First trimming of a miniature schnauzer in Rostov-on-Don

Sketchy cutting and trimming a Miniature Schnauzer is not an easy task, especially when it comes to preparing it for an exhibition.

Mature hair is trimmed along the body, starting from the neck, smoothly moving along the back and sides towards the tail. The hind legs are usually trimmed to the hocks.

The following areas can be cut with a clipper: the inside of the neck, the area under the tail and the ears.

Scissors are used to trim the muzzle and bangs, front and hind limbs and the lower line of the body.

An easier way is to cut it with a clipper, without any special frills. In this case, the neck and back are cut short, the hair on the paws is trimmed with scissors, and a so-called skirt is left on the stomach. The beard and bangs, in this case, emphasize the breed.

Muzzle trim

The Miniature Schnauzer's muzzle is his calling card. She is adorned with a massive beard and elegant bangs. The muzzle must be properly designed and always well-groomed. Considering the fact that a beard constantly gets dirty, caring for it is especially important.

The length of the beard can vary, but should not be short. The hair on the muzzle is combed down from the extreme corner of the eye, and on the bridge of the nose, parted in the middle.

Next, the beard is trimmed with scissors and, if necessary, thinned. Closer to the nose, the beard is slightly shorter than in the cheekbone area. The bridge of the nose is not trimmed.

The bangs are a decoration for the Small Schnauzer. It falls over the eyes, but does not cover them completely. The bangs can be short or long, straight or oblique, or in a trapezoid shape. In any case, its presence is mandatory. When forming bangs, long hair from the forehead is combed down to the eyes (1.5-2 cm wide) and then trimmed.

The absence of bangs and beard is not stipulated by the breed standard.

Trimming

The procedure of trimming (plucking) hair for all representatives of the Schnauzer family is a mandatory event. Trimming has a number of positive factors:

Emphasizes the advantages of the breed.
Helps the dog get rid of dead hair faster.
Deprives the owner of the problem associated with dog shedding.
After professional trimming, the new fur grows silky and elegant.

It is recommended to start accustoming your Miniature Schnauzer to trimming at 3.5-4 months. This is necessary so that the dog quickly gets used to the atypical sensations and manipulations of the groomer.

When trimming, hard hairs are schematically and carefully plucked from the neck to the base of the tail, and then the area of the shoulder blades is worked on. At the end, the sides and chest, hips and tail are trimmed.

Trimming is carried out using a trimming knife. The work is carried out as follows:

A small section (tuft) of fur is lifted with the thumb, while the remaining fingers hold the skin.
The tuft of wool is pryed off with a special knife (trimmer), and then it is pulled. In this way, all the necessary areas on the dog’s body are worked out.
After trimming, the dog’s skin is treated with antiseptic agents, and in the cool season it is advisable to walk in protective overalls.

Rolling and its secrets

The main task of rolling is to create the appearance of the Miniature Schnauzer in such a way that he is ready to appear before the audience and judges at any moment. In this case, the owner will not have to miss the exhibition due to the pet’s fur not being ready.

Rolling has a unique specificity. It is recommended to accustom a puppy to it at the age of 3-3.5 months, and if desired, you can also transfer an adult who has previously been trimmed to rolling. However, this will be a little more difficult to do.

The purpose of rolling is to form a three-layer coat in the Miniature Schnauzer. This will require not only skill, but also patience. Let's look at the rolling procedure step by step.

Stage 1 - Formation of the 1st layer of wool (top)

At this stage, the puppy hair that sticks out in different directions is removed. The pinching procedure is carried out throughout the body by hand and evenly. After trimming, you need to remove the undercoat using a furminator. Next, the undercoat is combed and removed weekly.

Stage 2 - Formation of the 2nd layer of wool (middle)

28-35 days after the first plucking, it is time to work with the 2nd layer of wool. Don't be alarmed that the coat will be unsightly and patchy at this time. At this stage, it is important to be patient and pluck stray hairs evenly.

