Yes, show grooming is a time consuming labor of love or a really expensive haircut. I used to show but that was 25 years or so ago. I have no interest in showing so my Airedale gets his haircut about every 3-4 months and looks like a big stuffed animal near the end. He doesn’t care and I don’t. In fact I actually prefer the look when he’s shaggy.
His coat requires almost no care. I brush him every so often, but that’s it other than the haircuts and an occasional bath. Nothing like the 15 minutes a day with a stripping knife 7 days a week to keep him in a “rolling show coat.” Aragorn, my current Airedale is 9 now and never been stripped. I get to pick up some Airedale dust bunnies for the last month before haircut time where he’s knocked it off. If I brushed him more often I wouldn’t have that problem.
My Cairn gets stripped every 5-6 months. She has to or it does totally ruin the all weather coat. I’ve got a groomer in Santa Monica who does it for me. It costs me about $100 every time I have her stripped, but that’s also for nails, a bath, teeth cleaning, anal gland and ear cleaning. They charge $50 an hour. I could do her myself in about 2 hours or less, but I’m lazy. I’ve got the tools and at 15 pounds she’s a lot easier to lift onto a grooming surface than my 90 pound Airedale (yes, he’s a big boy and not fat).
If you’re not going to show the Airedale your really talking about 15-20 min a week maximum plus a trip to the groomers for a haircut every 3-4 months (I’ve gone as long as 6 months). You’ll also need to hand trim around the anus to prevent poop from collecting there every so often (only happens with a really lose stool)
My other breed (spinone) required stripping but nothing like an airedale. And I wouldn’t have had one and not shown it. But it was fun to go play with hers. She did obedience with them too. And I think she’s done agility with them too.