Handstripping an Airedale Terrier's Neck to His Shoulders

[@ALLinHerMovements]

He looks so relaxed! You have motivated me to work on my pups today. The Airedale coat requires so much work for new people to the breed.

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Yes you are right, it is a barrier to entry for many newbies who are considering showing their dogs in the conformation show ring. But this was one reason why I created my KZbin channel, to help and inspire other Airedale owners to learn how to properly groom their own dogs. Even if you never plan to show your dog, keeping the highly desired correct coat texture and coat condition/type will benefit your dog, as you know the stripped coat is somewhat weather proof and easier to keep clean and manage, compared to a shaven/clipped coat which loses the correct weather proofing qualities over time.

[@Antfarmer]

Hi Sheila! I met you last summer (‘21) at the show in St Paul. I want to thank SO much for your kindness in answering my grooming questions so I can keep my former show/now pet Airedale in her wire coat. Meeting Raja in person was such a privilege. Enjoyed meeting Devon and his 6 Airedales 🥰 as well. Thank you for taking time to make these videos. They’re great to refer to again and again.

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

You are so welcome! I'm glad we got to say hello to each other in real life. Thanks for stopping by to say hi to me.

[@hipdogdsv]

Hey grrrrlfriend, I am soooooooooo glad you are doing these videos, my friend. My hands are shot after 40 year of grooming. Makes me sad I can't do this anymore. I loved the bonding between me and my show dogs while working coats. They would all just lay down and go to sleep on the table.

[@sheila1013]

Well what a handsome chappie he is and so well behaved. Gorgeous breed!!.. 💕👌❤️

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Thank you very much! He is a good boy, but him laying down to get stripped is also about training and teaching grooming table manners. I reward him frequently for being calm, and my dogs love grooming so much, they compete to jump up on the table as soon as they can, because they know they get one on one time with me, lots of treats and affection while being groomed by me.

[@sheila1013]

@@SheilaTayRadcliffe Brilliant! All your time and effort has clearly paid off. He's a credit to you.

[@2StellarStars]

I own a Airedale for 10years 🐶 (COCO) she’s the best dog 🙏🏻♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️🙏🏻

[@panczenistka5170]

Thank you so much for making these movies. They are very helpful ❤️

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Glad you like them!

[@elliebellie900]

I love these videos, thank you so much for these! Not an Airedale owner yet but hopefully one day, I'm learning so much 😊 Raja is gorgeous, such a well behaved baby.

[@hipdogdsv]

You won't find a better teacher, Sheila is a superb grooming artist!

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Thank you. He is a very good boy. But I've also been conditioning (training) him to be a good boy on the grooming table since he was 10 weeks old, and I've been working him constantly.

[@debbieborm1602]

Thank you for your video . It’s helps me a lot !! Love the airdailterrier 🥰

[@dorotheasalzberg5371]

Thank you for your videos. You spend lots of time on the details. It really helps. I have a Wire Fox terrier and many of these videos apply to the Wire. Thanks again.

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

You are so welcome! And yes you are right, the principles are the same when applied to the Wire Fox terrier, and other wire breeds too, like Lakies.

[@MrWetstone]

Beautiful dog

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Thank you very much. He is a good boy.

[@1973nadia]

Your videos are great! Thank you so much! I have a hard time doing the ears... will you make a video about that one day? Thanks again!

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

I actually recorded myself doing ears, but I haven't had a chance to edit it and put it up. I will do so soon. I've been extremely busy raising a litter of standard poodle puppies.

[@xpipkinsx]

Another superb tutorial, thank you Sheila and Raja. ❤🐾

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@rachelchamberlain2557]

My favourite dog

[@tracierobinson9333]

Very helpful video! Which stone are you using?

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

I'm using various stones. But you can find some at Ashley Craig website, they are the dressed stones. greyhoundcomb.com/product/rock-stones-dressed-and-naked/ There are some stripping stones from Europe as well, that I am currently using, but they were purchased through group word of mouth requests through friends.

[@tracierobinson9333]

@@SheilaTayRadcliffe thank you!

[@mikemilenzio7555]

Your videos are excellent!!! Thanks!