During the work, you will be able to observe short and spiky hairs on the dog’s body - this means that the growth of new guard hair, removed at stage 1, has begun. This means everything is going according to plan, and soon your little schnauzer will shine with dazzling beauty. Don't forget to remove the undercoat once a week.

Stage 3 - Formation of the 3rd layer of wool (bottom)

After 28-35 days, it’s time to remove the remnants of old and long hair. Having removed it, you can see the beautiful young, hard guard hair, which has grown safely since the first plucking. It is still quite short and consists of 2 layers, top and middle.

The dog looks quite neat at this time, but it still needs some time to build up the 3rd (bottom) layer. In about 1 month it will be safely formed.

Thus, if you roll every 4-5 weeks, you can achieve perfection. In this case, the Miniature Schnauzer will always look elegant and well-groomed.

It takes approximately 4.5-5 months for a 100% transition to rolling.

Step-by-step haircut instructions

Place the dog on a table with anti-slip rubber coating.
Comb the wool from tangles, remove them using a tangle cutter or thinning scissors.
Then wash the dog and dry thoroughly.
The body is trimmed with a clipper, the hair is kept short, but the dog is not completely exposed.
A body haircut is carried out against the growth of the hair, starting from the tail and ending where the bangs grow. The hips are cut from the outside in the shape of a pointed triangle.
The hair on the belly, chest and limbs is not cut, but combed out and trimmed along the contour with scissors.
The ears are trimmed on both sides.
The beard and bangs are trimmed with scissors.
The paw pads are trimmed to remove excess hair with a trimmer, then the fur on the paws is given a rounded shape using scissors.

Expert advice

The first trimming and rolling procedures for Miniature Schnauzer puppies are the most painful. It is important not to yell at the puppy, but to gently and decisively finish the job you started. Time will pass and the dog will get used to these sensations.

Rolling has undoubted advantages over trimming. With the rolling method, the schnauzer's coat is always in perfect shape and in the right condition.

To determine which hair to pluck, you need to lift the hairs and look through them into the light. The spine of the top layer will be the longest; it is this that should be plucked out first.

Plucking of mature wool is carried out against its growth, which allows not to affect the young (immature) and avoid bald spots.

Trimming powder helps strengthen the adhesion of the fur and the blade.

For the Miniature Schnauzer breed, removing the undercoat is an important step; the thick undercoat prevents the release of dead outer hair.

Depending on the color and type of coat, as well as the thickness of the undercoat, the grooming method is chosen for each dog purely individually.

Grooming is not a fashion requirement, but a necessary procedure that is beneficial for the overall health of the dog.

If you do not have experience and confidence in trimming, rolling or cutting your Miniature Schnauzer yourself, it is better not to start this activity.

The Miniature Schnauzer is not a breed for the lazy. After the grooming procedure, the dog shines with its beauty and is the pride of its owner. Along with this, complex care for its fur takes a lot of time and not every owner can do it.

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When properly cared for, Miniature Schnauzer dogs do not cause allergic reactions, do not have a “dog” smell and do not shed. But in order to maintain their appearance in order, they should be cut and trimmed regularly. The Miniature Schnauzer's coat has its own distinctive features, namely: a two-layer type of coat (the outer hair is relatively short and the undercoat is thick). Dogs that take part in shows need to properly remove dead hair so that the dog does not look unkempt.

Grooming a miniature schnauzer in the classic version involves removing hair from the ears, belly, temples, cheekbones, throat using a clipper, as well as processing around the genitals and anus. Using scissors, the following areas are processed: beard, eyebrows, individual areas on the paws, as well as the chest and “skirt” area in order to obtain a smooth transition. The hair between the fingertips is removed with small scissors. Even if the dog is regularly cut and combed daily, a complete renewal of the coat does not occur. In this case, a procedure such as trimming comes to the rescue. When caring for miniature schnauzer dogs, it is simply necessary.

