SquishyB
Posted : 12/9/2007 1:18:14 AM
I've got Mini that will be a year old next week. He's a handful and a half sometimes (especially when he digs in the trash and spreads it throughout the house), but he's a real sweetheart the rest of the time. Right now he's sleeping on my foot. :-)
As for hand-stripping... from what I understand, that's only necessary if he's a show dog. Pets don't require it. I've done both to Buckel, and once he would sit still, he didn't mind the stripping, but we did need to take frequent breaks, because he's got lots of energy. It goes a lot quicker to just shave, and since he's just a pet for me, I don't mind that it makes his hair softer. But if he's a show dog, apparently shaving "ruins" their coat. Who knows! I just recently shaved him, because he was starting to blow his topcoat, and since his undercoat is almost white, and his topcoat nearly black, he looked ridiculous. I was worried that he would freeze this winter, but I was reassured by others on this site that he would be okay. He is inside most of the time, but when we go out for long walks, or if it's raining or snowing, I have a little fleece "sweater" he wears, just in case. Personally, I don't like the regular Schauzer cut, so exept for his face, Buckel is all one length. I also shave his ears and keep his "moustache" and "eyebrows" pretty short. I think he's much cuter that way, but I'm probably pretty biased! Look at my avatar picture to see what he looks like after his most recent shave.
Hope that all made sense. Enjoy your new Schnauzer!