Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Grooming is an important part of looking after your Schnauzer. Regular grooming will help keep your Schnauzer healthy and comfortable and you will spot potential problems early. Whether you decide to clip or strip your Schnauzer, help is on hand. Schnauzers are generally a non-shedding breed and will require a fair amount of grooming to get rid of dead hair.
Lulu5779
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Lulu5779 »

Thank you for your help, I was going to get the mikki blue and red? These need to be dulled too? I have lots of other people use them.

I have done a quick google search on carding knifes and found one called groundhound it's wooden and comes in extra fine, fine, medium or course £19.95. Which size would be best?
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squidgy100
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by squidgy100 »

Aargh...this topic has come up at the wrong time for me!!! Mini moo is booked in with a schnauzer groomer for 10 days time....had convinced myself we would be clipping......oh but now I'm not too sure!!!!

I want a soft puppy, but on the other hand I also want her to keep her colour!!! Aaargh!


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Maty
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Maty »

I reckon I spend about half an hour a week on Creggan but that doesn't include bath, dry & the clipped bits. But it can be done anywhere, grooming table, in front of the TV, in the garden or out on the field!

Rodders takes me 2-3 hours from start to finish.

I have only used the Mikki knives so don't know about others.

Stripping does keep the colour, helps to keep them warm or cool depending on the weather and makes them easier to deal with in the wet ;)


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Shantyll
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Shantyll »

Lulu5779 wrote:Thank you for your help, I was going to get the mikki blue and red? These need to be dulled too? I have lots of other people use them.

I have done a quick google search on carding knifes and found one called groundhound it's wooden and comes in extra fine, fine, medium or course £19.95. Which size would be best?
I have the Mikki red stripping knife (fine) I had to spend quite a bit of time dulling it. I also use the classic brand stripping knife to card the coat (remove under coat) I don't use it to strip the coat I have had it over two years and its still way to sharp. I use the Greyhound Metal Stripping Stone for the head and the areas to be kept short.
The greyhound carding knives are good to use they come dull, to start with I would recommend the Fine, you can just use that one for the whole dog.
The course is meant for the jacket (the dogs back) or a blown coat where you are pulling all the dogs hair at one time. Removes the bulk of the hair quickly.
Extra fine is good for stripping the head and ears, or any where that is kept short or where you don't want to remove much hair from one area.
Fine can be good for stripping the head and you can use it for the jacket.
I find myself using my metal nail file more than my stripping knives. This is the one I use.

http://www.renspets.com/nail-file-one-size.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Here is a link to a very helpful web page about stripping coat, I started with this site when I got my Standard boy.
This one is for rolling a wire jacket

http://britmorschnauzers.com/rolling.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This one is stage stripping

http://britmorschnauzers.com/handstrip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

And the clipping page just for comparison

http://britmorschnauzers.com/groom.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Dawnspell »

Shantyll you've got me intrigued. How do you use the metal nail file ? :-\ Always open to new techniques :))
I'm looking at a Mars 330 for carding my double sided mikki isn't getting the undercoat out like I want it to
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Shantyll »

Dawnspell wrote:Shantyll you've got me intrigued. How do you use the metal nail file ? :-\ Always open to new techniques :))
I'm looking at a Mars 330 for carding my double sided mikki isn't getting the undercoat out like I want it to
I just use the nail file to pull coat like you would with the stripping knife the big thing is it can't cut coat. I love my fine classic stripping knife to card under coat, I have also used it on many double coated breeds like huskys and shepherds to de-bulk them and it works wonders!! Just have to make sure you don't take to much under coat from one area.
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Robert Lockwood
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Robert Lockwood »

I found this knife to be absolutely brilliant for getting undercoat out... but not great for stripping although the toothed end was ok for between the eyes and behind eyebrows...http://www.redcape.co.uk/index.php?rout ... duct_id=60" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Lulu5779
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Lulu5779 »

Reality of grooming an 8 week old??

Hi all,

I have been doing extensive research on grooming miniature schnauzers a head of our first ever puppy coming home.

I want to start from day one and desensitise pup to stripping, brushing, bathing and clipping.

