Okay Cardigan people. I have Pixel entered in a show this weekend. I am only showing her for experience. I did not buy her as a show dog, and I do know that her coat is incorrect. But- I thought that it would be great for her to experience the show ring- it is something that she can do at a young age- be in the ring, meet lots of people, lots of dogs...the whole works. I want her to look good in the ring though- so it is important to me that I've done what I can to make her look the best I can.
I showed Wicca too and it was great for her confidence- she actually enjoyed it quite a lot. I ended up spaying her at two because there was rarely any competition and well, her heat cycle fell on two very important agility trials...and then of course she does have some conformation faults......although I actually did buy her as a show dog...(that's a whole other story)
Anyway, I need some grooming advice. I am bathing Pixel tomorrow- so that she isn't quite so fluffy still for the weekend. I will trim her feet, and she's got a bunch of long hair on her underside (where her "belly button" is) that I am planning on trimming- with thinning shears so it doesn't look trimmed. It was also suggested to me that I trim her ears...she has long, almost curled hair just on the inside of her ears, and it is kind of tufty there...
Here are her ears...
Any suggestions??
4 comments:
take the "flat-coat" approach, put a snug towel on her (pinned at the bottom, front and back under the tail if you can), leave it on for a couple hours even, then the morning of the show too.
i mean her coat is different, but i think it wold still work.
you see some "flat-coats" a slight wave to their coats. and it helps to lay it nice and not be poofy.
take the "flat-coat" approach, put a snug towel on her (pinned at the bottom, front and back under the tail if you can), leave it on for a couple hours even, then the morning of the show too.
i mean her coat is different, but i think it wold still work.
you see some "flat-coats" a slight wave to their coats. and it helps to lay it nice and not be poofy.
She is SUPA cute and you may actually do very well.
Here's my personal opinion: If you're going to show a fluff or a dog who is approaching the fluff label, it is SUPER obvious that it's a fluff if you just whack the ear hair off. The dog is standing there in all its glorious fluffiness and its ears are mysteriously short? Always makes me laugh. So yes, DO shorten the ear hair but also blend and shorten the other "I'm a fluff!" hair so the dog looks like it has lots of coat but isn't a shaved-ear collie or something. Right now she doesn't have too much that's improper around her head, but look elsewhere and DO get that hair around the base of her ears that is technically "cheek" hair.
One of the ways to make it look natural is actually to put the open thinning shears (what tooth did you get? Like a 44?) deep inside the coat, close to the skin, and then close them once. Pull them out, comb comb comb, fluff out with the dryer or a slicker, evaluate. Put them back in, another cut, pull out and comb. Thinning close to the skin makes it look like it grew that way, not like you cut it short.
Product wise, after trying every product in the book, I REALLY like Sally Beauty old-lady shampoo (Shiny Silver Ultra) for body and whites, Chris Christensen Thick and Thicker foaming protein, then Chris Christensen After Bath. You end up having to wash and rinse three times, but the T&T and AB really do make the hair straight, not curly, and where the AB went the hair stays closer to the body. So I personally skip it on the chest and pants, but with her coat you could use it everywhere. I use Plush Puppy Puffy Coat all over the coat except the topline before I dry, but you may not need to use any product at all.
And then dry with the nozzle pointed toward her tail at all times, using a slicker or a Chris Christensen hybrid brush to streeeetch the hair toward the tail. That takes out even more curl. Don't dry up or forward anywhere except her neck and chest. If you STILL see duck-butt curls you can use something like Crown Royale or even a human pomade product, but I've been able to stop using them if I am good about the After Bath and I dry well. If she has a dip in the topline, ten minutes before you go in the ring put some mousse right there, dry just that spot toward her head, then gently comb just the top of that area so the dip disappears. But she honestly looks like she's got good structure so you won't need to do much of that disguising.
Personally--and this is just me, because I am obsessed with grooming and I know what kind of results I can get by really intensively managing the process--I'd bathe on Wednesday (today) to get her nice and clean and then also bathe either the morning of the show and bring her damp or bathe her the night before and then spritz her all over with spring water on the grooming table before the show. You can't trust the hair to behave if you leave it for several days. Since 90% of your result is going to depend on drying her, you want squeaky clean, damp hair to work with as you do the final drying at your grooming setup.
I know nothing about grooming corgis, but with some of my dogs they are best bathed several days before the show, as you have done. The fluffiness calms down just in time for the show. I'm not sure that I would bath again just before the show - that could just re-fluff her up all over again...
Sarah's flattening idea is a good one too - you can lightly spray her with water, brush in, add towel and leave it on for about 20 mins before going in the ring.
What time are you in the ring? I hope to be there on Saturday.
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