The biggest feature of wire-haired terriers in grooming is hair plucking, and the purpose of plucking is to preserve the original color of the hair roots. The biggest doubt for most owners is the gradual fading of the back hair color, even turning into light silver-white, while in dog shows, the schnauzer’s back hair must be treated by plucking. Many schnauzer (detailed introduction) owners may find it hard to accept plucking their dog’s hair, always feeling that it will hurt a lot, but why exactly do we need to pluck our dog’s hair? Let me answer that for you.

Hair plucking for dogs has already faced a lot of resistance from pet lovers, but as an owner, have you ever really understood the true reason for plucking their hair?

　　1. The difference between plucking and shaving hair
　　1. Why pluck hair? It hurts! My dog doesn’t compete, why should it suffer? Is it really like that? Does plucking hurt a lot? What happens if you only shave and don’t pluck?
　　The hair has two layers: the outer hard hair and the inner down hair. When the inner hair of the dog has completed its growth cycle, in order to maintain normal hair growth, the old part must be removed before the new hair grows out. Shaving cannot properly complete this process.
　　In the early days, schnauzers were bred to capture prey in the wild, in bushes and dens. In such harsh environments, the hard coat was a perfect protection for the dog.
　　Of course, at that time, schnauzers plucked their hair themselves by rubbing against branches, shrubs, and rocks. (They would shed a few times a year.) Gradually, people noticed this phenomenon in dogs and found that this rubbing could make the coat harder and the texture clearer, even dustproof and waterproof.
　　How much does plucking hurt? From my viewpoint, as long as the method is correct, there is basically no pain. Because most of the time when preparing to pluck, the hair is already loose and nearly shedding naturally.
　　2. What if you only shave and don’t pluck? The coat will become softer and curly, the color lighter, losing its natural color.
　　First, what should be the standard for the area to pluck? Simply put, the areas shaved by electric clippers are the areas to pluck. Starting from plucking to finishing takes four weeks, plus after eight weeks, the back hair will grow coarse hard hair; the length will meet the competition standard. Personally, I recommend using a pumice stone for removing corn on feet as the best plucking tool; a little secret — you can buy it at Watsons.

The schnauzer has become the most familiar breed that requires hair plucking

　　2. How to correctly pluck a dog’s hair
　　1. When plucking hair, hold the hair tail tightly with your right hand, pinch the pumice stone, and pull the hair out in the direction of growth. The key is to pull the hair out from the root because this stimulates the hair follicle to grow thicker hard hair. The left hand grabs the back skin to avoid the dog’s resistance. In the first week, only pluck the dip along the backline. In the second week, start from the lower end of the skull, expand backward along the scapula to the abdomen, back, and thigh areas. Protruding bone parts must be left for one week before plucking again. This way, after the back hair grows out evenly, the backline will be smoother and more streamlined. In the third week, pluck downward from the ear base to the front legs. The fourth week involves plucking the remaining neck and head hair. After each plucking session, wash the dog thoroughly and keep the dog’s feet clean because with fully exposed skin, if the environment is dirty or the dog scratches its hind legs, it can cause skin injuries. Also, avoid letting your dog interact with other dogs to prevent scratches and other coat problems. A simple method is to put on a thin dog shirt. If the skin is injured and small colored blisters appear, go to a pharmacy to buy Renshan Lishu and maintain it as with usual baths. After four to five weeks post-plucking, the fine down hair underneath grows out first, then use the pumice stone carefully to pluck all of it, leaving only the coarse hair close to the skin — this is the desired hard hair, and this completes the entire plucking process.
　　2. When the new fine hair is removed, the hard hair will grow afterward. From this time on, do not wash the back hair. Bathing should only clean the dog’s face, limbs, abdomen, and other areas. Ordinary shampoos and water will ruin the hardness of the hard hair, making it soft and unmanageable. If the hard hair has grown out and the dog’s back hair is dirty or needs cleaning, only use “hard hair” specialty shampoo. In Taiwan, the only importer of such shampoo that the author found is Erfang, which is specifically for wire-haired dogs; the effect is good but remember to wash as little as possible unless necessary to avoid undoing your efforts.
　　3. After the hard hair grows out, trimming the fine hair moderately is an essential weekly pre-bath task. Because as fine hair grows more and more, it will loosen the tightness of the hard hair and ruin the back hair's adherence. The basic tools needed are a “soft stone” and two stripping knives with coarse and fine teeth. These imported tools are rarely sold in general markets; you can ask specialized grooming pet shops for wire-haired dogs. The coarse-toothed stripping knife is used on the back, scraping with the hair grain. The fine-toothed knife is for the neck area. The soft stone is used on the head to remove non-adherent fine hair.

Grooming of wire-haired terriers requiring plucking is very special

　　3. Hair trimming for plucked schnauzers
　　At any time during daily care, ears must always keep the shortest hair. The buttocks, soles, chin, and chest should keep the hair as short as possible. Doing this makes the dog look neat and spirited and easily reveals any skin problem. The most common mistake is not completely removing the ear hair. Unlike humans, dogs’ ears normally produce secretions, but schnauzers have denser ear hair than other breeds. Therefore, it is necessary to remove ear hair weekly and maintain cleanliness. Next commonly neglected is foot care. Foot health greatly affects the dog's mobility. The most common problem is toenails that are too long. The basic trimming rule is that nail length must not exceed the toes. Sole hair must be trimmed short. The paw pads are the only part of the dog’s body with hair pores for heat dissipation. Observant owners will notice dogs lick their paws with their tongues like cats. If there is reddish-brown hair on the paws, owners should inspect carefully for any foot issues because dogs are not as clean as cats.
　　For limb trimming, the first key point—and the author's most serious observation—is that unlike poodles or bichons which are trimmed horizontally, schnauzer hair is not as dense and curly. Horizontal trimming causes the hair to look flat and shrunk when the dog moves. The correct way is to trim vertically downward. Groomers, think about this carefully, and you will agree.
　　Long whiskers and thick foot hair must be properly maintained. Whisker care requires patience; wipe clean monthly with wet wipes after meals and comb with a fine comb.
　　Foot hair should ideally be trimmed about once a month. If each hair is regularly trimmed, by age one, the dog could have four beautiful “bowling pins” that other owners will envy. Many common trimming methods mistake the cocker spaniel trimming style as suitable here, assuming that leaving more hair will make it fluffier, but this is wrong. If a schnauzer’s foot hair grows longer than five to six centimeters, it will deteriorate, split, and even break. Hair below the abdomen should be trimmed with a curved line starting from the elbows. Unlike cocker spaniels, schnauzers’ belly hair never grows to the ground. Eyebrow trimming reflects the groomer’s skills: the eyebrows should not be thick and the front end should not be too long. When viewed from the front, the eyebrows should form a beautiful curve stretching to the eye's tail, exposing half the eyeball; the entire eye must be visible. The area below the crossing point between the two eyes must never be shaved—that's a common mistake. If shaved there, the original length won’t return for a year. Ears, front chest, and tail base should be kept short and neat.