Is it OK to have a border terrier clipped instead of hand-stripped?

[niska]

My mum is struggling with her health atm and needs petcare to be easier. The groomers have suggested clipping her BT rather than stripping. What do you think? Any disadvantages?

I think clipping can 'ruin' their coat.

I have a cocker and I clip his coat and to be honest even if it is 'ruined' in some peoples eyes it is easy to clean as a quick rinse and the mud falls off and he is dry really quickly as well even in winter. Although people said it can damage their coat I find his lovely and soft as well as being easy to manage although he does go to the groomers every 6 weeks to keep things neat and tidy.

Is your mums health issues temporary or long term?

If temporary I thought some groomers did do hand stripping so could that be an option (I am assuming your mum does it herself and she goes to the groomers for a shampoo).

If long term then I think would be looking at practicalities before asthetics but I don't own that breed so can't comment on how their coats are after clipping.

Its up to you. BT 's are as you say usually hand stripped but groomers can do this to save your Mum.

However I deal with several clipped BT's they don't care! They could not go in the show ring though which does not bother them a bit

Groomers can do a combination of clipping and hand stripping which may be cheaper and take less time

Thanks! She does pay a groomer to do hand stripping but it is hard to get appointments because it is skilled. Also the coat has to be at the right length. The BT himself is quite old and will never be shown, so nobody cares about breed perfection.There will be no probs getting appointments to clip him, and it won't matter if it's more frequent. She does brush him. The groomers seemed to say the coat would be easier to keep clean in the soft rather than wiry state, and because he is an old dog - actually with allergies as well - he might be more comfortable.

I always thought that wire coated breeds had to be stripped because clipping meant that the coat would get very soft and woolly due to undercoat, very easy to mat and caused an increased risk of skin infections.

Maybe mum needs to check with a vet?

I’m not sure if the vet would know really, it would be more of the groomers domain really.

I am sure I have read of it being bad, I’ll see if I can find a link

Thanks, Snappy, I'd really appreciate that!

You don't need to get the dog clipped very short. Just enough to make it easier to maintain but yes a quick chat with the vets to see if they see any issues with clipping. Mine would probably advise on that over the phone.

Snappymcsnappy I would have thought if they got skin infections due to clipping then the vets would know?

woogadog.com/handstripping-and-carding/

My mate's Welsh Terrier was always clipped as would never be a show dog. Dog fine up to 19 years old. Only one disaster when dog was young and 'naughty' so ended up looking like a miniature camel.

Yes, unless they assumed it was something else?
I’m just thinking that vets probably aren’t terribly knowledgable about the ins and outs of certain breeds

If the Border is older, hasn't got any skin issues and getting an appointment for handstrip ping was tricky , I'd just have him clipped to be honest. I handstrip my younger terriers but clip my older ones as I feel their age means they deserve a quick tidy up rather than putting up with stripping. If he's very rough coated, clipping will be so much quicker but if he's only slightly broken coated, stripping won't take long. Stripping certainly produces a much better finish and growth is better but for an elderly dog, that isn't the be all and end all.

I have a breed that should be stripped, but I have him clipped instead (Glen of Imaal terrier). I haven't found that it affects his skin at all, but he does get colder more easily and the soft undercoat soaks up any rain. However, even with his rough outer coat intact he always refused to go for walks in the rain anyway so the clipping hasn't made a difference in that (I did explain to him that he's a native Irish breed and should embrace the rain, but no).

The main reason that I have him clipped rather than stripped is that he doesn't like being brushed and he needed regular brushing when his hair was long.

Thanks so much for that link, Snappy. Am just reading it...

Really good info, Snappy. I'll show it to mum. I think on balance she should continue with the hand stripping. Interesting how it is indeed getting more difficult to find groomers to do it.

I have two BTs one of which hates being stripped. I've had lots of advice on ways to do it, distraction, little by little etc but unless there is a particular reason other than look to do it I decided not to put her through it. I don't clip either as it essentially just leaves the dead hair there, just shorter, and makes the coat less waterproof. It doesn't actually provide any benefit other than look (can see how it might be beneficial in longer haired dogs etc). I just leave her scruffy, I brush her more regularly and have a comb that helps remove the dead hairs that are really ready to come out and she doesn't mind this at all. It means she doesn't have the nice neat look but it does keep on top of it and I think it adds to her charm 😊

(Ps. I ran it past my vet when she was in for her annual check up and they said there was no real need to do it)

Wow, that's interesting, User!

Retired groomer here. Hand stripping is preferable, in the case of an older dog especially if neutered clipping will thicken the coat (or appear to as all hair grows at the same time instead of undercoat and longer guard hairs) but if it makes life easier for your Mum it won't be wrong.

The coat will almost certainly dilute in colour and will appear to shed loose hair more as previously this would have stayed within the longer hair. As you're aware stripping must be done at the correct time as the coat blows but ideally over one or two sessions rather than all at once (think show coat, a little a time produces a better finish).

Hand stripping is hard on the groomer's wrists, takes longer to do, the dog must be agreeable and owner's willing to pay more so usually harder to find a groomer that can do this. Border terrier dogs would be stripped twice a year, clipped 3 to 4 times a year.

If it were my dog under the circumstances I'd go with clipping, your Mum won't likely notice that much of a difference at this stage of the dog's life.