German Wirehair Pointer owners

[St_Croix_Banks]

Do any of you groom/clip your dogs. I never have but my current dog has some major "furnishings." I was looking for a HSOforum or youtube video with some demonstrations. Mainly looking to groom around the head/eyes.

[TylerS]

Never EVER clip your GWP. From what I understand with wirehaired dogs, clipping or cutting can cause even more issues with a coat.

There are two things you can do: strip or ferminate.

Stripping is a technique whereby you physically pull out the dog's hair. No, you don't grab big hunks of fur and rip until the dog is bald. In a nutshell, you work from one end of the dog and gently pull out the hair that wants to come out. They even make stripping knives that help with the process. Full disclosure: I've never done this adequately. If you have the means to watch and learn from a professional, it probably is the way to go. And there are some good videos on the U-Tube, as well. Stripping helps artificially shed the hair so that it comes in better the next time around.

As for ferminating, that's what I do. A "Ferminator" is a pretty expensive comb you can pick up just about anywhere. But let me tell you: they are worth twice what you pay for them. We picked one up for Remy this spring. Even though he's a bit more fair furred than some GWPs, his top half was getting pretty out of hand. We started ferminating, per instructions, ever three days. You would NOT believe how much hair that comb gets. We still ferminate frequently, but his coat has become much more manageable, and he actually looks more comfortable, too. Because a Ferminator is a hard, metal comb, the company asks that dogs with sensitive skin or other conditions aren't ferminated as frequently as other dogs. Like I said, Remy is ferminated every three days, and that seems to be good enough for him. You can tell if you're pushing down too hard or have worked an area too much by his body language. If that's the case, we just move on and leave it for the next time.

Anyway, hope that helps! If all else fails, look up a reputable dog groomer and mention that you'd like your GWP to get stripped for the summer. If they're worth their salt, they'll know what to do and, maybe if you're super nice, you can sit in and watch how it's done.

Good luck!

[St_Croix_Banks]

I've heard of the furminator but don't know anyone that has used one--so thanks for the report. The clipping I am going to do is just like her eyelashes, beard, etc. Those areas around her face that can collect burrs and limit her vision. I may give the furminator a try---I see AMZN has them for about $22.