I use a lot of muskrat dubbing, and like Scott said, I first remove the guard hairs. I then prepare a quantity of dubbing in advance by mixing it in an old coffee grinder. If I'm not using a dubbing loop, I often spit on my fingers while I'm applying small quantities of this fur to my tying thread. I rarely use any waxed thread. I don't use much mink, but would do the same for it as well.