Lucas Terrier Club

I receive calls now and then from both groomers faced with a Lucas for the first time and owners who are taking puppies for their first hair cut and don’t know what to ask for.

The genetic make-up of the Lucas coat is a combination of several independent traits - typical Lucas terrier coats are:

ll - homozygous recessive for long coat; and

WhWh - homozygous dominant for wire coat, sometimes known as bearded coat.

The third trait is the 'no-shed' gene found in terrier breeds and also in poodles. Non-shedding goes hand in hand with wire/bearded coat, therefore the coat of the Lucas must be removed when it starts to drop (look dead) as it will not come out effectively of its own accord.

The first thing you must decide is whether to handstrip, which is recommended, or go for the less time-consuming clipping with electric clippers. Handstripping is, essentially, plucking out all the dead hair whereas clipping is akin to running a lawn mower over the dog.

You may wonder why when clipping is easier and takes no time at all that some owners would opt for the handstripping option. Well, essentially, the handstripped dog keeps its correct coat texture and colour. Clipping removes all the hard top coat and leave the softer undercoat which, as it grows, can become matted and tangled if not kept on top of (creating more work at the end of the day than the handstripped coat).

Hand stripping does not hurt the dog, it can be felt but it isn't painful if done properly.

Section marked a – This is the top coat. This should be hand stripped by removing the long hair from the coat using forefinger and thumb. Some grip may be achieved by rubbing a little chalk into the coat and using a finger condom, which you should be able to get in a large pet shop or any of the specialist dog grooming suppliers that attend Championship shows.

If you are preparing the dog to come to the Lucas Terrier Club Show the hand stripping should start some 8 to 10 weeks before the Show. The hair should then be taken out at weekly intervals to promote the growth of the hard, wiry top coat. A week or so before the Show the top coat should be trimmed from the back of the head all the way to the tail. Neck hair should be as short as it is possible to get it using finger and thumb and should be blended into the longer hair that lies over the wither area. Hair on the back should be approximately and inch to an inch and a half (don’t ask me what this is in millimetres!). A fine comb should be run through the coat weekly to remove dead hair and undercoat.

Section marked b – the ears should be clipped inside and out with either electric clippers and Number 10 blade or hand clippers. Edges of ears should be trimmed with scissors.

Section marked c – All hair forwards of a line taken halfway along the bottom of the eye, under the muzzle and to the opposite eye should be left on, thus leaving the whiskers. From the outer corner of the eye to the top of each ear should be clipped with a Number 7 blade on both sides. From the breast bone the back of each ear-fold and to the point of each shoulder should be clipped (electric clippers – about 1 week before Show, hand clippers – about 10 days before Show).

Section marked d – Using a serrated stripping knife trim the top of the head closely. Comb forwards the eyebrows and whiskers and trim along the line of the head with scissors. The dog’s eyes should be visible from the side. Do not cut too short. Any superfluous hair can be thinned out using a Duplex knife and the hair on the head blended into the clipped sides using this knife.

Section marked e – Hair behind the front legs, at the point of withers and elbows should be shortened using thinning scissors half-way down the leg on the outside and on the inside from the pastern joint to the floor. If the dog looks as though its elbows are sticking out then there is too much hair, the legs should look straight when viewed from the front and side. Blend in the longer hair on the breast bone. Neaten up feet by trimming round them.

Section marked f – Hair over ribs should be blended in with top coat.

Section marked g – Thin out hair on the hind legs and trim away any long hair from the hocks. Neaten up rear feet by trimming round them.

After stripping out the coat the dog should be bathed in medicated shampoo to prevent any bacterial infection in the hair follicles.