Grooming the Lakeland terrier can be very difficult because of their hard wiry coat. Another reason for the difficulty is that most of it is done by hand, making it very time consuming. Although there will be different grooming done on the Lakeland terrier depending on if he is used as a pet or show dog, the dog will still need to be groomed somewhat regularly. If the dog is being groomed as family dog and not shown, you can get by with scissors and clippers. If this dog is not groomed regularly, his hair will not only look shaggy, but will be full of tangles and harder to groom later.
The Lakeland terrier requires grooming to maintain the wiry, hard coat, which helps protect them when they are outdoors doing the hunting for which they are bred. By trimming and stripping the dog regularly, you will improve the appearance as well as the quality and texture of his hair. This process is also a good means of preparing him for the show ring. Although appearance is not the only thing the Lakeland terrier is judged on in the ring, it is a matter of importance.
The Lakeland terrier has two coats of hair, which consist of a hard wiry outer coat and a soft thick undercoat. The undercoat gives the dog protection and keeps them warm. The outer coat needs to be hand stripped to allow the undercoat to be raked and brushed to its finest texture and appearance. The process of hand stripping is pulling the hair out by the roots. While this sounds painful, it is not as if you are pulling out dead hair and making room for new healthy hair to grow. Some dogs may find it uncomfortable, while other dogs may enjoy it. After stripping out some of the dead hairs, you may find that the Lakeland terrier may look a different color. This is only because the bottom hair is often lighter or darker.
Clipping or cutting the hair with clippers and scissors will help the dog to have shorter hair, but does not improve the quality and texture of the hair like hand stripping does. The reason is that the dead hair is being cut shorter but not removed. The parts of the body that it is not as important to hand strip are the underbelly, inside of the ears and the genitals. Make sure you do trim the hair inside the ears and also between their toes. After you've clipped or stripped your Lakeland terrier a few times, you will find that it is easier each time with the more experience you develop. You will also find that the dog has weak spots and strong spots just as humans do and you can do a lot with the haircuts to cover the weak spots or put emphasis on the strong points.
Because of all the work involved in grooming the Lakeland terrier, many owners choose to go to a professional groomer, at least for the first time. Many groomers will give you tips on the best way to groom your dog if you ask them. Regular combing and brushing the coat on your Lakeland terrier will get rid of a lot of the dead hair and help keep the coat looking better for longer.
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