There are the following options for miniature schnauzer trimming: 1. traditional trimming 2. seasonal trimming 3. working with puppies Traditional trimming, as a rule, is enough to do 2 times a year. After this procedure, the dog has a bald appearance, so when performing trimming in the cold season, you need to dress the dog when walking in the fresh air. Traditional trimming involves removing fully mature hair, so your pet will not feel pain during the procedure. There is an opinion that you can pluck the hair by hand 2 times a year to maintain the dog’s natural coat change. However, it is not. The wool does not grow evenly and you will not be able to perform this procedure efficiently with your hands. As a result, the pet will take on an unkempt appearance. It is better to entrust this procedure to professionals. After haircut and trimming, you should bathe the dog, brush its teeth, if necessary, trim its nails. After bathing, the coat should be dried with a hair dryer or compressor (hair dryer-vacuum cleaner). Puppies should not be dried with a compressor, as this can greatly frighten them. Grooming a miniature schnauzer plays an important role in caring for a dog of this breed. Don't think that you can do it yourself. It is better to entrust this to a professional who knows the breed standard and is well versed in it. Only by understanding the breed standard can you properly trim a Miniature Schnauzer and highlight its advantages.

Miniature Schnauzer coat care

One of the main breed characteristics of the Miniature Schnauzer is its coat. Tough, wire-like, it reliably protects the dog from skin damage and does not shed on its own. Much of the quality of a particular dog's coat depends on its genetics. The abundance of decorative hair on the skirt and legs is often combined with soft hair on the body (shirt). However, even the toughest dog by nature will lose its characteristic coat texture if you start cutting it. Trimming stimulates the growth of the undercoat and reduces the harshness of the coat. As a result, the Schnauzer begins to shed like any other breed, and the coat becomes dusty, dull and soft.

One can understand occasional miniature schnauzer owners who groom their dogs. They most often just bought an inexpensive puppy of a medium-sized breed and know nothing about what it should be like when it grows up. Having seen a miniature schnauzer at an exhibition, they are sincerely surprised at how trained dogs look like running in rings. What kind of people sell their puppies to them? Why don't they warn that dogs' fur requires special care?

Caring for a Miniature Schnauzer's coat includes regular trimming and hygienic or show (cosmetic) haircuts, as well as bathing with special shampoos and conditioners and daily brushing of the paws and skirt.

The first trimming is usually carried out after the teeth have been replaced. However, nothing prevents the owner from plucking off any stray hairs so that the miniature schnauzer puppy has a neat appearance. Grooming a miniature schnauzer at home is performed for hygienic purposes and includes treatment of the groin area, anus, neck, bridge of the nose and cheeks. Hard dog ears are usually well-plucked. If this does not happen, they are also cut.

Usually puppies go to their owners when they have already had their first haircut. The age of a Miniature Schnauzer for this procedure is 4-5 weeks. This is done with a machine or scissors and you need to accustom your puppy to it from the moment he arrives in your home. Before grooming, your Miniature Schnauzer puppy must be washed and dried. Places that are not cut (body and paws) are combed with a fine-toothed comb to remove dead hair.

It is better to entrust the first trimming of a miniature schnauzer to a groomer. He will draw out the main lines of the body and qualitatively pinch off the body bald. Owners are rarely allowed into the groomer's room, but it is quite possible to assess the quality of work by the color of the body. The plucked areas are lighter, there is no hair on them, and those areas that have been cut are always covered with a short crew cut, reminiscent of velor to the touch. The cost of trimming and cutting is always different, since trimming is a more labor-intensive procedure and can take from 2 to 6 hours depending on the dog’s behavior and the quality of its coat. It becomes longest lasting if the dog was regularly cut before the first trimming. Soft fur is difficult to pinch off and this procedure requires patience and a professional approach from the groomer. The dog is allowed to rest often so as not to provoke stress in it.

