Edward the Stripper!

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Today we had a couple of hours spare as Pawel was starting work a bit later than usual and we've not been doing much else really. So, we decided to tackle a job that should get done more often than it does - stripping the dog!

Eddie's a Border Terrier, so unfortunately you can't send him to a dog groomers to have his fur clipped. He has to be "stripped" which is basically where you pull the fur out!

Sounds painful and torturous but if you do clipper a Border, their fur apparently grows back all fluffy and not the trademark "wire"-like fur that Borders traditionally have.

You can see where you need to pull it out as the fur grows in 'clumps' and you can see where it is longer than the base coat underneath. He hates having it done and will yelp and scream until its over, but he does get plenty of treats whilst having it done. I'm sure he knows he'll get more of them if he makes more of a scene!

Certain areas he's fine with and will sit there and let you do it no problem but then near his tail is where he will start to cry a bit.

Here he is having his fur done:




And here is what we got off him!!! :



Seriously,you could make another dog from it....or a cushion, or rug, or....!!

It's just as unpleasant for us really as when he's crying you feel guilty, but it has to be done or it ends up matted and with a dog that looks really scruffy and uncomfortable as he gets too hot with all that fur!

Done for another 6 months now anyway.

Nothing else new really. Pawel is going to be off for the next few days so we will be thinking and planning our boaty vegetable garden in a bit more detail and maybe getting some pots and seeds etc

I did pick up some seeds from Wilkos today actually - only some cherry tomatoes, the small round carrots I talked about a few posts ago and the dwarf beans. They were a bargain at just over a pound each!

I think I'm going to need one of those small collapsible PVC greenhouses though to start things like this off, but probably won't start until mid-March anyway. Something like that will also help keep it all in one place and tidy.

We have a local cheap shop in the village where I saw one of those greenhouses and it was only £10 - so a bargain if it gives me loads of fruit and veg ;)

Comments

  1. Dave Winter9 February 2013 at 18:26

    It will hurt him if his coat isn't blown. The trick is, is to time his grooming correctly. No blow, no strip - nature dictates I'm afraid.
    Dave Winter ( Brassiclint)

    ReplyDelete
  2. One Thing After Another9 February 2013 at 18:33

    Hi dave

    Thanks for your comment, do you mean blow dried????!

    We only strip when his coat has split down his back and you can easily tell it needs stripping then. We do it the way the vet suggested and from the couple who we gt Eddie from who were just a couple who'd bred their own to border terriers.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous9 February 2013 at 20:36

    Hello, I really enjoy your blog. I am not a narrow boater, sadly. I discovered them a few years ago when I hired one,on the Ashby Canal (too frightened to do locks), for my son and I. Had I been younger, I would definately taken to be a cc'r. I now hire whenever I can, and follow a few blogs (with great envy).

    Anyhow, the reason I am writing is that I had dog parlour many years ago and we used to strip terriers with a special stripping comb which has a blade in it. The effect is the same as total hand stripping but without the distress that hand stripping can cause. Any good pet shop sells them - do give them a go.

    Keep blogging!

    With best wishes

    Anne
    London

    ReplyDelete
  4. One Thing After Another9 February 2013 at 21:06

    Hi Anne , thanks for your comment - good to hear from you. Really glad you're enjoying the blog. I originally started it as more of a diary of events so that we would remember things as time passed by, rather than thinking of an audience, but it's nice to know there are readers out there who keep coming back :)

    Maybe you should still go for a boat yourself!? You never know!

    Cheers for the tip about the stripping knife. We used a few different ones in the past but they caused him more pain we think and we learnt from the East Anglia Border Terrie Clb that stripping knives aren't the best way to strip as they can cause damage to the skin underneath and its better to hand strip as it is less stressful on the coat.

    So many different opinions I guess!

    Keep reading And I'll keep posting :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Dave Winter10 February 2013 at 11:38

    This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Dave Winter10 February 2013 at 11:40

    Hi,
    No I don't mean blow dried, it's when the coat gets fuzzy.
    It looks as though your doing it correctly.
    Have a look at this Border Terrier link,it shows in pictures how to Strip and groom a terrier.
    http://www.emblehope.co.uk/border-terriers/hand-stripping-and-grooming/

    Forgot to put the link in :-)
    P.S. I like your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  7. One Thing After Another11 February 2013 at 12:30

    Hi dave

    Thanks - Ah, yes he was definately fuzzy! More like bushwacka!! Cheers for link, and yep that's pretty much how we do it!

    Glad you're enjoying the blog :)

    ReplyDelete

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