05/09/2026
Why canโt you keep some length when stripping a blown coat? ๐ค
This is something Iโm often asked, especially when my own dog is stood in a tight layered coat all year round.
When a dogโs coat has blown, this means the old coat has reached the end of its growth cycle and is ready to shed. In a hand-stripped breed, this dead coat needs to be removed so that the healthy, new coat underneath can develop properly.
Unfortunately, the dead coat cannot simply be left in place to preserve length. If the blown coat is removed while trying to retain its length, much of what remains can be the soft undercoat rather than the healthy, harsher outer coat.
This can result in:
* A softer, fluffier undercoat
* Loss of the correct texture
* Less protection from the elements
For this reason, the best thing for the coat is to take out the blown/dead coat and allow the new coat to come through, even if this means the dog appears shorter initially.
With regular hand stripping and the correct timing, we can work towards maintaining a healthy, dense, weather-resistant rolled outer coat and a more consistent length over time but then again, not every coat can be rolled.
I work my own dogs coat weekly, sometimes more!
For pets like daisy here, a twice a year strip is sufficient for her ๐ถ
