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Miniature Schnauzer

 

 

 

Grooming Miniature Schnauzer

The first thing to do is the actual stripping of the coat in stages. The usual procedure is begun 12 weeks prior to the first show. If the climate is warmer, it will not take as long for the dog to come into coat, so you may have to adjust the number of weeks according to the season you have in your country.

It is important to note that you must use extra care not to cut the hair if you are using a stripping knife. One may also chalk the hair and/or use a rubber glove for a better grip. Do not bathe the dog before stripping as clean hair is much harder to pull. The hair also comes out easier if the dog is warm. After the stripping stage, bathe the dog in #1 All Systems Super Cleaning & Conditioning Shampoo.

Stage one: Starting at the occiput, strip all the hair to bare skin in a strip about 1-1¼” wide, slowly widening as you approach the withers. At the withers, you are going to strip all the hair down to the elbow and all the way back to the base of the tail. On the rear legs, you will follow the curve of the furnishings and leave a 1” strip along the line of the cowlick on the rear legs.

Stage two: One week later, widen the strip on the back of the neck to halfway to neckline. Strip the 1” of hair along the cowlick of the rear legs.

Stage three: Finish stripping the sides of the neck and the tail.

Stage four: Strip the head and the fore-chest. Partially strip the white hair beneath the bowtie down to the point of the shoulders. Bathe the dog, blow dry and trim the furnishings back to help them fill out.

Four weeks after Stage four, you may want to clean off the undercoat that has grown. I use a lava stone to remove the undercoat. It is easier to remove the undercoat if it is clean.

As the hard coat starts coming in, it is imperative to keep working at getting as much undercoat out as possible. Leaving it in only shortens the ‘lasting’ time of the coat and also makes it thick and lumpy. Keep using the lava stone, then a fine-blade stripping knife when the coat is short. As the coat grows thicker, you may use a coarse-blade stripping knife.

Some corrective stripping tips:
1. Dip in the top-line – strip a saddle, about 4” from front to the back and wide enough to go over the top of the ribs.
2. Lump over the withers – strip a patch about the size of your last thumb joint in the roll of the neck in front of the withers and also strip the saddle area.
3. Low tail set – strip a ring about 1” wide around the tail.
4. High in the rear – when stripping stage one, leave the hair over the hip bones in an oval about 2-3” long and a couple of inches wide. Strip this off at stage two.

Grooming the Miniature Schnauzer for the show ring

Bathing
I bathe the dog using #1 All Systems Crisp Coat Botanical Texturizing & Detoxifying Shampoo as the first shampoo. After completely rinsing the shampoo off, I use #1 All Systems Product Stabilizer, Coat Re-Texturizer & Skin Refresher as this citrus rinse will restore the natural coat texture of the dog. Rinse the product off with warm water. If the coat feels waxy, shampoo again lightly with the Crisp Coat. Rinse off completely and towel dry as much as you can before putting the dog under the dryer.

Drying
I dry the face and beard first using #1 All Systems Pin Brush and then #1 All Systems Slicker Brush while blowing the hair dry with the hair dryer. For the long beard, I find using #1 All Systems The Ultimate Comb makes drying a little faster. Blow the eyebrows in the direction that you want them to lay and keep them protected from blowing backwards while drying the beard and the face. Next, one leg at a time, I blow dry starting at the top and work my way down. It is imperative to completely dry the hair blowing up, down, from side to side and finishing upwards as this will pull the curls out of the hair shaft. Do all the legs the same way.

Trimming
I then clipper the parts of the dog that are to be clippered using a #40 blade against the direction of the hair growth on the inside and the outside of the ears, under the pads of the feet and on the belly of the dog; with #15 blade, against the hair growth on the cheeks, chin and throat down to the bowtie and the buttocks; also #15 blade for the hair on the fore-chest down to the point of the shoulders.

I only scissor clean, un-chalked hair when I first put the dog in its show trim. The eyebrows are trimmed from the centre of the nose to the corner of the eye. The side of the head is trimmed from the corner of the eye diagonally through the dimple to right in behind the mouth. The beard is trimmed from right behind the mouth under the chin to the dimple with the hair.

Comb the hair on the front legs before trimming them. Hold the comb with the teeth pointing towards the dog’s foot and gently lifting the hair upwards starting at the foot and working to the top of the leg. Standing in front of the dog, trim the outside of the leg from the elbow to the foot in a straight line leaving the hair about ¾-inch long. Then trim the inside of the leg, leaving the hair at least 1-inch long or more if the dog is wide in front. Moving to the side of the dog, trim the front of the leg, making a straight line from the point of the shoulder to the foot. Trim the back of the leg from the elbow to the foot. You should end up with a square column. Now, just trim the edges of the square and you will have a round column around the leg. It is important to have the foot full and tidy and round, not oval. Be sure to continue looking in the mirror after you trim each side of the leg to see if you have hair that is sticking out or bowed. From any angle, there should be straight lines.

To trim the back legs, lift the hair the same way as you did the front, but comb the longer hair at the front of the rear leg in the direction that it should lay. From the rear, lift the hair on the inside of the leg and trim a straight line from just outside the vulva or scrotum to the foot. Lift the hair on the outside from the hock to the foot and trim a slight angle out and upward from the foot. From the side, the trim on the front of the hind leg should accentuate the bend of stifle and slightly show the angle of the foot. The trim on the rear of the leg should have the area above the hock clean to show the shelf on the buttocks and the hock to the table, a straight line. Again, the foot should be trimmed to be round and full, not oval. After getting the square column, trim off the corners to make a round column.