Trimming a miniature schnauzer at home requires calm and perseverance from the owner. Several hairs are taken with the thumb and forefinger and plucked out by moving them towards you. The dog stands with its back to you or lies on its side. The fur is plucked only in the direction of its growth, otherwise the dog will be in pain and will not allow you to complete the procedure. Since there is nowhere to rush at home, the dog can be pinched for several days. In this case, they start from the back area, gradually pinching off the entire body symmetrically. Most often, the first independent trimming takes the owner 2-3 days. In the future, this time is reduced and by 3-4 trimming the procedure lasts 3-4 hours.

To protect your hands from injury from coarse hair, use a linen plaster and rubber pharmaceutical finger pads. Without them, blisters will quickly form on the working fingers - dropsy and the procedure will have to be stopped. The patch must be wrapped around the finger in such a way that it allows the finger to bend freely and does not squeeze the blood vessels. The optimal width of the patch is 1-2 cm.

When trimming a miniature nauzer (especially a male), you can find zones on its body with varying degrees of hair attachment. The hair on the withers is especially bad, a little easier on the shoulders, and the simplest ones are the bokeh, head and hip area. In connection with this feature, miniature schnauzer trimming begins from the most difficult areas in order to have time to process them before the hands begin to get tired. The undercoat also sheds differently in different dogs. Often you have to leave the undercoat for several weeks so that it has time to mature and be completely pinched off.

The amount of undercoat in dogs that are regularly trimmed gradually decreases. Its growth also has seasonal variations - in winter this insulating layer grows stronger, and in summer weaker. After trimming, it is important to treat the skin with antiseptic solutions for several days so that the wounds cannot become infected. At this time, it is convenient to deal with comedones that have appeared - inflamed hair follicles, inside of which pus accumulates. Treating them with tea tree oil helps speed up their ripening. Some young pimples resolve on their own after such treatment; the rest, after maturation, must be removed and the wound treated with levomekol. Despite the bacterial nature of comedones (their formation is caused by staphylococci and streptococci), treatment with systemic antibiotics is considered ineffective by veterinarians. The best results are achieved by local treatment in combination with immunomodulators and probiotics.

After about a week, new fur will begin to grow.
At this time, to make it more rigid, vitamin supplements with mollusk shells and salmon oil are used, and cosmetic burdock oil is rubbed into the skin after it has healed. Within 2-4 weeks, the young, coarse coat will completely cover the body and hide the undercoat under a thick coat. In the cold season, after trimming, the dog should not be allowed to freeze while walking. They put her in overalls or simply do not allow her to sit or lie motionless in the snow, forcing her to move all the time. In summer, it is better not to let your dog swim for a week after trimming.

Basic Rules

The Miniature Schnauzer breed has special grooming rules that cannot be neglected. Shedding in these dogs does not occur independently and requires human intervention.

Otherwise, an exceptionally handsome man can turn into a shaggy creature of an unknown breed.

The Miniature Schnauzer's coat consists of two layers:

The first layer is a dense and thick undercoat.
The second layer is the spine, longer and tougher.

Depending on the life cycle, guard wool is divided into types:

The young ones are soft, thin and short.
Mature – medium length, more rigid.
Old – long, dead, most rigid or faded.

Mature guard fur is plucked according to a certain pattern. The Miniature Schnauzer needs competent, timely trimming and zonal cutting with scissors and clippers.

What types are there

According to its purpose, grooming of this breed is divided into several types.

Cosmetic (hygienic)

Must be done once a month. It includes: combing the undercoat, trimming the hair on and around the paw pads, removing hair in the ears, trimming the hair on the ears, trimming the beard and bangs, removing excess hair in the groin area and under the tail.

Base

Carry out once every 2-3 months. Its procedure includes trimming dead fur (undercoat) and trimming it along the body, as well as all the listed hygiene measures.

Seasonal

Particularly important during the period of active molting of the animal (2 times a year). Between seasonal grooming, hygienic and basic grooming are required.

Exhibition

Necessary for preparing the dog for the ring and show events.

Price for cutting and trimming a miniature schnauzer at home in Moscow

It is incredibly expensive to trim a dog in a grooming salon, even though it is expensive to carry out the procedure 2-3 times a year. Therefore, every owner of a miniature dog tries to find a private master or one who works on-site for his pet.

