Ch. Stahlkrieger's Southern Light, CGC

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Grooming

People familiar with our breed will already know but folks considering acquiring a standard schnauzer may not be aware of the grooming requirements. Standard schnauzers require a good deal of grooming whether they are kept in a pet or show coat. 


Dogs who are kept as pets may be clippered on the jacket with scissoring of the head piece and furnishings (this can be done by a professional groomer every 6-8 weeks depending on the growth rate of your dog's coat) but also require brushing at least twice a week (to prevent mats) and bathing once a week or every other week depending on their living arrangements (dogs who spend more time out of doors require more frequent routine grooming). Those who are experienced in grooming or just feeling adventuresome may wish to address grooming on their own and there are a variety of tools that you will find helpful. For a detailed list of some of my favorites, please see below.

Dogs who are involved in conformation must be kept in what is referred to as a show coat. Show coats are "hand stripped" using stripping knives and other implements which can generally only be purchased from a show grooming pet supply vendor or an online pet supply source such as Pet Edge (see below for suggestions).

I work with a handler who usually manages the more difficult grooming tasks for me. But when Kord finished his championship last fall, I got brave and decided to try it myself (my friends are still laugh :-)). I have fully stripped him one time (am in the second round now) and have since done coat maintenance and clipper/scissor work. I took a weekend seminar style grooming course and have been working with a professional for several months before trying this.  I would recommend that you do the same if you are trying to keep your dog in show coat without the assistance of a professional.

I believe hand stripping to be a labor intensive process regardless of coat type.  After the initial stripping process, the jacket must be raked often with multiple sizes of stripping knives (this removes loose undercoat) then stoned to remove loose outer coat). The length of time between full stripping varies. Some dogs have coats that roll easily and may only require full stripping infrequently. Others do not roll easily and may require stripping every 4-6 months. If the stripping goes to the skin it may take 6-8 weeks for the jacket to grow out adequately for the dog to be shown after intensive grooming. Obviously dogs with coats that roll easily can be shown more often because they don't require "time off" between groomings to allow the coat to grow back to an acceptable length.

When I stripped Kord myself, I found that it took me approximately 8-9 hours to complete the job. I did it over two days. I stripped the body of the jacket and most of the legs on the first day (some areas are sensitive and you may need to go slowly or take breaks). Then stripped the head and rest of the legs on the second day. I saved clipper and scissor work for the following weekend (Kord and I were both to tired to do the job properly after the stripping exercise). I also found that I had several blisters on my fingers when I finished and have since learned that "secretary fingers" which can be bought at an office supply place will be helpful in preventing this in the future (you may need multiple sizes for different fingers).

I just completed round two now, which went a lot faster. I would estimate 4-6 hours for stripping, scissoring and clipping. However, I didn't take the jacket to the skin as I did the first time and I used blending shears on a couple of places where scissoring would not be allowed on a show coat.  He definitely does not look as perfectly put together as when our friend grooms him. But I think that this is a coat I can live with between professional groomings until we decide whether he will return to the show ring in the future.

I'll try to post more details on the grooming process here in the future but for now, will suggest that you consider contacting the SSCA to request their grooming materials as a place to start.

http://www.standardschnauzer.org/

Just look for the publications page and you will find several different resources for grooming.

Best wishes!

Suggested Supplies


Basic
1) Mane and Tail shampoo and conditioner
2) Pin brush (I have greyhound and like it alot but others may be less expensive)
3) metal comb (with 2 widths of teeth)
4) soft cat slicker brush (mine is from Safari and I LOVE it, very soft and super comfortable in my hand)


Intermediate
1) Grooming table with adjustable arm and grooming noose
2) Electric clippers (I have Andis Ultraedge and think that they work well but everybody has their favorites)
3) #10 clipper blade (usually comes with the clippers but others prefer the #8.5 clipper blade)
4) #40 clipper blade
5) can of clipper cool
6) jar of clipper cleaner
7) container of clipper oil (usually comes with the clippers)
8) 10 inch straight scissors (you can buy inexpensive scissor that work well enough for a pet from Amazon or Pet Edge)
9) 8-10 curved scissors
10) blending shears (worth investing some money in up front because they are more comfortable and last longer)
11) medium and fine stripping knives (I started with Classic knives)
12) grill stone
13) ear powder (or rosin which may be less expensive/easier to find)
14) hair drier (friends like Yellow Bird because the vents are on the sides and you can tuck the drier in a belt or apron for hands free operation but I am still using my personal travel dryer and it seems to work fine)
15) grooming jacket or grooming apron (might like to have a couple different choices for different activities


Advanced
1) additional stripping knives  
2) grooming bag
3) scissor case
4) clipper case
5) mat cutter
6) whitening shampoo (for Pepper salt coat) or color safe
shampoo (for black coats)
7) cholesterol and chalk (for pepper salt coat)
8) moose (for black coat)
9) small soft bristle brush (for driving chalk)
10) pan large enough to hold dog (when chalking)
                                                        11) small pan and sponge (for sponge bathing)
                                                           12) old towels