[@jamesgeorge8915]

I would be interested to watch a video on stripping v clipping for airedale?

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

There are several videos online on how to clip/shave an Airedale. I haven't done a clipping one myself, but it is something I can do soon as I have several clipped clients.

[@Norman_Gunstan1]

Hi Sheila, i can only find Franklin classic carding knife, is that the right one please? Also is it coarse or fine carding knife as there is an option for either or one of each on ebay?? Thanks so much! I'm writing from Australia. Love your work!! thanks so much again! x

[@Norman_Gunstan1]

Does anyone know where I can buy a fine andis rake please? Seem to be out of stock everywhere and the ones on ebay are medium. Thanks

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

The carding knife I use is the Classic brand, however, they are no longer in production. The Franklin is a similar make, and will serve the purpose just fine. I believe the one I used is a fine.

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

@@Norman_Gunstan1 The Andis fine rake is no longer in production but the Andis company said they are redesigning one and making an updated one which is similar soon. Stay tuned to their website.

[@andreakonye6301]

Hi Sheila, Thank you for your videos. I've just started handstripping my Airedale terrier, Alma and to be honest, I'm not at all sure what I'm doing most of the time but your detailed instructions help immensely. I also have a question for you. My AT has been clipped in the most sensitive areas, on her chest, head, buttocks and tail by our breeder on several occasions. Now I have a hard time handstripping these areas because her coat got really soft and curly and the hair just wouldn't come off. What can I do about it? Can I somehow restore the quality of her coat? Thank you for your advice!!

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

hi Andrea, the areas such as the chest, buttocks and underside of tail are very sensitive areas. It is also called "flatwork", if your AT has been clipped in these sensitive areas, it is going to be very difficult to restore it, however it is possible. If you really really want to get it to come back to the correct texture and color, you can allow the coat to get 'blown out', in other words, wait till the coat in these areas get very very long after many months, the coat basically dies and will become easier to pull out. Since your pet has been clipped in these parts before, you will need to pull it down to skin several times to get the flatwork coat to regenerate and grow into the various cycles of coat growth. Bear in mind, it won't happen overnight. You will need to go very slow, and work tiny bits of hair with each pull, little by little with a little finger pressure, to reduce discomfort for your dog. There are some dogs who naturally have a softer coat, it may be impossible for you to restore it, so just keep that in mind.

[@ChristopherB711]

Hi, Sheila! Great video. I’m wondering if you can help me out. I have a Parson Russell Terrier. I like the idea of using the Andis rake that you use in video. Do you think this rake would work well on a Parson? Also, I googled Andis rake and I can’t seem to find it in stock anywhere? Do you have any ideas where I can pick one up? I live in Canada, if this should help. If you think an Andis would be good for me and we can’t find one, would another brand work? Thanks for all the helpful tips and info! 👍🏻

[@Antfarmer]

Did you find anything yet? I'm having the same trouble finding an Andis rake with that many teeth...hope Sheila sees this and answers

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

hello @ThatGuy58 and @Valerie A, the Andis rake shown in this video is no longer in production by the company. There is no other company that is producing a rake like this which has narrow teeth that does not cut the top coat. The best alternative is to use a carding knife to achieve the same results.

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

They don't make this sort of rake anymore, Valerie. Sorry. You can find other Extra fine Mars Coat King rake and see if you think this is a good alternative. I think this Andis deshedding rake can be used to rake out all the undercoat, but I suspect it does cut a bit of top coat as well, but as long as you are not planning to show your dog in conformation, it should be alright to use on a pet. www.chewy.com/andis-deshedding-dog-tool/dp/180812

[@ChristopherB711]

I bought the newer Andis rake for my Parson Russell Terrier, and unfortunately the newer rake does cut plenty of coat, but if you’re just looking for a tool to tidy your dog, this will work, but definitely not for a show dog. 🙂

[@Antfarmer]

@@SheilaTayRadcliffe Thank you so much for taking time to respond, Sheila. I'm not showing, and have an extra fine Mars Coat King already, so I think I'll start using it again.

