Here's a page with a very shaggy border terrier, before, during, and after handstripping:
http://www.munakennels.com/handstripping.html
They also have before and after of a cairn terrier and an irish terrier. It's actually kinda hilarious.
I like a shorthair dog because there's no maintenance, but I'm sure I could take a dog to a shop every 6 months.