I have a very thick, wiry haired terrier whose coat I used to cut with scissors during the summer because she was scared of the clippers and the hair was not often loose enough to strip easily. It always grew back the same, thick wiry and waterproof for the winter. Recently I got hold of a Furminator grooming tool for a tenner and it does a great job on all the dogs, easily removing loads of excess hair and keeps them tidy in a few minutes every day.