Grooming and Coat Care
To
properly maintain your dog's coat you will need some basic grooming
supplies. These include a good quality steel pin brush, coarse steel comb,
soft slicker brush, nail clippers, a good pair of trimming scissors, and a
hemostat (to remove the hair from inside the ears). A grooming table will
make your job a lot easier and prevent your back from aching. Once you have
the proper equipment, you will need to learn the correct method of brushing.
Many reputable breeders will offer you assistance in learning correct coat
care.
To groom
your dog, position him on his side on the grooming table. Using your pin
brush start at the withers and brush against the grain of the hair so that
you can see the skin. Brush in a line, a few hairs at a time, always getting
down to the skin. Remember, this is a double coat consisting of a soft
undercoat and a coarse outer coat. Correct brushing lifts and fluffs the
hair as the brush removes loose undercoat and debris. Correct brushing
should be a slow and gentle motion to avoid pulling out too much coat. A
great hint to prevent the coat from splitting: lightly spray the dog's coat
with water or hair conditioner before brushing!
When you
have a line the length of the dog, go back and start a little further with a
new line, again getting down to the skin. Now, brush the legs, starting at
the foot and brushing in the direction of coat growth. Use the comb for more
difficult areas and the slicker brush for the ears and muzzle. The slicker
brush may also be used to fluff the legs. Once that side is complete, flip
the dog over and start again with a new line running down the length of the
dog. When finished, stand the dog on the table and trim the coat on the feet
so that it is even and barely touches the table. Use your scissors to trim
between the pads and to trim the rear for cleanliness.
If you
encounter a mat, first separate it with your fingers. Then, gently comb the
hair a little bit at a time until the mat begins to separate. Continue with
the same technique of pulling the mat apart and combing a little bit more
until the mat has been completely removed. Remember, you must get down to
the skin and remove all clumps of hair. Keep in mind that the dog who is
having mats removed from his coat is not feeling comfortable about this
process either. If you can not finish after a few hours, take a break and
return when rested. It will benefit the both of you!
In
general, a young puppy needs very little grooming; however, this is the time
to teach him to lie on the table and stay still while you brush. This fun
and easy grooming time early on will help prepare him and you for the weekly
grooming sessions required by an adult dog. Regular grooming is extremely
important in maintaining healthy skin and coat. Long-standing mats lead to
serious skin and health problems and are extremely uncomfortable for the
dog. A dog that is matted can take many hours to properly groom. Patience
and a positive attitude are essential in caring for a dog with a matted
coat. When a dog is heavily matted, it is often kinder to shave him and
start over.
The House of Rex
Geraldine House
1423 Rillview Court
Metamora MI 48455
USA
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Grooming at the Show
At
the show, start by dampening the coat on any grubby areas with water or
waterless shampoo and work in our favorite drying whitener. Beware of the
too frequent use of any colored products without washing or rinsing them
out, as the coat can "grab" the color. Sometimes, permanently. On the
privates or any area "dirtied" by urine or feces, my choice is baby powder
cornstarch. Otherwise there are many choices from cornstarch, rice flower
etc. to a milk of magnesia mixture.
For
cleaning around the mouth we have used lemon juice, with or without salt,
mixed with cornstarch to whiten the beard. Any time you strip the hair of
it’s natural oil it is wise to use a conditioner to prevent the hair from
re-staining even worse. All of which must be thoroughly removed by the time
the dog goes into the ring. Do not skimp on the amount of time you spend
grooming at the show. Your dog will be relaxed and ready to show if you do
not stir him up by quick and hurried movements. Plus, if you are not
harried you will take more time to speak kindly to interested spectators.
And, you are more likely to be willing to "Mentor" another who is a novice
exhibitor.
When
the coat is clean, begin the line brushing, then stand the dog up and finish
my trimming of the rump and feet. When trimming the feet brush up the hair
so it is standing out. Lift up the hair and comb down one inch. Trim this
to even up the straggling ends and leave a nice round look. Comb out and
lightly down the next inch and trim that to blend. Do another inch or two
to finish blending so the leg looks like a pillar and not snow shoes.
Remember when doing the back feet to have the dog stand with the feet well
under his body because if you trim when the feet are back when he moves his
feet into a natural position he will have his toes showing. I do not trim
all the way around the back feet after I do the first inch or so, as that
would take away from the well let down hock look which calls for the hair to
be shorter at the pad level and longer at the rearmost or highest part of
the hock. When doing the rump use thinning scissors first around the
rectum. I trim this area to be about 1½ inch long and blend outward and
upward, leaving the hair longer as I go. If you leave the skirts too long
your dog will look like he has a full pants problem.
Ask
someone to show you how to pull a coat. Those of you who have shown horses
will know what I mean. This is useful in areas on which you do not wish to
leave a scissors mark. I finish by what I call volumizing. Using your
hands and forearms, brush the coat up, down, back, and forwards - this
forces air into the coat. Finish with the hair in the direction you want it
to go. A little light back combing to support the angles and you are
finished.
I do
not have the room in this article to cover all the "tricks of the trade" nor
to deal with problem areas of conformation. These problem areas best
described as the parts of the dog you would like to change so that your dog
reflects the type of OES you prefer, and they are as varied as the people
who bred the dogs. It would be far better to educate or re-educate the
judges, into being able to tell what is really under the hair, than it is to
pull out all the stops to make your dog a replica of what you think the best
OES that ever lived looked like. You can fool yourself into thinking that
the groomed dog you see will be genetically programmed to pass on the look
that was created. But, you cannot fool Mother Nature. I estimate that 20%
of the exhibitors are good enough to make any dog "look" like a winner. For
the remaining 80%, education of Judges is your best offense.
Now
go hug your dog and get started.
The House of Rex
Geraldine House
4882 Diehl Road
Metamora MI 48455
USA
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