The breeder said she was bath and give pup a little tidy cut before we collect her. I asked if that would be clipping her ears, tail and bottom. She said no she is too young for anything like that, just scissor the bum fluff.

I really thought I would be able to start this routine as I wanted to keep a well groomed dog all the time. (I'm a little ocd about things like that) I know this means grooming after every walk, bathing legs and bread a couple of times a week, carding and stripping. Also getting them use to being clipped in certain areas. At first I would get her use to the sound and the none clipping end moving over her etc.

Is this possible or completely naive of me to even consider this with a very young pup.

We went to our local agricultural show at the weekend always go every summer and autumn. We saw 4 minis only 1 was groomed the others looked extremely scruffy and could pass as some kind of terrier. 3 of them here well behaved but the other barked constantly at the dog agility ring.

I don't want a scruff ungroomed dog. I am being completely unrealistic? Has anyone started at this young age? I know it will be little by little but really thought this was the best way to start.

Best regards
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Dawnspell »

I started combing as soon as we got him at 8 weeks. I'd lay him on his back on my knee to comb his legs and tummy. That's how he still likes to be combed. His breeder had only done a bum trim to keep him clean.

He was about 10 weeks old when I could see and feel his wire coat growing and I started tugging at hair to see if it would pull out. It started coming loose across his shoulders first. I just pulled bits while he was asleep on my knee. He didn't really get dirty to start with as he was carried most places and then was while building up to long dirty walks :))

Getting them used to sounds and feel of clippers is best done before they reach the fear stage and become more cautious. I started touching him without turning on and progressed from there.

Barney barked at the agility ring at a show we went to but it was because he thought he was going in to do some and got excited =)) Maybe that one was the same ;)

Shantyll I've got a file like that that is absolutely useless for filing nails so might give it a go :)
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by Maty »

Rodders was my first pup and I probably did it all wrong =)) But I did get him used to being brushed from day one. My biggest mistake was not getting him used to having his ears plucked, he then had a couple of bad experiences with groomers and the best I can do now is to clip them which is not ideal :(

I have tried hard to do things differently with Creggan :D He is happy to lie on his back to have his tummy combed or clipped, will let me do his ears but we are currently desensitising him as he hates his feet being touched ;)

I would get pup used to being handled and groomed from day one. A full bath isn't always necessary when they are mucky, stand in a bath and shower off their legs is what I do mostly.

Creggan is stripped & I found a stripping stone brilliant to start out with.
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Robin black mini
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Rolling the coat...great link

Post by Robin black mini »

Can this be made a sticky please?It is one of the best links I've come across regarding rolling the coat,and would definitely help the new groomers. Thanks.

http://www.katewerk.com/roll.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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Re: Advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by AliceGrimm »

Snazy wrote:If you want a groomer to strip your mini, you will also have to commit to raking out the undercoat a couple of times each week (some here call it carding), otherwise the groomer will not be able to provide a good grooming experience for your dog as it will take them hours to get the coat out- this is why many groomers don't want to take on a hand strip mini.

Clipping will stop the top coat growing, so you will end up with just the matt, single coloured undercoat which will be soft and you won't have the 'pepper and salt' colouring that comes with a stripped coat.

Stripped coats are more work but they provide the best colour and weather proofing coat.
Erm.. If a person does clipping at first, can they ever switch to stripping, or will it be too late?
Same with stripping, if you do stripping, could you clip and get a softer coat?

I know Schnauzers have a double coat, I just assumed the top layer was more wired and weather proof. And the under coat was soft. Clipping just allows the softer coat to grow. I feel stripping would help make the outer coat stronger and more predominate and would keep it. But I am also new.
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Re: Grooming advice for a newbie schnauzer owner

Post by j_femino »

Hello all I’m new to the site and also in the exact situation as this post about to receive my first female miniature schnauzer in about a week at eight weeks old; my wife and I are thinking we’d like to have the dog trimmed to 1 to 1/2” overall with some trimming around face and beard; rather than traditional cuts; we’ll keep reading and learning. Thanks John
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