Grooming is a subject of interest to every standard schnauzer owner.  This is not surprising as every standard schnauzer needs to be groomed and many of our owners want to do all or most of the work themselves.  Most get lots of help and information from their breeders and often the new owner will be put into contact with a standard schnauzer owner or breeder in their area of the country so that they can experience a hands on grooming session.

For those of us who show, we have no option when it comes to coats - they must be stripped or plucked.  Companion standard schnauzer owners have the option of either trying their hand at stripping or having the coat clippered off.

For stripping, you will have to find someone willing to hand strip your dog for you, which can cost $$$ or learn to do it yourself.  For now, we will not go into the details on stripping but many standard schnauzer owners successfully manage to keep a rolled coat - which is a coat that is constantly stripped all over the jacket, neck and head.  We have several owners that just come to us as their breeder for the shaving of throat, ears, cheeks and bum and the scissor trimming of furnishings (legs, skirt, brows and beard) and keep the jacket in tip top shape themselves.  Some owners do the jacket work and take the dog into the dog grooming salon for the shave and trim.

If you opt to do the clippering and shaving yourself, you will need to invest in a good clipper and perhaps several different clipper blade sizes.  Do not be tempted to buy the pet clippers that are offered in most department and pet stores.  They are a waste of time and money.  These clippers can range in price from $20 to $40 and believe me...you get what you pay for.

Most good clippers will set you back $150 to $300.  We have been using an Oster brand A5 clipper for nearly 20 years and with only one or two minor repairs over the years, it still works great.  These clippers which are sold under various brand names are available through pet stores, pet supply catalogue companies or from a supply booth at your local dog show.

To just do the shaving of ears, throat, cheeks and bum you will need only the #10 blade that comes with the clipper (although some like to use a #15 on ears).  You will also get oil, grease, a cleaning brush and instruction booklet.  You should also purchase a spray can of cooling agent such as Oster Kool Lube and you should also purchase a container of blade wash.

If you are going to clipper your dog's coat, you will need to purchase clipper blades with longer teeth to allow the hair to be cut further away from the dog's body.  Some prefer to use a #10 blade which gives a really smooth look but this gives your standard schnauzer no protection from the sun or weather.  Many owners find that they can get a fairly decent look with a #7F or even a #4F blade.  You will notice that clipper blades are sized so that the larger the blade number, the shorter the clip.  Thus a #4 would leave a much longer coat than a #10 blade.  A #30 blade is a surgical blade and virtually removes all visible hair.  More detailed information on blades available may be obtained at the Oster company (grooming supplies) web site which is www.osterpro.com .

It is important to remember to never shave a dirty dog as the dust will dull the blade very quickly.  Coats should be well brushed and if the coat is fairly thick, it will also need to be raked (have some of the undercoat removed) before the clipper will do a decent job.  If you neglect to do this, the clipper blade is apt to jam up in the coat and not cut at all.

Blades can be sharpened when they become dull but this requires finding someone to actually do the sharpening and although it is not all that expensive, it does add up and eventually the blade will wear out.

Before you even begin to clipper your puppy, you should gradually acclimatize it to the sound of the clipper, which can alarm or scare some pups.  Start by just running the clipper, and treats and praise work wonders.  There is no way you can clipper a puppy that is terrified of the clipper noise!

Most new owners were given a list of basic grooming tools when they took their puppy home for the first time.  We also send each puppy home with a "stripping stone" which is a black cinder like block.  These stones can actually be the pumice type of stone that can be purchased for cleaning barbecue grills (and cut down into manageable shapes and pieces for hand work).  They may be obtained at barbecue supply stores.  The stone can be used to remove puppy coat and help to remove top and undercoat once the adult coat comes in.  We encourage new owners to at least give stripping a try.

There are many different stripping tools and over the years we have acquired quite an assortment.  Some work better than others.  Some work better on some coats and not on other coats.  Your breeder is the best person to give you advice on which is best for your dog.

Stripping knives can not only be used to strip top coat but can be used as a rake to card out undercoat.  It is best if you have someone with experience in stripping coats to actually show you the proper way to hold and use the knives without cutting the coat.