In recent years, mobile groomers have become much more in demand than those working in stationary salons. The main reason for their popularity is the affordable prices for grooming in Moscow. Our masters perform miniature schnauzer trimming efficiently, painlessly and inexpensively; groomers travel anywhere in Moscow and the Moscow region. The cost of the procedure includes: departure, work, professional cosmetics appropriate for the type of coat.

For many, this alternative is convenient for many reasons:

saving time,
no need to transport the dog,
opportunity to observe the process,
animal calm,
saving money,
high quality without cuts and the use of anesthesia.

The following types of services are offered for miniature schnauzers:

hygienic haircut,
trimming,
complex (haircut + trimming).

The first plucking is done for miniatures at the age of 4 months, so if you become the owner of a puppy of this breed, do not miss the moment when you need to do the first trimming; it is better to carry out the procedure at home, so both you and your pet will be more comfortable.

Haircut scheme

Sketchy cutting and trimming a Miniature Schnauzer is not an easy task, especially when it comes to preparing it for an exhibition.

Mature hair is trimmed along the body, starting from the neck, smoothly moving along the back and sides towards the tail. The hind legs are usually trimmed to the hocks.

The following areas can be cut with a clipper: the inside of the neck, the area under the tail and the ears.

Scissors are used to trim the muzzle and bangs, front and hind limbs and the lower line of the body.

Muzzle trim

The length of the beard can vary, but should not be short. The hair on the muzzle is combed down from the extreme corner of the eye, and on the bridge of the nose, parted in the middle.

Next, the beard is trimmed with scissors and, if necessary, thinned. Closer to the nose, the beard is slightly shorter than in the cheekbone area. The bridge of the nose is not trimmed.

The bangs are a decoration for the Small Schnauzer. It falls over the eyes, but does not cover them completely. The bangs can be short or long, straight or oblique, or in a trapezoid shape. In any case, its presence is mandatory. When forming bangs, long hair from the forehead is combed down to the eyes (1.5-2 cm wide) and then trimmed.

Trimming and cutting

It is important to know: without proper plucking of hairs, the coarse coat of a Miniature Schnauzer is not completely renewed, even with regular combing and trimming. The owner will have to choose: either take the dog to a pet salon two or three times a year for trimming, or learn to perform the procedure on his own.

How to proceed:

Prepare all the necessary tools and place them next to the table. If the owner bought a special table with a device for securing the leash, then it will be easier to remove dead hairs;
it is important to know: the cover acquires a neat appearance by local processing of certain areas with a machine and scissors and plucking out hard hairs using a special knife;
You cannot pluck hairs on the head, some areas of the neck, hind and front legs. To process these areas, scissors with long, even cutting parts are used. The same tool is needed to give the correct shape to the fur on the face.

Step-by-step algorithm of actions

Stages:

the forehead, back of the head and scruff of the neck are treated with scissors, which gives the head a shape that meets the standards;
then create a triangular bang with a smooth transition from the forehead directly to the muzzle;
Be sure to cut the hairs on your ears and ear canal short. To clean the ears, remove wax and dirt, use a cotton pad or swabs moistened with a hypoallergenic balm;
The hairs from the sides of the head are briefly processed with the machine, but you cannot go beyond the main line;
comb the trimmed parts of the head and beard correctly, in the direction of hair growth;
be sure to lift the bangs, remove overgrown hair in the transition zone;
after carefully combing, give the beard a wedge shape;
then move on to the body, trim the “skirt” so that the decor is of medium length;
on the inner thighs and groin area, the hair is carefully trimmed using a clipper;
when treating the coat of male dogs, it is important to carefully treat the area near the genitals;
overgrown hairs on the front and hind legs are combed, carefully combed out, then given a standard shape in the elbow and axillary area using long scissors;
the next stage is processing the paw pads using small scissors. Additionally, they give this area a more rounded appearance;
The final stage is hair removal for more comfortable treatment of the claw area. Using a special tool, the claws are trimmed and the stratum corneum is shortened;
Be sure to bathe your dog after grooming to get rid of short hairs on the body that can irritate the skin.

