Pre show grooming.. pics added

[bajoleth]

Hi Belle has her 1st open show on Sat, (I would be asking her breeder these questions but they have a very unwell close relative at the moment and are giving us enough time as it is ) What do you do regarding preparing for a show, do you shampoo and dry a puppy the night before (her fluff usually needs time to settle ) she is going for a tidy up , feet whiskers etc early next week so that should be ok what shampoos do you use for shine, do you use conditioner, sorry if I sound silly only I so want to get it all right, any advice would be really appreciated , thanks   Jo

[Jane S]

Everybody will have their own routine really, depending on what type of coat their dog has (and what colour etc). Some dogs need a couple of days for their coat to settle after a bath and some can be bathed the day before a show - it's just trial and error working out what suits your own dog best As for shampoos & conditioners, again everybody will have their own personal favourites - if you do a search on the Grooming board, you'll find quite a few threads where people have posted their shampoo recommendations. A lot like the Groomers range (they do one for black coats) so you might want to have a look at their site: http://www.groomers-online.com/ Another good company for shampoos etc is Doreen Paige.

[bajoleth]

Thanks Jane, you have answered my question really, Its just that Belles coat takes a few days to settle but I have read posts about others bathing grooming etc the night before a show and I thought that I should be doing it then. I will do it a few nights before and hope for the best, thanks again

[spanielcrazy]

You can towel her coat before the show to make it lay flatter. If you bathe the night before, just blow dry her furnishings and make a jacket out of a towel and put it on while the topcoat is still wet--leave it on overnight.

Lay the towel lengthwise on her back, roll the excess at the neck (be sure to pin it high enough on the neck so as not to make a wrinkle in the neck hair) and pin at the throat and under the belly.

Or, if you bathe a day or so before, you can just use a spray bottle to mist the topcoat damp and towel overnight 

[bajoleth]

Thanks I have never heard of that before, I asume you do it fairly tightly but not uncomfortably so is that right???

[Michele]

Quite a few show people use a shine on coat, which is similar in result to what Michelle decribes with the towel. 

http://www.shineoncoat.co.uk/

[bajoleth]

OOOH that looks interesting will try the towel out tommorow as time is short to get the coat but could well be on my quickly growing 'things for Belle' shopping list

[spanielcrazy]

Thanks I have never heard of that before, I asume you do it fairly tightly but not uncomfortably so is that right???

Just snug enough so that it doesn't slip and slide around  

Those of you with males, be sure to pin the underneath far enough forward that he doesn't end up peeing in the towel  

[Jane S]

Be careful if you're leaving a towel on over night though - a puppy may not be happy at being pinned into a towel if not used to the experience and make sure you use big safety pins (old fashioned nappy type if poss) as they're less likely to come undone than smaller ones

[LouiseH]

My Mum made me some lovely toweling coats for the dogs about 12 years ago now  and I have used them on various different dogs over the years but Cleo has eaten her way out of both of them  so I have been looking at the shine on coat vs toweling coats...I came across this site: http://www.overhill.co.uk/index.htm I like the idea of them being embroidered as I leave mine on until I get to the show but I'll probably wait until I have a dog I can safely leave them on  HTH

[bajoleth]

Thankyou - Michelle (spanielcrazy), you are a star, I 'towelled' Belle last night, I didn't dry her furnishings as she is off to her breeders this pm for a trim so I didn't bother I was just curious to see what effect it had.... I am amazed this morning she looks like she has lost about a stone in weight and her hair looks,,, dare I say it... sleek I have taken before and after pics, so I will post them when she has been finished off this pm. So a huge thankyou, from me and Belle

[JaspersMum]

Thankyou - Michelle (spanielcrazy), you are a star, I 'towelled' Belle last night, I didn't dry her furnishings as she is off to her breeders this pm for a trim so I didn't bother I was just curious to see what effect it had.... I am amazed this morning she looks like she has lost about a stone in weight and her hair looks,,, dare I say it... sleek I have taken before and after pics, so I will post them when she has been finished off this pm. So a huge thankyou, from me and Belle

And I hope there will be before and after pics later 

[bajoleth]

Belle after her bath:

Sporting the drowned rat look


Wearing her towel, which left completely alone



Following morning, you won't be able to tell the difference but it really works


After her trip to the breeders excuse the sruffy front feet decided to run in the garden as soon as she got home


Hope you like them

[JaspersMum]

She looks lovely, hope she does well for you this weekend. Where are you going Jo?

[bajoleth]

Treharris and district Open show, not expecting to be placed 1st time out but I am really looking forward to it, well I was until Belles breeder said I will have to go in the ring with her as she won't stand as nicely for him and he thinks as she is so focused on me she will try to escape as she did in the Companion show we went to . I was hoping he was going to do the 1st one for me, but I know he is right