lol i was so confused by this thread title til I noticed it was in the grooming forum
as for stripping, I saw it on Groomer has it. some use a special comb, some do it by hand. it looked like A LOT of hard work
From a westie website:
For a pet, this is strictly a matter of preference. Stripping is done on show dogs and can be done on pet dogs, but is not necessary. Stripping will make the coat harder and coarser. Clippering will tend to make the coat softer and on many dogs, wavy. Many pet people clip because it is convenient. Unless you strongly prefer the look of a stripped coat, you are likely to clip or have your dog clipped. You can accomplish a very nice "Westie" look on a clipped dog if you or your groomer know what a Westie should look like and have the information on how to accomplish this look. If you take your Westie to a professional groomer be sure he knows how to groom a Westie and be sure to ask him to sterilize his tools before grooming! Clippering is easier, takes less time, and will soften the harsh terrier coat. You can change your mind and let your dog grow out a bit and then handstrip to get the natural harshness back. It does take several months to accomplish this!
We clippered our Down South Westies for years until we discovered the Mars Coat King. You can keep a Westie's coat without extreme cuts by using a Mars Coat King, thinning shears, and scissiors.
We use the coat king daily. Rake the tool over every part of the body, including the face and beard. The tool is only pulling dead hair and does not hurt your dog. Just be sure to pull the tool in the direction the hair grows naturally. Since we have clippers, we clipper the top third of the ears on the outside and completely clipper the ears on the inside. Then we take scissors and trim the ears, being sure not to cut the leather and hurt the dog. Use hemostats to pull the hair from the ear canal. This does not hurt your dog. Scissors will also be used to trim the hair between the eyes and nose, paw pads, and shape the legs. Thinning shears are used to shape the face and legs. Then scissor the stray hairs to clean up and shape. When blow drying, brush the leg hair upwards and blow dry upwards so that the hair becomes poofy. This makes the legs look fuller when dry. Always use low heat (fan only in summer) to keep from drying the skin. It takes longer to dry, but you will be glad you did. Blow dry the beard outward to accomplish the same effect. It allows the face to look a little poofy and you can then scissor stray hairs and shape.