10/06/2026
Before and after on Bailey 💜
Bailey is an Airedale Terrier mix. Airedale's are a wire coat breed who technically should never recieve a haircut with clippers. According to the breed standard for wire coat breeds, they should be hand stripped. Hand stripping is where we manually remove the dead outer hairs by hand or with various tools. Handstripping maintains the dog's wirey texture, prevents color fading, and promotes skin health by clearing out the hair follicles and allowing new healthy hair to grow. Unfortunately, hand stripping is a dying practice and many groomers, including myself, do not know the technique. I have taken a lesson before but much more training is required. My goal within the next year is to connect with some breeders to take lessons.
For Bailey, I used a deshedding rake to remove dead coat pre-bath. Then we just did a face, feet, and sanitary trim. She was perfect for everything!
