when i was told to strip his coat it wasn't just his tail because they mentioned about his fur around his scruff and down his back needed thinning

Never heard this before. I know some staffords have like a puppy down but I've never heard of a coat needeing stripped. Yes to the tail but not coat.

Jas just get's a good brush once a week. Have heared many talk about trimming the fur on the tail ready for a show

Hi All
i was a little concerned when i first seen this and was trying to think what you meant Staffyman
Then i read on a little further and seen Nancy`s name mentioned and thought that it was getting stranger
then i realised what you were actually getting at and it all fell into place

my advice would be to NOT get a stripping comb or knife as they would be too harsh if used on your poor little staffys delicate body and he could well end up with *too* much hair removed if you werent careful and end up the laughing stock amongst his puppy friends
plus it would be a waste of money as it wouldnt be used too often
i know exactly what Nancy means now that ive read all the thread and what ive done in the past is use an old hacksaw blade (thats an OLD one mind) to thin the coat
and only in the areas that need it, and thats usually only around the neck area
some dogs seem to get a think coat around the neck area for some reason when pups and dragging an old hacksaw blade over the area simply removes the dead hair
you dont have to go mad with it
just a couple of minutes a day to get rid of the excess hair and all should be fine
your trying to thin it out - not remove it all together

but in all honesty, and this is what i do - forget about it
i have done this thinning the coat out to dogs in the past and it doesnt help them win any more
it doesnt help them run or walk or play any easier
it doesnt give them any extra super puppy skills to impress their puppy friends with
and after a while when the puppy starts to mature the coat will even out anyway

simply give them a good bath paying extra attention to the area with the thick coat
then when your dog is out of the bath and stopped trying to dry himself on every available surface in the house
get a pet mitt or a rubber glove, and give him a rub over
again paying attention to the thick areas
you`ll be suprised at just how much hair you can get out of a slightly damp dog



Z

I'd try using a rubber brush in the bath to work in the shampoo, especially around the thick areas, you should then get out all the coat that is ready to come out.

When he's dry rub over with some velvet to give the coat a shine.