| SHOW GROOMING |
To bathe or not to bathe......
This is the question.......
DO NOT bathe if your dog is starting to shed, or he will loose his coat
before you can get him into the showring! Otherwise, you can
bathe weekly or bi-weekly as needed.
Pups that will be shown should begin grooming at birth!
Okay, so wait until they can stand on the grooming table. Seriously, begin handling and grooming your very young
puppies as soon as possible. Don't expect your dog to stand quietly on the grooming table
if he has never been there before.
Just as with all other training, repetition is the key to the quality of behavior you will get from your dog.
Repetition DOES NOT mean long sessions -- five or ten minutes at first (no matter what the age) is best.
As your dog gets used to standing on the table increase the time he is there...fifteen minutes at most,
until he becomes a pro.
DON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE....HE WILL TRY TO FOLLOW YOU.
Your Grooming Tools - brushes, combs, spray bottle filled with water.
Collar on your dog. Many show-bound Collies do not wear collars on a daily basis, because of the wear and tear
it does to the neck hair. Choose a fine link training collar, often called a choke chain, though
their purpose is not to choke the dog. These are not the collars you buy at the grocery or even
many petshops. Look at the collars others use to show their dogs. You will need a thin chain collar,
or thin nylon one, along with a thin nylon lead.
You will need:
A HEALTHY WELL-FED, PARASITE-FREE COLLIE, all the grooming in the world will not make a poorly cared for
dog win in the showring. There are many ways to feed your Collie ... talk with your veterinarian & others who show.
A VERY STABLE TABLE that does NOT shake or shift under your dog's weight. (Grooming tables can be purchased with an arm
that attaches to the table and rises above the dog's head, so you can tie him by a short 'leash' while you work on him. This is why you want to be
careful that your dog learns to stay on the table without jumping off. DO NOT USE THE TIE until he learns to stay on the table.
Bathing: Bathing should be done with the coolest water that is comfortable, to retain as much coat as possible.
I personally like to bath my dogs before a show, though I would not if he is shedding heavily.
Brushing:
Put your dog, young or old, up on the table and stand close to him. Some will leap right off, others will lie down.
Prevent him from jumping off. If he lies down...work on any area that you can reach easily. Work at getting him
to stand or sit quietly. If he is really frightened allow him to lie down during the sessions, until he feels safe.
There is no need to actually groom him if he is frightened. Reassure him by petting and talking to him. Your first job is
to make him feel secure. Tell him to 'stay' anytime he moves more than you want him to, or if he tries to jump off.
Allow him to lean against you if that makes him feel more secure. Pet and reassure him while you stroke or brush
the areas you can reach.
Most dogs don't mind being on the table. Ideally you will be able to lay your dog down to groom both his sides, his
underbelly, legs, neck, tail, etc. Stand him up to fluff the coat. When you actually go to the show, you will have
groomed your dog the day before (ideally) so that the only thing you have to do at the show is fluff and lay the coat as
you want.
--- MORE TO COME SOON ---
"chalking - color chalking - products - trimming - finish brushing"
This is the question.......
DO NOT bathe if your dog is starting to shed, or he will loose his coat
before you can get him into the showring! Otherwise, you can
bathe weekly or bi-weekly as needed.
Pups that will be shown should begin grooming at birth!
Okay, so wait until they can stand on the grooming table. Seriously, begin handling and grooming your very young
puppies as soon as possible. Don't expect your dog to stand quietly on the grooming table
if he has never been there before.
Just as with all other training, repetition is the key to the quality of behavior you will get from your dog.
Repetition DOES NOT mean long sessions -- five or ten minutes at first (no matter what the age) is best.
As your dog gets used to standing on the table increase the time he is there...fifteen minutes at most,
until he becomes a pro.
DON'T LEAVE HIM ALONE....HE WILL TRY TO FOLLOW YOU.
Your Grooming Tools - brushes, combs, spray bottle filled with water.
Collar on your dog. Many show-bound Collies do not wear collars on a daily basis, because of the wear and tear
it does to the neck hair. Choose a fine link training collar, often called a choke chain, though
their purpose is not to choke the dog. These are not the collars you buy at the grocery or even
many petshops. Look at the collars others use to show their dogs. You will need a thin chain collar,
or thin nylon one, along with a thin nylon lead.
You will need:
A HEALTHY WELL-FED, PARASITE-FREE COLLIE, all the grooming in the world will not make a poorly cared for
dog win in the showring. There are many ways to feed your Collie ... talk with your veterinarian & others who show.
A VERY STABLE TABLE that does NOT shake or shift under your dog's weight. (Grooming tables can be purchased with an arm
that attaches to the table and rises above the dog's head, so you can tie him by a short 'leash' while you work on him. This is why you want to be
careful that your dog learns to stay on the table without jumping off. DO NOT USE THE TIE until he learns to stay on the table.
Bathing: Bathing should be done with the coolest water that is comfortable, to retain as much coat as possible.
I personally like to bath my dogs before a show, though I would not if he is shedding heavily.
Brushing:
Put your dog, young or old, up on the table and stand close to him. Some will leap right off, others will lie down.
Prevent him from jumping off. If he lies down...work on any area that you can reach easily. Work at getting him
to stand or sit quietly. If he is really frightened allow him to lie down during the sessions, until he feels safe.
There is no need to actually groom him if he is frightened. Reassure him by petting and talking to him. Your first job is
to make him feel secure. Tell him to 'stay' anytime he moves more than you want him to, or if he tries to jump off.
Allow him to lean against you if that makes him feel more secure. Pet and reassure him while you stroke or brush
the areas you can reach.
Most dogs don't mind being on the table. Ideally you will be able to lay your dog down to groom both his sides, his
underbelly, legs, neck, tail, etc. Stand him up to fluff the coat. When you actually go to the show, you will have
groomed your dog the day before (ideally) so that the only thing you have to do at the show is fluff and lay the coat as
you want.
--- MORE TO COME SOON ---
"chalking - color chalking - products - trimming - finish brushing"
| "So you want to show..... well here goes, and it is a well-earned journey....and it is fun!" |