The trimming of the underline greatly depends on the anatomy of the dog. If the dog is square and of equal leg and length of back, then trim the underline diagonally from the loin to the elbow, blending the fore-chest into a ‘V’ from the front. If the dog is high on legs, leave the hair slightly longer. If the dog is low on legs, trim very tightly to the chest. If the dog is long in the loin, leave the hind leg hair at the loin slightly longer, start the diagonal further forward and make it a steeper angle to the elbow.

Finishing the Miniature Schnauzer for the show ring

On the day of the show, I like to wash the dog’s furnishings and beard with #1 All Systems Self-Rinse Conditioning Shampoo & Coat Refresher. Although you do not need to wash out this product, I like to rinse out lightly with clean water when preparing for the show ring. Next, blow the dog dry as if preparing to do a show trim (see Drying). At this point, I will use a small amount of #1 All Systems Premium Protein Pack & Pre-Chalk and work into the furnishing on the front legs. Taking one leg at a time, apply loose chalk to the hair with a soft brush. #1 All Systems Premium Protein Pack & Pre-Chalk will help hold the chalk without causing the furnishing to lose texture. Take #1 All Systems Pin Brush and brush upward, then follow by #1 All Systems Slicker Brush. Do the other front leg the same way. Next take a small amount of #1 All Systems Premium Protein Pack & Pre-Chalk and work into the face, eyebrows, beard and throat. Apply loose chalk carefully so as not to chalk the dark hair on the face. Proceed in the same manner with the rear legs and buttocks. Now blow out any excess loose chalk with the hair dryer. Alternatively, you may put the dog in an exercise pen and let him shake out the excess chalk. It is time to comb the hair in place and re-trim any stray hairs that may be sticking out or are not in line with the columns. Spray sparingly with spray net and use your hands to gently smoothen the hair. On the face, spray over the top of the eyebrows. Comb the beard forward, spray from the rear and smoothen gently with your hand. The rear legs are to be lifted and sprayed from the foot upward to the hock. The front of the rear leg should be sprayed forward and smoothened with your hands. To control static, I use #1 All Systems Hair Revitalizer & Instant Anti-Static Coat Spray. This product will control static and any fly-away hair, at the same time, enhancing the texture of the furnishings. Use sparingly.

After a show, I like to wash away all the products I had used during show preparation with #1 All Systems Crisp Coat Botanical Texturizing & Detoxifying Shampoo and condition with either #1 All Systems Super-Rich Protein Lotion Conditioner or just spray sparingly with #1 All Systems Hair Revitalizer & Instant Anti-Static Coat Spray while the dog is still wet. The conditioner will protect the coat, allowing maximum hair growth in between shows. Next towel dry and blow the dog dry as per normal.


Maintaining the Miniature Schnauzer for the show ring (enhanced by K-9 Artefacts)

Have you ever wondered why Miniature Schnauzers from some top kennels always look so fantastic at every show and, why no matter how closely you follow the grooming videos, you cannot achieve the same results? Did you know that top handlers, besides having the skills and knowledge to prepare their dogs for the show ring, also put in a lot of effort in between shows to maintain the coat of their dogs in order to achieve the desired looks?

Bathing
At this time, I wish to address the topic of furnishings, as I am a firm believer that keeping the furnishings trimmed will thicken the hair. Washing them weekly and brushing regularly are also essential. For weekly washing of the furnishings, I use #1 All Systems Professional Formula Whitening/Brightening Shampoo followed by #1 All Systems Product Stabilizer, Coat Re-Texturizer & Skin Refresher. The latter actually helps to enhance the texture and volume of the furnishings. After completely rinsing out the shampoo, I use #1 All Systems Super-Rich Protein Lotion Conditioner to protect it from the harsh environment. Dilution: 1 part to 10 or 15 parts water. You may want to leave this product in the coat so that the conditioner can be absorbed into the hair shaft in between baths. Alternatively, you may want to use #1 All Systems Hair Revitalizer & Instant Anti-Static Coat Spray as the final conditioner. Spray onto coat after you towel dry the dog. Work well into the coat.

Drying
Next, pour some #1 All Systems Ear So Fresh into the ear canal. This product helps you get rid of the water that is trapped in the ear canal and also reduces wax build-up. Blow dry most of the water away using Metro Cadet or Commander and let the furnishings air dry after going thru with #1 All Systems Pin Brush. Using a hair dryer all the time tends to dry out the coat and can cause unnecessary breakage.

Brushing
For brushing in between baths, I will mist the furnishings lightly with some conditioner mixed with water or #1 All Systems Hair Revitalizer & Instant Anti-Static Coat Spray. They will help to prevent breakage while you are brushing the coat.

Note:
When bathing for the show ring, use #1 All Systems Crisp Coat Botanical Texturizing & Detoxifying Shampoo & #1 All Systems Product Stabilizer, Coat Re-Texturizer & Skin Refresher to remove residue and build-up of products used during maintenance. Residue and build-up are the 2 main causes of a coat losing its texture and volume; i.e. the coat will feel soft and be more susceptible to tangles. #1 All Systems Crisp Coat and #1 All Systems Product Stabilizer are specially formulated to remove residue and build-up completely, while at the same time, enhance texture and create volume for the hard-coated breeds where texture and volume are critical to presentation and adherence to breed standard.

 

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