Miniature schnauzer haircuts: what are and how to choose?

A number of canine breeds need particularly careful grooming. So, grooming and haircuts of the miniature schnauzer - a compact dog with tough naughty hair, are included in the mandatory list of procedures without which the dog will not look aesthetically pleasing. Their owners have to study in detail the trimming patterns specific to the breed and apply a variety of devices that ensure the correct appearance of the appearance of the animal for the exhibition.

Many are interested in whether it is possible to do without professional grooming, how to cut a dog at home for the first time, how often it needs to be done in the future. In order for the miniature schnauzer to look decent, you will have to make some efforts. But with the help of proper grooming, you can create the right impression, hide small minuses in the appearance of the pet.

According to the requirements of the breed standard, for the miniature schnauzer set certain criteria for assessing the appearance. For the show, the dog must be trimmed in the back, from the back of the head to the croup. The rest of her body is permissible to be cut.

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

The dog looks messy, significantly loses in appearance - in comparison with the brothers freed from excess undercoat.Rigid spine due to the lack of molting also looks unpresentable, loses its luster and gloss.

The multi-layered coat of the miniature schnauzer is associated with uneven growth. A mature, ripening and young spine together remain on the back of the dog and need thinning. When trimming, a special knife is used that allows you to pluck out exactly those hairs that are no longer needed. When cutting, the fluff is simply cut off completely, the hair does not look natural, which is very noticeable in the ring. The exhibition length of the “coat” of the miniature schnauzer should be no more than 1.5 cm.

When conducting trimming, it is important to remember that the deadlines are met. In preparation for the exhibition, the first processing is carried out at least 60 days before the show, and the second processing - in 2 weeks. This allows you to achieve the correct length of wool on the back, ensures the preservation of the aesthetics of the breed within the current standard. Dogs of black color with a brown undercoat have higher hair growth intensity - they need trimming up to 7-8 times a year, every 1.5 months.

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

• Hygienic. It is carried out monthly, consists in cutting the hair between the fingers and on the pads of the paws, plucking the hairs on the inside of the ears. An overgrown bangs line and a beard, an inguinal area, and wool around the anus are trimmed with scissors.

• 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 hygiene 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, provides the formation of high-quality rigid awn in the offseason.

• Exhibition. It is performed no later than 2 weeks before the show. In preparation for the ring, the master will correct the silhouette of the animal, provide him with attractiveness and breed. It is not recommended to conduct a show haircut yourself.

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

The procedure, known as trimming, is a plucking of the dog's coat. It is mandatory for all schnauzers due to the lack of natural loss of undercoat and core hair during shedding. The plucking is done manually using a special knife. The trimmer is brought under a tuft of wool, clamped with a finger and sent in the direction of hair growth. The skin after the procedure is carefully treated with special soothing antiseptics.

This is a typical procedure for schnauzers. It is held at show dogs, at least 1 time per month, allowing to maintain optimum condition of wool for exhibitions. For the first time, rolling is carried out at the age of 3–3.5 months; an adult dog is more difficult to transfer to this method of processing a “fur coat”. Using this method, it is possible to ensure the formation of three-layer breed wool.

The procedure includes several steps.

1. Create top layer. To do this, puppy fluff is plucked out, a sticking spine along the body is manually removed. Next, the undercoat is worked out by the furminator. In the future, combing and removing it becomes weekly.
2. The 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, to make a thorough and uniform removal of excess hair.The appearance of thin and spiky 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. Create 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 spine of optimal exhibition length will remain on the dog's body.

For the first time, a miniature schnauzer needs to be trimmed at the age of 4 months and older, always in the warm season. Further manipulations will have to be repeated about once a quarter, depending on the type of dog's color and the growth rate of the coat. The simplest signal for the first plucking is the completion of the tooth change. On average, breeders call the age from 6 to 10 months - just then the dog is quite mature in psychological terms and is ready for a long grooming procedure.

Do not rush with the first grooming. A too young dog will have more fluff than a normal coat of coat. It is better to wait for the first molt to perform all the manipulations already on dead hairs. Capturing young hair can cause pain or scare the animal.

The softer and fluffier the pet's fur coat, the later the time will come to visit the salon. The main thing is to remember that in the requirements of the breed standard, it is precisely the hair coat that is indicated. A dog with a weak, soft cover will not receive high marks at the exhibition. The desired stiffness is achieved by fully plucking the spine, and can take up to 2-3 years.

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

The choice of a haircut for a miniature schnauzer largely depends on whether it is planned to participate with a pet in exhibitions or a dog belongs exclusively to the category of pets. In addition, the type of coat is important. Normally, he is tough, averse to the formation of warlocks. But in individual dogs, the hair either does not completely lend itself to plucking, or changes slightly. In this case, it is necessary to remove the excess volume with the machine, losing the spines in the pedigree qualities (the growing hairs will be soft).

A short haircut is also an option for dog owners who have a marriage of wool. In addition, if you have allergies or other skin problems, treating the body with a typewriter helps ease treatment. In this case, you do not have to choose. If the owner of the miniature schnauzer has a choice between trimming and rolling, the need to maintain exhibition conditions is of great importance here. When pinching twice a year, this condition cannot be ensured; after some time, the dog will still appear disheveled.

The independent technique of cutting a miniature schnauzer can very well be mastered by the owner of the dog. When forming the correct silhouette of the animal, it will be necessary 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 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 latch. The following tools must be prepared:

• trimming knife;
• sharp sharpening hairdressing scissors;
• a metal comb with frequent teeth;
• Clipper - mechanical or electric.

You always need to start grooming from the back. A line is drawn from the back of the head of the dog to the base of the tail, the lower part of the neck does not move. Using a trimming knife, processing is carried out, while the wool is plucked with pressure against the blade, the skin is held with the second hand.Direction - only according to the growth of wool, the captured tufts should be small. The procedure will be as follows:

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

After trimming, protruding hairs should be cut with a machine without a nozzle. In the absence of painful sensations, you can manually pluck out the remaining parts of the body - on the head and neck in front, inside the hips, in front on the chest, on the stomach and in the inguinal zone.

To make the ears look neat enough, they are cut short, cutting off the fringe on the tip and along the edges. The electric machine is used for wool, mechanical - against its growth. Inside the ears, the hairs are manually plucked one at a time. As the hair on the chest and neck will be trimmed in front, you can start working on the throat, cutting the dog's head. Hair scissors located in the inner corner of the eye are removed with scissors.

Under the eyes, the length is maintained. The fringe is made out in the form of a triangle, combed forward. It is important that its width is not greater than the forehead. The beard is slightly trimmed so that the muzzle acquires the correct rectangular shape. Whiskers are shortened so that the fur does not stick out. The beard is carefully combed forward.

If the upper part of the thigh is usually trimmed, its inner surface must be shortened with scissors. The abdomen and the area around the genitals are carefully trimmed. On the paws, the coat is combed upwards, unevenly protruding hairs are cut. All transitions of the dog’s silhouette should turn out to be smooth and elegant. Following these guidelines you can even tidy up the very overgrown miniature schnauzer in one day and gain invaluable experience in grooming dogs of this breed.

You can learn the secrets of breed miniature schnauzer stripping by watching the video a little lower.