Miniature Schnauzer haircuts: what are and how to choose?

A number of dog breeds require particularly thorough care. So, grooming and haircuts of the Miniature Schnauzer, a compact dog with stiff naughty hair, are included in the mandatory list of procedures without which the dog would not look aesthetic. Their owners have to study in detail the trimming patterns characteristic of the breed, and to use a variety of devices that ensure the correct appearance of the animal's appearance to the exhibition.

Many are interested in whether it is possible to do without professional grooming, how to mow a dog at home for the first time, how often it needs to be done later. To make the miniature schnauzer look decent, you will have to make some effort. But with the help of proper grooming, you can create the right impression, hide small cons in the exterior of the pet.

According to the requirements of the breed standard, for the Miniature Schnauzer certain criteria for evaluating their appearance are established. For the exhibition, the dog must be rimmed in the back area, from the nape of the neck to the croup. The rest of her body can be clipped.

It is worth considering why trimming is used. The coat features of some dogs, including the miniature schnauzer, imply faster growth of the guard hair with a relatively short and weak cushion. Since wool is not only formed, but also dies, its abundant preservation on the body prevents the normal formation of a new coat.

The dog looks slovenly, essentially loses in appearance - in comparison with the brethren freed from the excess undercoat. Hard spine due to the lack of molting also looks unpresentable, loses shine and gloss.

The layering of the coat of the miniature schnauzer is associated with its uneven growth. A mature, ripening and young awn together remain on the dog's back and need thinning. When trimming, a special knife is used, allowing you to pull out exactly those hairs that are no longer needed. When shearing, the down is simply cut off completely, the wool does not look natural, which is very noticeable in the ring. The exhibition length of the miniature schnauzer “coat” should be no more than 1.5 cm.

When carrying out trimming it is important to remember to observe the deadlines. In preparation for the exhibition, the first processing is performed at least 60 days before the show, repeated - 2 weeks. This allows you to achieve the correct length of hair on the back, ensures the preservation of the aesthetics of the breed within the framework of the current standard. In black dogs with brown undercoat, the intensity of hair growth is higher - they need trimming up to 7–8 times a year, every 1.5 months.

The basic dog care scheme includes a whole range of necessary procedures. Among the available types of haircuts and grooming stands out several options.

• Hygienic. It is held monthly, consists in cutting hair between the fingers and on the paws, plucking the hairs on the inside of the ears. With scissors, he trimmed the regrown line of bangs and beard, groin area, and hair around the anus.

• Base. It is necessary periodically, every 2-3 months, consists in trimming the back, sides, neck of the dog, complemented by a full range of hygienic procedures.

• Seasonal. It is carried out additionally, during the period of autumn and spring molting.It allows you to facilitate this process for the animal, ensures the formation of high-quality hard awn in the offseason.

• Exhibition. Performed no later than 2 weeks before the show. In preparation for the ring, the master will correct the silhouette of the animal, ensure its attractiveness and breed. It is not recommended to carry out an exhibition hairstyle independently.

Important! Absolutely all options for haircut miniature schnauzers include bangs and beards - their absence will lead to disqualification of the dog. Shearing the body with a machine instead of trimming will also be considered a disadvantage.

The procedure, known as trimming, is to pull out the dog's coat. It is obligatory for all schnauzers due to the lack of natural loss of the undercoat and guard hair during the process of molting. Plucking is done manually using a special knife. The trimmer is fed under the tuft of wool, clamped with a finger and guided in the direction of hair growth. The skin after the procedure is carefully treated with special soothing antiseptics.

This is a typical Schnauzer procedure. It is held in exhibition dogs, at least 1 time per month., allowing you to maintain optimal condition of wool for exhibitions. For the first time, rolling is done at the age of 3–3.5 months, an adult dog is more difficult to translate into this method of processing “fur coat” With this method it is possible to ensure the formation of three-layer breed of wool.

The procedure includes several steps.

1. Creating the top layer. For this, puppy fluff is plucked out, the sticking out spine along the body is manually removed. Next, the furminator is processed undercoat. In the future, its combing and removal becomes weekly.
2. Formation of the middle layer of wool. It is produced 4–5 weeks after working with the top layer. Coat by this time looks quite heterogeneous, you need to be patient, make a careful and uniform removal of excess hair. The appearance of thin and prickly hairs at this stage is a sign of the formation of pedigree hair. It is also important to continue removing the undercoat on a regular basis.
3. Creating a bottom layer. After another 4–5 weeks, plucking of long and old hairs, already dead and unnecessary, is performed. After plucking, a young beautiful awn of optimal exhibition length will remain on the dog's body.

