curly coated mini schnauzer

[scotmama3]

I have a friend that has a mini schnauzer that has a coat that looks like a poodle coat. I have been trying to teach her how to groom but I have no experience with a curly coat. What do other owners do in this instance.

[zeta1454]

Much will depend on the age of the dog and the genetics of the parents as regards coat quality. Poodle type curly coats are usually seen on miniature schnauzers that have been regularly clipped and have been left to grow a bit longer than usual. A close clippering will remove the curly coat and leave a smooth usually mono-colour jacket so a pepper & salt mini schnauzer may look light or dark silver or grey depending on the colour of the undercoat. If the mini you mention has been clipped for many years it may not be possible to recover the traditional harsh coat now. However, if the parent dogs had good quality coats and the mini schnauzer is still young it may be possible to recover the coat but your friend would be advised to find a top groomer or show breeder who can assess the dog's jacket and show your friend how to groom from now on. Apart from the body of the coat, your friend will need to decide if they want to retain the longer leg furnishings and beard which would require regular work to keep them free of tangles and mats whether or not the dog is clipped or hand stripped. Definitely try to find an experienced groomer in this kind of situation as it is difficult to give useful advice without actually seeing the mini schnauzer in person.

These photos show a miniature schnauzer with an overgrown clipped coat (which I am assuming may be the kind of coat your friend's dog has?) and a picture of the dog with his "sister" also close clipped and both with a now silvery jacket

[Oscar 12345]

Marlene, my 1st schnauzers coat was quite wavy/curly and some good advice when clipping was to clip the coat once roughly whilst dry, then bathe and finish clip again. Also blow dry first in the opposite direction of the lay of the coat and then blow dry down in the right direction. Allows the coat to lie flatter. My schnauzers coat did get straighter as he got older I found.

[Oscar 12345]

Marlene, just remembered one other thing. Using a coat king will thin the coat so it looks less curly. I used a coat king in the Winter to keep the wavy coat under control when I clipped less. I am making the assumption here that your friend would like a less curly coat which might not be the case.

[FehlerfreiKennels]

Hello, My wee guy Ziggy is a purebred (Black) Mini Schnauzer. Due to the heat this year I've over-clipped his coat which has caused it to curl making it harder to clip. I was wondering if anyone had ideas on how I can get his coat back to the "Typical" mini schnauzer type hair? I saw you mention a "Coat king"? I was wondering which type you were meaning please? I don't know if you can see in the photos but Ziggy's hair is only curly where I've over clipped him and all his "furnishings" are pretty straight and the texture is typical of most schnauzers .Any help would be very much appreciated. I've decided to leave his hair to professionals from now on because I've done this myself but can't get him booked in anywhere till the new year, So I'd appreciate anyones input Thank you so much- MERRY CHRISTMAS DOGGY LOVERS....

[Oscar 12345]

Hi Wren, you can definitely get a straighter coat if you use a rake, will take a while. I recommend the Andis pet deshedder, it is much better than a coat king for what you want to do. You need to let the coat grow and regularly comb the rake through. It will remove dead hair and should start helping some stronger thicker hair to come through, you will find it helps with the colour too. Longer hair doesn't curl as much as short hair but it will probably still have a wave to it. As I said before blow drying first against the direction of the growth and then with the direction really helps to flatten wavy hair. My Oscar's coat got straighter as he got older as well.

https://www.christiesdirect.com/en/Andi ... gJZy_D_BwE

[FehlerfreiKennels]

Thank you so much for your advice, I really appreciate it. I took Zigg for a run yesterday and the grass had been cut at some stage before (So a lot of dry grass everywhere) long story short- Due to his curly hair the grass got really tangled after a few rolls through the grass. I spent 45minutes in the shower with him taking the grass out by hand as his hair seems to curl around the grass and hold onto it so I'm definitely going to buy the Andis petshedder to help thank you again for your help. Have a great Christmas