Laekenois coats can be left unstripped without a serious detriment to the dog’s health as long as regular weekly brushing with a long pin Pin Brush and combing occurs. Bathing is rarely necessary.
The coat will maintain some semblance of coarseness but the dead coat will often extend beyond the base coat if you leave the coat completely unstripped. These hairs can be pulled by hand and discarded. There are two trouble areas for mats that need attention beyond regular brushing. The short hairs on the pink underbelly which are made up of undercoat which may need to be kept clean with a wash cloth or snipped off if they become too messy. The under elbow area needs regular attention with brushing to prevent matting.
Using a Mars Coat King for acceleration of removing dead hair for a companion or sport dog is acceptable. Usually the more coarse varieties of these stripping rakes are best such as the 12 blade model. The fine or higher blade number are too tight for a Laekenois coat and can be painful for your dog.
Laekenois in Various Coat Stages
- In this photo this dog has never been stripped. Just brushed weekly and bathed a few times a year
- Post stripping showing undercoat
- Nearly ready to be stripped again. There is a clear change with the texture of the coat and the color of the coat. They gray tones in the bottom photo show that the coat is ready to be stripped again.
This Laekenois is an excellent examples of a No Strip & Leave It Dog transforming into a dog that has been stripped and shown successfully.