Stripping knives for wire fox terrier

Question
Hi there,

I have a pet wire fox terrier which I'd like to hand strip. I have thin fingers and delicate hands. Which stripping knives do you recommend? I have heard Pearson, Macknyfe, Greyhound and Hauptner are all 'the best!' and am completely confused. Any suggestions??

Thank you.

Answer
Hi!
Pet stripping wires is my specialty! Been doing it a long time and have trained a lot of people like yourself so my advice is to go with the Hauptner. There are many sizes so what you will want is the black handle and the green handle. One is for roughing out the coat the other is for the broad work- meaning the back. However you will need a finer tool to do the head and ears and throats, also known as the flat work. I use pumice sticks and they are great for those fine areas- Greyhound is the brand. I use a rake made by Mars called the Coat King- double wide 12-18 blades. Raking weekly keeps the coat flat and pulls the under coat out to allow the wire to grow.
I also wrap my thumb and first finger with a strip of Vet wrap to prevent blisters - haven't had one since I started doing it 18 years ago and I strip dogs 5-6 days a week.
Ear powder is a rosin that gives a good grip to pull if the coat is slippery.
Plenty of videos on youtube but the best advice is to practice. Try to find a dog show and go see the process in person. A picture says a thousand words but to watch is better.
Good luck and don't worry if you take too much out - it grows back! Practice, practice!