Dachshund Grooming
Dachshunds need to have regular baths, nails trimmed, and teeth brushed. With Wirehairs, there comes additional duties, such as hand stripping the coat (if they are showing).
Grooming a wirehair does not have to be difficult nor a daily task UNLESS you have:
- a very heavily coated wire that you wish to keep in show coat
- you have nothing better to do with your time
Wirehairs can be hand-stripped using a variety of different methods or you can have them clippered in to a style that resembles the hand-stripped dog (but this does have its down side to the texture of the coat).
Hand-stripping is exactly what it sounds like - you pull several hairs at a time out by hand using either just your fingers and/or a stripping *knife* (the ones recommended are not actually knives but they facilitate the grabbing of the hairs. Used improperly they can cut the hair off, though). A good coated wire does not shed (well not like the smooths or longs) but needs help in that with the hand-stripping. This is the same method of grooming that most show terrier owners employ along with any other show dogs that keep a *jacket* (body coat) tight (short). Although difficult to describe it is easy to demonstrate in person. This method of grooming not only lasts longer than clippering but it will help retain the harsh texture of the wirehair's coat along with the color intensity. Hand-stripping can last for 6 months depending on how tidy you like the look of a wirehair.
Clippering of the wirehair is easily done and it is possible to retain the *look* of the wirehair with clippering and scissoring but the coat usually loses the crisp texture and becomes soft (this is because the crispness is due to renewal of the hair at the root level. By clippering you are not obtaining new growth but are working on the same hair over and over). This also reduces the intensity of the color of the coat if you are dealing with a red or variation of red and wild boar. Clippering lasts up to 3 months.
Besides the coat, nails should be done every two weeks; inside ears checked weekly and anal glands done when necessary. Some dogs need help in this area more often than others and some never need assistance. Although teeth brushing is advocated by many, I have never had the time nor have I found simple brushing effective. The diet I feed has seemed to reduce the necessity of my cleaning of dogs' teeth drastically on the majority of all of my dogs.
Wirehairs come in a myriad of different coat types. You would think that a wirehair is a wirehair but that is not true. There are some wires who have a nice double coat and such few furnishings (body hair, leg hair, eyebrows, whiskers) that they only need 10 minutes every month or so to keep their coats tidy. At the other end of the spectrum is the (frequently dilute i.e. the wheaten/blonde coloration) fluffy wire. These wires are soft, like a cocker spaniel, and there is no way to hand-strip them without causing the dog discomfort/pain. This is NOT the preferred coat as this type of hair matts easily and serves as no protection from the elements. These dogs are best clippered and they can be maintained their entire lives this way.
For more information on Wirehair Grooming click here.