How to Hand Strip a German Wirehair Pointer

German Wirehair pointers have much of the same characteristics of the shorthair pointers. The main difference between a shorthair and a wirehair is their coats. The German wirehair has a dense wiry topcoat and a soft undercoat. Proper grooming is essential in keeping your pointer's coat in good condition. Follow these steps to learn how to hand strip a German Wirehair pointer.

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Stripping knife
• Scissors

1. Decide if hand stripping your pointer is necessary. Hand stripping is time consuming for both the owner and the dog, if your dog is just a pet it isn't crucial to hand strip him, you can get the same tidy appearance using clippers. Show dogs must be hand stripped to keep their coat from becoming soft and fluffy.

2. Look at pictures of show dogs so you get an idea of what your German Wirehair should look like. Their coat should be rough and dense. His coat should lie flat and close to the body. The facial featherings are left natural and aren't trimmed at all. When a German Wirehair Pointer is well groomed he has a very tidy appearance.

3. Begin stripping out the excess coat using a stripping knife. Hold the knife in your dominant hand and pull the skin tight with your non-dominant hand, pull the knife through the coat removing all of the dull dead hair.

4. Pluck out the hairs with your fingers if you don't have a stripping knife, stripping knives are faster but hand plucking leaves a nicer result because stripping knives tend to cut some of the length off the coat when it pulls out the dead hairs. Hold the skin taught and pull out several hairs at a time using your thumb and forefinger. Pull the hair in the direction of hair growth to avoid causing discomfort to your Pointer.

5. Trim the hair around his ears to give him a cleaner appearance. German Wirehairs with correct coats don't require any trimming or stripping on the head. Leave his eyebrows and beard natural.