When trimming (plucking out coarse hairs) is done by an inexperienced “home groomer”, the first few times the procedure takes two to three days. In the salon, professionals perform a full range of treatment of a miniature schnauzer’s coat in a few hours. After a full trimming procedure, an overgrown dog looks “bald,” which frightens some owners. The cover grows back in about 2 months. Many groomers recommend cosmetic trimming and rolling, and trimming your dog twice a year.

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Trimming

The procedure of trimming (plucking) hair for all representatives of the Schnauzer family is a mandatory event. Trimming has a number of positive factors:

Emphasizes the advantages of the breed.
Helps the dog get rid of dead hair faster.
Deprives the owner of the problem associated with dog shedding.
After professional trimming, the new fur grows silky and elegant.

Trimming is carried out using a trimming knife. The work is carried out as follows:

A small section (tuft) of fur is lifted with the thumb, while the remaining fingers hold the skin.
The tuft of wool is pryed off with a special knife (trimmer), and then it is pulled. In this way, all the necessary areas on the dog’s body are worked out.
After trimming, the dog’s skin is treated with antiseptic agents, and in the cool season it is advisable to walk in protective overalls.

How to trim a Giant Schnauzer

There are the following types of trimming: general (most of the body is processed at the same time), partial (body treatment in certain areas) and corrective (allows you to disguise physique flaws).

Be sure to use a special knife and nail clippers. You need durable combs with different teeth and a set of scissors (for cutting different parts of the body). The procedure itself can last up to three hours. This is a very difficult job and it is better to entrust it to a professional who knows how to handle the tool.

Trimming of a Giant Schnauzer begins from the back of the head and moves towards the tail. Dead hair is plucked out and makes way for new hair. The upper part of the neck and its sides are treated. Then the back and sides of the animal, hips and shoulder blades are plucked along the border of the second joint from below. Using the blade of a knife, grab a small amount of fur in the direction of its growth. The skin is held at the base. You need to pluck the fur with a sharp tug. The undercoat and hair are completely removed. After trimming is completed, the remaining fur is trimmed.

Unlike a regular haircut, high-quality trimming requires the work of a specialist. The price for the service will be higher than for a regular haircut, but it is worth it. A professional will not hurt the dog and will do everything in the optimal time frame. Not all people have artistic abilities, and this type of service requires creativity. As you can see, trimming a Giant Schnauzer is the price for making the dog look 100% perfect!

Rolling and its secrets

The purpose of rolling is to form a three-layer coat in the Miniature Schnauzer. This will require not only skill, but also patience. Let's look at the rolling procedure step by step.

Step-by-step haircut instructions

Place the dog on a table with anti-slip rubber coating.
Comb the wool from tangles, remove them using a tangle cutter or thinning scissors.
Then wash the dog and dry thoroughly.
The body is trimmed with a clipper, the hair is kept short, but the dog is not completely exposed.
A body haircut is carried out against the growth of the hair, starting from the tail and ending where the bangs grow. The hips are cut from the outside in the shape of a pointed triangle.
The hair on the belly, chest and limbs is not cut, but combed out and trimmed along the contour with scissors.
The ears are trimmed on both sides.
The beard and bangs are trimmed with scissors.
The paw pads are trimmed to remove excess hair with a trimmer, then the fur on the paws is given a rounded shape using scissors.

Application of the machine

The Miniature Schnauzer clipper is used for zonal trimming of the coat, as well as for complex and model haircuts. The machine must be highly professional, powerful, high quality, equipped with sharp steel knives.

Models of clippers of various types (category ZOO) from leading manufacturers can easily cope with the coarse coat of Schnauzers and their thick undercoat.

