Let’s face it, Wire Fox Terrier grooming can be expensive when you have to pay a groomer to hand strip their fur. The Wire Fox Terrier has a dense and wiry coat, which is predominately white in colour and streaked with brindle, red, or blue. The topcoat is twisted, broken, resembling the matting on a coconut; the undercoat is soft, fine and short.
Do Wire Fox Terriers Shed?
Technically no, however, all dogs shed at least a little hair. The Wire Fox Terrier can be classified as a dog that is a very light shedder.
They don’t shed seasonally like a true shedding breed (think German Shepherd or Labrador Retriever, for example), however when they are shown, their coats are hand stripped. The coat will loosen up when it is ready for stripping. This means removing some of their undercoat.
If their coat isn’t clipped and they are left to have a full coat (which can grow up to 4 inches in length) you will find some hair around the house, but typically only a fraction of what you would find from a true shedding breed.
Using the FURminator for Wire Fox Terrier Grooming
The FURminator is designed to be gentle on your dog’s fur. By choosing to use a FURminator you will be doing both your dog and yourself a favour, many dog’s enjoy being brushed, and even those that are reluctant at first come to enjoy being brushed with the FURminator, and it is a stress-free way to keep your dog’s coat healthy and shiny.
A stripped coat is more “wire-y” and the colours are more vivid, whereas, a clipped coat is softer and the colours are more muted.
The FURminator helps to remove the undercoat, which means you will still see the same vivid colours in your dog’s coat as if your pet’s fur was hand stripped – although it will be a lot less expensive!
First, I want to say thank you for this very important and useful information. Now, I see that you also stated that it can be used on cats. Great, because I have two of them and I love them but their hair gets and is everywhere and all the brushes I have tried are horrible and pretty much useless. One question, does it work for rabbits as well? I have an oversized rabbit almost the size of one of my cats. And he sheds just as bad as they do. Who knew? I didn’t. Thanks again, this hopefully is the answer to my excessive animal hair dilemma 🙂
Carol
Hi Carol. Certainly! FURminator makes a specific small animal FURminator. However, rabbits are pretty much the same size as cats so I would probably just use a cat FURminator if you already have one for your cats.
Great idea including a video for the FURminator. I got a chance to see it in action. It looks like it does a pretty good job, I have a Shih tzu, Chi-Chi is his name. Do you think it will work for him? I’m thinking it would but sure would like your opinion. I look forward to your response.
Thanks,
Jerome
Hi uphill1. Because the fur texture on Shih Tzus vary, it is hard to say for certain. If Chi-Chi sheds, then yes, the FURminator will work for him. If his fur does not shed that much then it is probably best not to use the FURminator deShedding tool on him. However, FURminator makes other great products as well, from shampoos to deodorizing sprays 🙂
Very informative website and I really enjoyed your videos. You have a lot of related products for animal grooming.
We have a Jack Russell and her only negative is her sheading. How would this work on the thin hair that she has. She just rubs against you or shakes and the hair flies. I am not sure if that would work. We have tried just about everything and nothing works well.
Let me know,
Bobby
Hi Bobby.
The FURminator is definitely safe to use on Jack Russell. You will definitely see a huge improvement on the shedding after you start using it. I found that the shedding from my Lab was drastically reduced.
Ok, I have seen this brush before somewhere. But this is the brush I need. I actually have a wire fox terrier/maltese mix and I can see the resemblance in the fur. I never really looked at a picture before. He doesn’t shed but he does need brushed because his hair tends to get matted. I also have a Shi Tzu, this would work for both?
It would definitely work for both. Depending on the sizes of the dogs, you should be able to get away with a single brush for both dogs.
Hi,
Thanks for sharing. Do you recommend the product to any type of dog? Or just dogs that shed. I have two American pitbulls and they shed a lot but they don’t have long hair or need to get a haircut.
Do you know if this product works for cats too? I have four cats and they shed like crazy.
Thanks again,
Sofia
Hi Sofia,
Yes, the FURminator can be used for all types of breeds. The Labrador Retriever, for example, is a short haired dog like the Pit Bull, and they shed A LOT. The FURminator helps to remove the undercoat – which is that fur that you have to sweep up every day!
I also have 2 cats, and the FURminator works a treat 🙂 Both of my cats are short haired, but my daughter’s cat is long haired and she uses a FURminator as well.
When you purchase a FURminator, they come in various widths (small, medium and large), and they are sized for cat, dog, small animal, and horse sizes as well, and then they are further broken down into long hair or short hair. It is best to choose the correct size for your pet’s needs. For example, your Pit Bull would need a large FURminator, for short haired dogs.
I actually own the furminator and I love it! The way it works for the wire fox terrier is excellent per the video. That’s pretty much how well it works for my golden retriever. My dog sheds a lot but with a dog like the terrier you shouldn’t have to brush too often. I brush my dog maybe once a week to keep my house clean. Preferably before and after a bath.
Thanks Jonathan for letting know how great your FURminator is! I agree, with the Wire Fox Terrier, you should only need to give them a good brush with it every few months.