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Deciding how to groom your wire:There are two methods of grooming a Wire Fox Terrier; clippering and stripping. Clippering uses scissors and clippers to trim the hair. Stripping, or plucking, is the art of pulling out the dead hair. I know that this sounds painful, but if done correctly, it is virtually painless. A Wire’s coat is made to be pulled out. Unlike other breeds, Wires do not shed. While their coat does die, it does not fall out. So it is our job to manually pull out the old coat so that they can grow a new one. A Wire’s harsh coat was meant to protect him from the bramble and briars in the country. As a Wire was chasing his prey, clumps of his hair were pulled out by the brush therefore taking care of the problem. Most likely, you were attracted to the Wire Fox Terrier because of their personality and their beautiful looks. Unfortunately, a clippered wire does not look the same. When that dead hair is not removed by stripping, the coat looses its color and texture. Even black spots will loose their color and turn pale grey. The texture of the coat will become soft and curly, like a poodle. While a lot of people like this look, it is also important to consider health issues before you decide how you will groom. Once a dog is clippered and its coat looses its texture, the dog will become more susceptible to hot spots and allergies. The dog will also stay dirty and have more doggy smell. Stripped coats shed dirt and allergens. The downside to stripping is it is somewhat time consuming and costly. But if it means you don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars in allergy medicine, I am all for it. If you bought a Wire because you have allergy issues, you will want to strip your puppy. Clippered wires will shed some amount. If you are going to strip your puppy, the first groom should happen before the puppy is 12 weeks. 8-10 weeks is usually the best. Wires do grow hair inside of their ear canal. If left, this hair can cause ear infections. A pair of hemostats and some ear powder will help you to pull out excess hair. Use a cotton ball and some ear cleaner to remove extra wax. If you notice any redness, swelling, discharge, or sour smell in your puppy’s ear, contact the vet. Other signs of an ear infection include shaking of the head and holding their head to one side. Grooming Supplies 1) Comb – As a puppy, a metal flea comb will do well. As your puppy gets older, I recommend a 6” Greyhound metal medium/coarse comb. 2) Brush – If you keep your puppy’s furnishings long (leg hair) you may want a brush on hand to fluff them up. I personally rarely use a brush. You can use a terrier palm brush or a small, soft slicker brush to fluff the furnishings. Do NOT use a slicker brush on your puppy’s back. You will scratch his skin and hurt him. 3) Shampoo – I use BioGroom Harsh Coat Shampoo. If you are stripping your dog, you will need a shampoo similar to this. If you are clippering, you can use a regular dog or puppy shampoo. Never use a shampoo with a strong perfume because it will irritate your dog’s skin. 4) Ear powder – You will use this to pull the hair out of your puppy’s ear. 5) Scissors – A small pair of grooming scissors is necessary to trim the hair between your puppy’s toes. You can also use these if you are clippering your puppy to cut the hair underneath the ears. I really recommend that you buy snub nosed scissors to prevent any accidents. 6) Nail clippers – Your puppy’s nails need to be trimmed every week. As an adult, you may need to trim every 2-4 weeks. I do not use guillotine style clippers as they shatter the nail. I prefer the ones that look like garden sheers. I also use a small MiniMite Dremmel on my dog’s nails to file them. 7) Clippers – If you are going to groom yourself you will need a pair of clippers. I use the Oster A5 2-Speed clipper. You need at minimum a 10 Blade and a 7F Blade. 8) Grooming Table – If you are going to groom yourself. It is a good thing to have around even if you aren’t going to groom yourself. If you have your own grooming table, you can get them used to being groomed by placing them on the table and brushing them. This will save the groomer a lot of time and energy. If you are stripping: 9) Grooming Chalk – Just plain loose or block chalk (not colored) for rough coated terriers. 10)Stripping Knives – I recommend Pearson knives. I find they fit my hand the best. Everyone is different though so try out a few. You need to start with at least a fine knife and add the medium, coarse, and superfine later on. I also use a coarse and medium McClellan for taking out undercoat. These come super sharp so take them out to the curb and file them down some on the concrete. Patience!!! It is a long process but well worth it.
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Puppies
should learn to stand on a table as early as 6 weeks old. This will
make grooming easier in the long run.