The first time trimming is needed is a miniature schnauzer aged 4 months and older, always in the warm season. Further, the manipulations will have to be repeated approximately once a quarter, depending on the type of color of the dog and the rate of growth of the coat. The easiest signal for the first plucking is the completion of a tooth change. On average, breeders call the age from 6 to 10 months - it is then that the dog is quite mature psychologically and is ready for a long procedure of care.

Do not rush to the first grooming. A too young dog will have a down rather than a normal coat of fur. It is better to wait for the first molt to perform all the manipulations already on dead hairs. Grabbing young wool can cause pain or scare the animal.

The softer and fluffier pet coat, the later the time comes to visit the salon. The main thing is to remember that in the requirements of the breed standard exactly the roughness is indicated. A dog with a weak, soft cover will not receive high marks at the show. Setting the desired stiffness is achieved by full plucking of the awn, and can take up to 2-3 years.

A visit to the salon helps to form the correct lines for the puppy of the miniature schnauzer breed. Here the master will show how to cut off the ears, process the face and head.After grooming, the dog looks well-groomed, ready for an exhibition demonstration.

The choice of haircut for the miniature schnauzer largely depends on whether it is planned to participate with the pet in exhibitions or the dog belongs exclusively to the category of pets. In addition, the type of coat is important. Normally, it is hard, unwilling to form tangles. But for some dogs, the wool either completely cannot be plucked or changes only slightly. In this case, you have to remove the extra volume with a machine, losing the spine in the breed qualities (growing hairs will be soft).

A short haircut is a way out for owners of dogs who are married by wool. In addition, in the presence of allergies or other skin problems, the treatment of the body with a machine helps to facilitate treatment. In this case, it is not necessary to choose. If the owner of the miniature schnauzer has a choice between trimming and rolling, here the need to maintain exhibition conditions is of great importance. With a pinch twice a year, this condition cannot be met; after a while, the dog will still look disheveled.

Self-haircut miniature schnauzer may well be mastered by the owner of the dog. When forming the correct silhouette of the animal will need to act in stages. For the first time, it is better to cut the dog at home under the guidance of an experienced master or with an assistant who is ready to keep the dog in the correct position. For constant grooming, it is better to purchase a special table with adjustable height and a clamp. You must prepare the following tools:

• trimming knife;
• Hairdressing scissors with sharp sharpening;
• metal comb with frequent teeth;
• clipper - mechanical or electrically operated.

You should always start grooming from the back. The line from the dog’s neck to the base of the tail is plucked out; the lower part of the neck does not move. With the help of a trimming knife, processing is carried out, while the wool is pinned to the blade, the skin is adhered by the second hand. Direction - only for the growth of wool, captured beams should be small. The procedure will be as follows:

1. neck treatment;
2. removal of dead hair from the sides and back to the bottom of the chest;
3. trimming the shoulder blades to the elbow and hips to the hock (outside);
4. plucking the front of the tail.

After trimming, sticking hairs need to be trimmed with a machine without a nozzle. In the absence of painful sensations, it is possible to pull out by hand other parts of the body - on the head and neck in front, inside the hips, in front on the chest, on the abdomen and in the groin area.

To make the ears look neat enough, they are cut short, cutting off the fringe at the tip and around the edges. The electric machine is used for wool, mechanical - against its growth. Inside the ears, the hairs are plucked by hand one by one. As the fur on the chest and neck will be cut off in front, you can proceed to the study of the throat, grooming the dog's head. Scissors remove the tufts of hair located in the inner corner of the eye.

Under the eyes, the length is maintained. Bangs is made in the form of a triangle, combed forward. It is important that its width is no more than the forehead. The beard is slightly trimmed so that the muzzle gets the correct rectangular shape. The sideburns are shortened so that the wool does not stick out. Beard carefully combed forward.

If the upper thigh is usually trimmed, its inner surface must be shortened with scissors. Carefully cut the abdomen and the area around the genitals. On the paws, the coat is combed upwards, and unevenly protruding hairs are clipped. All transitions of a silhouette of a dog should turn out smooth and elegant.Following these guidelines It is possible to put in order in one day even the most overgrown Miniature Schnauzer and gain invaluable experience of grooming dogs of this breed.

You can learn the secrets of the breed miniature schnauzer stripping by watching the video below.