thing every 4-6 weeks.

Make sure you're not towel drying the dog after a bath. That really mats down poo coats fast. A good blow drier is key to preventing the coat from getting super matted from towel drying. And a metal tooth comb is invaluable!

by the way - hand stripping is actually plucking the hairs all out by the root! This would make your poo totally naked since there is only one coat. It would cause the new growth to have more vibrant color and no broken hairs, etc.

But OUCH! And yes, it definitely does hurt. Using a razor during hand stripping is ok sometimes for pet dogs but never for show dogs.

It keeps the coat "hard" since clipping the coat breaks a hollow wire-hair and causes it to get soft and fuzzy. So if you want a wire haired dog to have a hard, wirey coat you have to rip out all the hair and start from scratch.


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