In recent years a fairly new tool has come into use.  It is called a Coat King (Mars) or Mat King.  These rake like tools have teeth and blades that help to remove dead hair and undercoat.  A certain amount of care must be taken on show coats but they seem to work well for the companion dog.  We find that the one with the #20 blade works best.

Of course you will also find that your fingers work as pretty good tools in stripping out a coat or plucking hairs out of ears or between eyes.  Ear powder works very well to help you get a grip on the hairs.  Some people also use rubber finger pads or even surgical gloves to give them a better grip.  Always remember to pull hair in the direction that it grows or else the new hairs that will follow will grow in very strange directions.

We have had several different brushes here over the years.  One we bought when we had our first dog is like a palm brush and has brass bristles mixed with boar hair.  It is a nice brush for bringing a dull coat to life.  We also had a rubber palm brush with steel pins for furnishings.

For puppies we just use a plain bristle as this is gentle and helps to get puppy used to grooming.  You can use a pin brush on longer clipped or stripped coats.

We have several different slicker brushes too.  One fairly large with soft bent pins for brushing out coat and furnishings, and one smaller pin brush for fluffing the hair on feet and such.

Grooming Arm & Noose

In order to keep the furnishings clean, you will need to bathe them regularly.  An all over bath will only be necessary when your dog's coat gets dirty or smelly.  Look for a good shampoo that is designed for dogs, perhaps one that brightens and whitens the coat on the beards and legs of your schnauzer.  You may want to have a good flea shampoo on hand in case your pal brings home a flea or two while out in the park, classes or at a show.

It's a good idea also to have a good quality conditioner on hand.  There are types that you rinse out, and other types of conditioners that you can leave in the furnishings.

The Dremel company does not officially recommend using the Dremel tool for doing dog nails, however many people have found that it works excellent for this purpose.  The Oster company also manufactures a nail grinding tool.  Similarly as with an electric clipper, it is very wise to acclimatize your puppy or your mature dog with the sound of the nail grinder before you even start doing the nails in this way.  It is important to make this an entirely positive experience.  Once you get going and your dog gets used to this, it may even fall asleep when you do this.

There is a web site that provides an excellent explanation that includes the necessary safety considerations and very good and clear pictures of the entire procedure at www.doberdawn.com .  The author of the web article is Dawn S. Garrett and this link is provided to you with the kind permission of the author.  The author requests only that no one reproduce the content of her web site, as it is for your information purposes only.

Where to keep it all?  There are various sizes and prices for tack boxes and gear bags.  You may want to consider how much equipment and supplies you have and whether or not you will be leaving it in one place or carrying it to different places like to the garage, cottage or to dog shows.  If it will all stay in one spot, then perhaps a cupboard or shelf will suit.  If you are or know of a handyman, perhaps you can have a lovely wooden box built to keep everything in.

If you take a look through one of the pet supply catalogues, either in print or online, you will find a myriad of ideas and ways to spend your money.  Perhaps e-Bay might be a possible source as well, but you should remember that it is "buyer beware" if you are purchasing used items.

Don't try to purchase everything at once.  Make a list of things that you need now, things that you will need eventually, and things that you would like to have in the future.  Don't forget to include some of the items on your wish list for birthdays and Christmas.

Where to keep it all?  There are various sizes and prices for tack boxes and gear bags.  You may want to consider how much equipment and supplies you have and whether or not you will be leaving it in one place or carrying it to different places like to the garage, cottage or to dog shows.  If it will all stay in one spot, then perhaps a cupboard or shelf will suit.  If you are or know of a handyman, perhaps you can have a lovely wooden box built to keep everything in.

If you take a look through one of the pet supply catalogues, either in print or online, you will find a myriad of ideas and ways to spend your money.  Perhaps e-Bay might be a possible source as well, but you should remember that it is "buyer beware" if you are purchasing used items.

Don't try to purchase everything at once.  Make a list of things that you need now, things that you will need eventually, and things that you would like to have in the future.  Don't forget to include some of the items on your wish list for birthdays and Christmas.