Ad blocker detected: Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please consider supporting us by disabling your ad blocker on our website.
Grooming is an important part of looking after your Schnauzer. Regular grooming will help keep your Schnauzer healthy and comfortable and you will spot potential problems early. Whether you decide to clip or strip your Schnauzer, help is on hand. Schnauzers are generally a non-shedding breed and will require a fair amount of grooming to get rid of dead hair.
Hi! Just found the forum. 14 years of owning schnauzers here and we just got our 9 week old black schnauzer pup Oliver. I hadn't ever heard of hand stripping and always wondered how the pictures on google had such different coats than ours that we clipped. Now i know! I want to start him off hand stripped. Guess i got a lot to learn.
The Schnauzer isn't a very popular breed in America and i have only been able to find 1 groomer who is no longer hand stripping but is teaching an apprentice
Pups here do not get their full vaccinations until 12 weeks though so I haven't taken him anywhere other dogs have been. I'm trying to get him used to the slicker brush in these 3 weeks at home so by the time he is able to go to the groomer he may be more ready.
There may be a few exceptions but I think that most of us with hand stripped schnauzers on the forum do it ourselves and probably are all self taught with help from others with more experience.
I started carding my second mini at 8 weeks every Wed and Sat and was amazed at how much puppy fluff and undercoat came out. There's a thread on here with pics of her most months for the first year (she's now 13 months old) viewtopic.php?f=26&t=23770&start=45
We'll all be happy to give advice and support to any queries or comments you may have.
Country Girl at Heart (Molly) 8 April 2003 - 22 December 2018
Another self taught groomer here. Have a look through the grooming posts theres lots of tips and advice. To have a groomer hand strip will probably be very expensive.
Jasper is 15 weeks and I started giving a tug at around 9 weeks. Ive been stripping his jacket on a weekly basis. He doesn't really have undercoat so I don't card. If Oliver is quite fluffy then he needs carding
Our first family dog
Barney - Pocketpark Biali Eyebright 6/2/13 - 8/3/19 Gone too soon Motto for owners who groom their own Schnauzers -"Never mind it'll soon grow back"
We have a 7 and half month old blackGiant, Fergus! We had an appointment this week to have him clipped, but after taking very valuable advice from our Breeder and a demo, we def want him to be hand stripped. Can anyone recommend a Groomer in Scotland who Hand Strips as not too confident in starting this process on my own. thanks all!
Heather, have you been on Champdogs and searched for general schnauzer breeders in that area. I think I would try contacting some in your area to see if they can show you how to do it. Alternatively there may be a dog show in your area (e.g. Scottish Kennel Club) and you can talk to the showers/breeders there. They all know how to strip and some actually do a bit of carding and stripping whilst waiting to show their dogs, I have always picked up a lot watching them on show day. I am sure they would be willing to let you watch them/help you with yours which is probably enough to set you off.
Man cannot survive with wine alone...
we also need a schnauzer.
Hi Heather - if your puppy's breeder has given you a demo and advice it may be worth trying to start the stripping process yourself. Hand stripping is a very time consuming process and there are very few groomers who offer this for any size of schnauzer (if they are even aware how it should be done). As others have commented re their mini schnauzers, self learning can be the best way forward as it is less costly ultimately although there would be an initial outlay for grooming tools, it will help to create or enhance the bond between you and your dog, and it makes the experience less stressful for your puppy as it can be done over days and weeks rather than in one intensive session. One of our home-bred miniature schnauzers now living in London is handstripped and groomed at an excellent salon with experienced groomers but, in between the salon sessions, her owner spends a great deal of time taking out the undercoat, keeping the hair free of mats etc. which enables the groomers to do their job without struggling through a matted coat. For a giant schnauzer, the work would I imagine be even greater and, if you are keeping on top of the other grooming needs, it is just a further step towards doing the whole job yourself:-)
Julie's suggestion to seek out breeders at shows is a good one as you will get the chance to speak to experienced groomers and watch them at work there. The Giant Schnauzer Club UK has some tips on grooming too, if you do decide to tackle this yourself. It can seem daunting at first and does need time and patience but is worthwhile in the long run.