[@AgileCait]

Thank you so much for making these videos, Sheila. I've been stripping my Airedales for over 20 years, but was still uncertain about how to sculpt many of the details. Your videos demonstrate how to groom each part of the Airedale and I really appreciate your clear demonstrations. And also, I am amazed at how well your boys just lie there. Where did you get those nice pillows that they rest their heads on? And also, where do you get the rubber things that you wear on your fingers?

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

hello Christie, thank you for your kind words. The neck pillows are available on the website (pantsfordogs.com/collections/pillows). When they are puppies, I train them to lay on a bone shaped hard foam pillow, which you see in these videos as well. The rubber finger cots are the brand Tory which you can buy on Amazon. These are made from thicker rubber so they don't tear easily like the regular thumb cots do. I use size 13 for my small thumb, you can try size 14 if you have big fingers. You can also cut the tip off and insert them over the finger joints to protect from getting blisters, which I do.

[@Norman_Gunstan1]

Love this Sheila Thankyou!! love your stripping videos! :)

[@jamesgeorge8915]

How long to hand strip an Airedale? Sorry if you mention this before in this or other videos?

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

The answer really depends on what the goals are for the individual airedale and his/her owner. For eg, if the dog is being shown in conformation competitions, the hand stripping and maintenance requirements could be up to 5-8 hours per week. However, if it's a retired show dog, or a regular pet, then the grooming is really up to the personal preferences of the owner. Some owners are fine with a bushy looking airedale which can be stripped just 3 times per year, or some others prefer a well trimmed looking airedale pet throughout the year, so maybe 2 hours weekly would suffice. So it really depends on the owner and their lifestyle.

[@jamesgeorge8915]

@@SheilaTayRadcliffe thank you for your reply. I have never owned a dog before and it would just be a pet to me, not a show dog. I prefer the short hair style on an Airedale and Irish terrier, so I guess I need to learn the skills. There is a lot to learn about dogs before getting your own. Cats are much easier! Your videos will be very helpful in the future. I often go night fishing here in UK so the dog will be my rat catcher and night Watchman, in case of any unwanted visitors from folk. I like to think my dog will be a part-time working dog. 😀

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

I think that's so awesome. I love an airedale or an Irish terrier that looks good and also works good. My dogs are excellent rat killers here. They show in conformation only part of the time, the rest of the time, they are my beloved pets, and they hunt rats and bunnies and snakes too. We live in the country and we have all sorts of critters here. My younger girl Lola is learning how to hunt possums as well from her std poodle sister. Yes I have 4 dogs, 2 std poodles and 2 airedale terriers now. I wish you all the fun and luck in finding a good terrier. The Irish is smaller and has less coat than an Airedale. @@jamesgeorge8915

[@jamesgeorge8915]

@@SheilaTayRadcliffe lol - that's what I was thinking when I was watching your video, the smaller Irish will be much easier to strip.

[@jonandtheairedales681]

where can i get an andis rake like that?

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

The Andis company has stopped manufacturing these extra fine rakes, however, another design is in production. I don't know when that version will become available.

[@tayelorg8605]

Can someone please show me how to strip to bald? I’ve been told I need to do this in sections for my schnauzer

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

Yes you do the schnauzer a bit differently from an Airedale. We also reset the Airedale coat in sections, but the sections are different on the schnauzer. If you google, there are some mini sch breeders who have sections of grooming on their websites. I've seen them before. Just do some research and you will find them online. If not, approach your breeder and ask for help.

[@doxydoxdelamanca9902]

Whoa! Isn't that too close for comfort and irritating the skin? I am referring to the last minutes of the vid!

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

No, we want some sections of the coat to be extremely short on the body, such as throat, cheeks, ears, chest, bottom of tail, butt area, these need to be almost balded to the skin to achieve this very short length. When we handstrip weekly, or bi-weekly, we are conditioning the skin to "toughen up". The coat that comes out is nice and hard, with the correct coat texture that is highly desirable in this breed.

[@jannehvilstednorup5949]

Your dog is sedated ...

[@SheilaTayRadcliffe]

He is obviously not sedated. He is just trained really really well.