Border Terrier grooming question

[tellmewhenthespaceshiplandscoz]

Our boy is now 1 and he had his first strip back in September which was a few weeks later than planned as previous groomer let us down. The next best one we could find with availability couldn’t fit him in for an other few weeks. They were then unable to fully strip him all over as some of the hair had got past stage it would be comfortable. So in November we went back and he had a carding appointment

He’s booked for next full strip in March however is already looking very “full”, fur is blowing, he has fur “jowels” and he’s moulting like mad. I’ve spoken to groomers and they say we are best to have this carding thing done in between all strips to keep fur more manageable.

I’ve spoken to a number BT owners who just do the strip 2/3 times a year and keep on top with regular brushing at home. I isn’t spoken to any other groomers yet but have left messages for a few to call me so I can check out if this is standard and to potentially get an alternative person lined up. Of course the carding appointment is an additional £45 each time too so I’m sure there is probably a financial incentive to keep me coming for both😳

Is this normal practice? Or is it a varies dog to dog thing? We want to
do right by him and we aren’t worried if he looks a bit scruffy (that’s part of their charm, surely?! 😄) in between for a while. Of course we also don’t want to be spending unnecessarily.

Sorry meant to also say - he’s an un neutered dog and I know that if we do get him done this may affect whether he can still tolerate stripping.

But that’s a while off yet.

First join this group on Facebook ( photo to follow) there's a list of good groomers and links to videos to do it yourself. I'm on my second BT and have always hand stripped myself. I did Madame for the first time when she was 7 months old, and did her a few more times up until now. She's 2, spayed at 16 months and her coat hasn't appeared to have suffered. I'm now interested and invested in rolling her coat as a way of maintaining it and not reaching Yeti stage. It's definitely a learning process. Good luck with whatever you decide.

Thank you I’ll have a look.

And she’s a beauty ❤️🙂

They do all seem to have different coats. In my experience the blue and tans don't seem to need as much stripping and some don't have much of an undercoat.
The Hand Stripping group will also be able to give you advice on your particular dilemma.
You can't ask BT questions without posting a photo of your BT. It's not allowed. 😉

Ah yes you are correct. Please accept my furry apologies 😄

He's adorable. 😍 And definitely at my itchy fingers stage. Have a go yourself. Hair grows back, try a few hairs, you'll feel resistance if it's not ready to come out. The benefit of of DIY is you can take your time. At a groomers they'll try to do it all in the time frame of a few hours. At home you can take weeks , and nobody minds if DDog has furry wellies until you get round to the feet. 🫣🤣

Not a BT owner.
Dh strips/cards our Airedale a tiny bit daily. It’s not that hard with the right (or left handed) tools.

Thanks both.

ill have a think about having a go myself. He’s a bugger and won’t sit still when I brush him never mind anything else. Apparently is a statue for groomers 😄

Does he sleep on your lap or beside you on the sofa of an evening? Finger and thumb are good enough tools for taking small pluckings out as they doze. Put a towel underneath them and watch TV as you strip.

So I’m not sure I’m confident to do him myself so still looking at groomers instead …

With this in mind, are current ones correct in saying if he doesn’t have a carding appointment in between his twice/thrice yearly strips, that it will affect his coat and lead to balding? I’ve said I want to see how we get on with just the strips (of course il be lead by him and if he can’t tolerate it then re consider) but they have been quite short with me along lines of “well if you insist but if you don’t card him yourself in between it’s likely to lead to issue” sort of thing.

So what I’m wondering is, from experience of others, are they correct? Or is it cynical attempt to part me with more cash or maybe to cover a situation where the groomer (there are several of them work there) actually isn’t able to do it?

TIA

He will sometimes sit with me so I guess I could try this but by but. Thanks