Hi,
can any of you BT experts tell me when would be the best time to strip Elsa? she's 61/2 months old now, and though her back doesn't look that wiry when dry, the top coat is very dense, I can grab good handfuls! her legs are very wiry as is her tail. I know how to do it ( I have been having mini-practice sessions when she's sleeping! and I'm amazed she never stirs!) but when is the problem, as she's starting to get hot when the sun's out, but should I wait a month or two so she'as stripped down ready for the summer?
thanks in advance for any advice
Emily and Elsa (and Morris, but he's just moulting everywhere instead!)

Is she blue or a grizzle (it makes a bit of a difference, believe me!)

Emily.
If you can pull out handfuls, pull away !! I always keep my Borders very short and neat and sometimes use a stripping knife aswell. Use scissors around her feet, nothing that isn't ready to come will come out, she will feel much better after all the dead coat is gone. Practice makes perfect!
Dawn B

Hi, Sam, she is grizzle. Dawn, where can I get a stripping knife, and what does it do?

grizzles tend to come out in a more definite period pattern, whereas blues can easily be rolled all year round. If its coming out, then just pull it. Recommend a medium tooth mars knife ( just a term, it doesn't actually cut the hair) and a bit of chalk for grip if you need it. You can use a finer toothed knife for head and ears.

Most pet shops will sell stripping knives but a dog show is perhaps the best place to get a good quality one from. Grip the knife between your thumb and finger, a bit like when you peel a potato, then take the hair with your thumb against the knife and pull. Well, thats the best way I can describe it!! Like Sam says a close toothed knife is best for the face and ears, be a bit careful on her tummy, it's very sensitive, I sometimes use thinning scissors around my boys' "important little places" to minimise any pulling.
Good luck, don't forget to leave a little eyebrow and beard/moustach - very much a Border characteristic, if you need any more help we are all only a click away !
Dawn.

Thanks Dawn! I may wait until the weekend, and I will leave her face furniture alone, she has a gorgeous little mohecan(can't spell it) on her nose which I couldn't bare to remove!
Emily, in preparation (going to pet shop to check out stripping knives, then to supermarket to buy talc, as recommended in my BT book(one of several, I have to admit!!!!))

Talc????? Chalk is best!

Another thing that may help you with stripping is Finger Cots, they are available from most chemists. Made of the same material as surgical gloves, use one on finger and thumb and you will find that your grip is much better for getting the coat out and less pressure on your hands.

Agree with Sam, chalk is much much better than talc and who wants a BT that smells like a boudoir!!. lol

Well I took the plunge this afternoon, and she looks pretty good, even if I do say so myself (for my first attempt anyway!) I bought and used two stripping knives, which made it much easier, and meant I didn't need the talc (well, with a given name (not by me) of 'Whispering Lady' people may get the wrong idea if she smells like a boudoir!!! :D ) thanks for the advice, she was very good, apart from having hind quarters stripped, which she really didn't enjoy, so we did it bit by bit inbetween play times.
Emily and sleek[$ suave Elsa (not to be appearing in any phone boxes, thankyou ]) )