Using a comb

For daily care of the Miniature Schnauzer, the owner should have various types of combs in his arsenal. They are a basic tool. Only high-quality combed wool can be further trimmed and subjected to rolling and trimming procedures.

Combs must be metal, have blunt tooth ends, and be more than 1 cm long.
The frequency of the comb teeth depends on the dog’s coat, thickness and stiffness.
It is advisable to have 2-3 combs. One with long and rare teeth for preliminary work, and the second with more frequent teeth for control combing.
Rake-type combs with rotating teeth help to better cope with the task of combing wool.
Combs with curved tips add extra volume to the hair.
The slicker is not large in size, the length of the sides of the head is 5-7 cm, and is also important in caring for the Miniature Schnauzer.

The need for a furminator

For owners of Miniature Schnauzers, there is a clear need for weekly use of the Furminator.

Having such a useful, strong and high-quality tool in your arsenal, you can easily remove dead undercoat without damaging the dog’s outer coat.

Grooming procedure/haircut, trimming a Giant Schnauzer

The Giant Schnauzer is, of course, the largest of all three varieties of Schnauzer. His height at the shoulders is about 71 cm. He was first shown at an exhibition in Munich in 1909 under the name “Russian Bearcat Schnauzer”. The service dog was recognized in Germany in 1925. During World War II, the German army used these dogs in the military as assistants. They say that the Giant Schnauzer has no equal as a guard dog. She is level-headed, smart and loyal. Works great in training competitions.

The coat is hard, wiry, very dense; consists of a soft undercoat and a coarse outer coat. The topcoat, when viewed in the direction opposite to its growth, is slightly spaced from the body and does not lie smooth and even. On the top of the head the hair is coarse; the beard and eyebrows are stiff, which is a characteristic feature of the Schnauzer.

A Giant Schnauzer, standing majestically in a combat stance, whose coat is in good “exhibition” condition, is a truly wonderful, simply amazing sight. On the other hand, an unkempt Giant Schnauzer with long, matted hair that has not been groomed should not be shown in public at all - it is a real shame for its owner and for all Giant Schnauzer lovers, and besides, it is unfair to the dog itself. Brush your dog's fur daily with a wire brush or a special mitt, and comb his funny whiskers with a comb. Pluck out excess hair.

Grooming procedure / haircut, trimming of the Giant Schnauzer

All Giant Schnauzers that participate in shows should have their hair plucked by hand - either by hand or using a stripping knife. This is the most effective method of grooming and ensures that the dog maintains the coarse, wiry coat described in the breed standard. Long-term use of machine cutting of Schnauzer's coat leads to the fact that the coat becomes soft and loses the desired texture. In dogs with a “pepper and salt” color, as a result of prolonged use of the clipper, the coat becomes ribbed and the “pepper and salt” color completely disappears.

The main equipment for grooming a Giant Schnauzer is a steel comb (with thick and medium teeth), a steel comb with fine teeth for combing the eyebrows, a medium-sized stripping knife, hairdressing scissors, thinning scissors, blunt scissors (for cutting hair between the paw pads) and wire cutters for claws. This is the minimum set needed to do this job and should always be on hand.

Many Giant Schnauzer fanciers have no desire to show their dogs at shows. At the same time, they really want their dogs to be neatly trimmed, but so that there is no need to manually pluck the hair. We cannot recommend machine cutting as this method tends to soften the coat, as mentioned above. However, to those owners who will still trim their giant schnauzers with a clipper, we want to say the following: please buy a good, high-quality clipper, such as an Oster clipper. These machines are much more expensive than regular ones, but they are specially designed to do this kind of work.

There is a blade that leaves the hair as long as after plucking. Use this blade to trim your dog's hair if you want him to have a fairly long coat. To decide how long the coat to leave, the owner must determine his individual preferences, while taking into account some other factors: what time of year it is and where the dog spends most of his time - outside or inside the house. Always remember to cut the hair in the direction it grows, otherwise you will cut the hair too short. A thinner blade is recommended for trimming hair on the head, ears and lower body.