I recently read on here of some one striping a Deerhound coat, why would you do that?

I have had Deerhounds since 1979 and shown and coursed them in England and here in Australia. I have never had to strip a coat out of any of my dogs. A good brush once a week seems to keep the coat in good condition. Yes sometimes the coat is light at the root and darker on the top and sometimes the other way round, but so long as it is a good harsh coat that is fine.

As far as I'm concerned doesn't need to be stripped or plucked apart from taking the long hairs off the ears.

Hi Jacobite
Never having shown dogs before, I was wondering what length of hair is classed as 'long hair' on the ears? Sorry if this is a really silly question!
Vicky

The long hair is usually lighter grey, and the hair you are left with after plucking is dark grey/black. The dark hair is very soft (should feel like a mouse) and fine and only about 1/2cm (1/4 inch) long. The longer hair is more like the rest of the deerhound coat.

We have occasionally stripped our guys in the summer when it's 40oC, and they get a bit hot. If you do it lightly it only takes out the dead hair underneath the coat, but leaves the harsh top coat looking exactly the same. It sort of thins it out a bit without changing the appearence or feel.

Took some photos, they are different dogs but you can still get the before and after impression.

and what you are left with...

If an ear is not stripped it will end up looking like this

Thanks Budaleer and Brollachan
The photo's really show the difference clearly. At the moment Clunie's ears look fine. Our previous deerhound lurcher definately had the long hairs on her ears. I have to confess that I really liked these wispy bits - but again she wasn't pure or to be shown.
Thanks
Vicky:)

Here, a good many of the people showing Deerhounds do more than just stripping the ears. They do some around the head to show it and the lenght of neck off and some do some stripping or trimming to show off the tuck more. Personally I like not to do any, but I at least do the ears when showing. I prefer the longer coat and shaggy look as it looks more natural. I've noticed that downunder and the UK the dogs tend to be less "groomed".

I wish this forum was going before I stripped my dog. I was advisd to, around the show ring,
and it was the worst thing I did. I wish I had me he people who had said never strip a coat
before I started doing it, he looked better then and was placed often.

i agree with you, if people want a smooth dog then they can buy a greyhound, i had heard from the breeder of my bitch who un like me is write into showing was telling me that the showing people were trying to strip the mane of the coat which to me is wrong..sheona

I think they like thm stripped because it takes out dead grey fuzzy hair
the point being it grows back black a crispy, only mine hasn't! It is how white at the
roots, with black tips. Some grow back good, but I wish I hadn't tempted fete

I think it depends on how severe the strip is. When we do it it is only lightly running a stripping comb over the coat in the direction of the hair to take out the dead bits, it has never changed the length, feel or colour of the coat. I have seen someone here who stripped the whole coat out (they were used to airdales and got a bit carried away), until the dog resembled a greyhound. I haven't seen it since so I don't know how it grew back. I have heard that the american dogs are much more groomed and they like to strip out the manes so you can see the neck shape better. I personally like their manes so I leave it in.

Clunie, I really like the whispy bits too, the first pic was of our non-show dog so we leave them in. I think they add so much character to the face!

I've used a coat-king to just lift out any softer hair, leaving the thicker wiry hair, worked well on Skoll whose coat is fairly soft for a Deerhound, and it's grown back a lot crisper, so I wish I'd done it about 3 years ago lol

I don't think I'd ever fully strip a deerhound, I've seen one who had been stripped, and she looked more like a lurcher...you can't beat seeing a deerhound standing into the wind with his "face furnishings" lifting all round his face lol

oh and if anyone does want their hound stripped and they take it to a groomer - word of warning - DONT let them clip the coat!!!

clipping just cuts the hair, doesn't pull it out, so the regrowth is a helluva lot softer, and it will take a while to get the harshness back, as a friend of mine is experiencing

Is this the kind you use when stripping the coat a bit?

I did it by hand, though I have gt a little comb with teeth in it

Yes, thats the sort of tool we use. Very easy and the dogs don't seem to mind!

We got our girl clipped a few years ago, back when we didn't have airconditioning and it was frequently above 40oC. She had a pretty soft coat to start with so I don't know if it grew back any different but she definitely looked silly. Our little lurcher got the same treatment but didn't look quite as bad. I don't think we would do it again

Argh! They look embarrassed! I once got a Lurcher clipped and when I picked him up it was also time
to pick the kids up from school. He hopped out the back of the car and my friends laughed at him, he
hopped back in the car with a disgusted look on his face! I never had him clipped again!

Your photo is great, you sould put a sign up next to it saying:
"It said wash at 40 0c, I must have washed him at 60 0c instead and he shrank"

I strip out our two older girls using a coat king and I do it about twice a year. once they have been stripped it makes grooming with a normal brush quite easy. Amber came to us as a four year old rescue, she had been clipped, probably because clipping was easier than trying to brush her because she hates it. However, clipping wrecked her coat and it took quite a while for it to grow back properly and then it was very dense and matted very easily. Stripping the older girls makes the heat of summer (Ha Ha) more bearable for them. Having said all this, I NEVER strip any of the hounds we are showing.

Heat, Summer, really Sally I could have sworn you lived 'oop North'