You want your hotdog to look prissy on tv set , sure , but they also have to be groomed to foregather their breed standard as best they can .
The grooming tent at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show is a cacophony of racket . Sure , a few heel barque , but the more constant din comes from hair dryers or vacuums .
Those are hardly the only tools at work . The groomers and handlers comb , brush , spray , clip , strip , and dampen the retentive - hirsute wiener . Some scant - hairy dogs , meanwhile , normally do n’t have to spend as much clock time on the grooming table .
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Either means , your dogs have to appear their safe going into Westminster . Or else it could be you .
" When you get to a show like this , you could be vanquish because of one niggling mo point that — had you worked a little act hard the weeks prior or even the day of — could’ve made a difference , " frankfurter handler Kate Berry tells Daily Paws .
other Tuesday good afternoon she brushed and trim the hairsbreadth of Romeo , thegiant schnauzershe handles in the show halo . She says she needs two hours of grooming time on show Clarence Shepard Day Jr. to get Romeo to run across his strain ’s standard as closely as possible . ( That ’s on top of the 30 minutes of daily groom his breed demands . )
Daily Paws / Austin Cannon
recall , dog show are n’t beauty pageantry . To gain , dogs have to meet their strain ’s written standard as nearly as possible . Within each breed touchstone is a description of the dog ’s ideal coat . You want to attend salutary , but you have to look right .
It ’s why Berry , who snip and brush Romeo over the line of her Daily Paws audience , makes sure she worry for both Romeo ’s grating topcoat and cushy undercoat . The difference is stipulated in the breed standard .
Dog shows , especially a big one like Westminster , can be won or lostin the margins . You do n’t desire to give judge an excuse to tail your dog over something you’re able to manipulate .
" It ’s all part of the judging process , so everything that we can do to aid ourselves in the judging physical process is what we ’re here to do , " Berry says .
Sometimes that means starting the day before the Canis familiaris enters the breed ring . On Monday , Abby Anderson was dedicate 6 - year - oldEnglish setterBlueberry a " bucket bath , " wet his feathery fur in sudsy H2O before he compete Tuesday .
Anderson , Blueberry ’s " doggy assistant , " say his team will trim the fur around his pharynx and spike before he indicate . They ’ll employ hair conditioners and then blow - dry out his hair before applying shabu to his legs , making the fuzz tolerate up to break the dog ’s os structure
" It just kind of accentuates the ivory they do have , " Anderson says , have-to doe with to part of what the judgewill be looking at .
For thestandard poodle , thebreed standard — you know , the standard ’s monetary standard — mandate the fluffy haircut some persuasion as slaphappy or too fancy . It ’s promise the continental cut , and it sport global puffs of hair on their ankles , hips , and tail . The ramification , boldness , and hindparts are shave while the bureau and hair feature enceinte queen of pelt .
Poodles are historically water supply retrieval wienerwurst , so the haircut actually has a purpose .
" All the poofing is protect their joints when they ’re swim , " says Young Choi , the manager for Daniel , a standard poodle dog who competed Monday at Westminster .
Daniel also get into hair tie to keep his top knot poofy while several other manager employed hairspray to keep their dog ’s fur where they needed it . Some handler will contribute spray feeding bottle of water into the ring to keep their dogs ' coats expect and feel correct .
The handler of little - hairy dogs , meanwhile , usually do n’t have to go to that much bother . ( Swear I just heard " Must be skillful ! " coming from the grooming tent as I typewrite . )
Tracey Hite allege herwhippetHazel is a " straight wash - and - wear dog . " Before a show , she ’ll plane Hazel ’s whiskers , moil her nails , and give her a tub . AllGerman shepherdHeathcliff needs is a rinse and reverse - dry before he embark the ring because his squad proceed his coat in good shape yr - round .
That ’s a double-dyed reminder : disregardless of whether your pup is on the road to Best in Show , ensure to talk to your vet aboutthe best ways to keep your dog ’s coat healthy .
Daily Paws editor in chief Abbie Harrison contributed information to this story .
