Groomer Has It

 I was told, by a *very* seasoned show groomer, that it takes 7 hours to prepare a Standard Poodle for showing.

It takes me 2 hours to show groom Ena Bean, and she's hairless! It would take a ridiculous amount of time to show groom that many dogs, especially with all the switching around of tools you'd have to do...

 Wow!  That's amazing!  I guess there is a big difference between a groomer in a traditional shop for instance and a groomer of show dogs.  I guess one would require speed, efficiency and good multi-tasking skills and the other would require precision and incredible attention to detail.  I guess it wouldn't really be possible to compare the two.  But for a "Groomer of the Year" designation, I would have liked to see something really detailed and complicated and maybe give them enough time to do it rather than the constant requirement for speedy grooming.

For awhile I thought Jonathan had one blue eye becasue of the way the lighting was when he was talking to the camera. lol

 It is a whole, different world. I can do a show "line" on a dog, but doing the show groom? Pfft! I doubt I could pull it off, on most breeds. Hopefully, that'll change, soon, but... it takes a long time to learn every detail of a trim. The scissoring you do on a Poodle or Bichon..... is a serious skill. The stripping on terriers, sporting dogs, and wire coated dogs of other breeds (like Irish Wolfhounds) is another serious skill. It's hard work, and it's not something many pet groomers are even interested in.

A pet trim is much simpler, and is generally geared towards making the pet's coat comfortable and easy to manage. It's there to make them look cute,  but you're going for comfortable and manageable, first. Most Maltese owners can't maintain a coat to the floor (and who can blame them? A show Maltese is kept wrapped and oiled!).

 I saw on a breed show once the amount of care involved in a show afghan's coat and the clothes they wear to keep the coat protected, along with those snoods they put on their heads!    The show said it's something like 3 hours a day to keep the coat from matting or breaking!  All I could think was what a pain that must be for the dog!  I'd never have the patience! 

 Most of the Standard Poodles I groom take 2-3 hours, in pet trims. That's either one length all over, or a lamb clip (with legs scissored for a more balanced look). It's the amazing detail on a show clip that makes it take that long...

jennie_c_d

It is a whole, different world. I can do a show "line" on a dog, but doing the show groom? Pfft! I doubt I could pull it off, on most breeds. Hopefully, that'll change, soon, but... it takes a long time to learn every detail of a trim. The scissoring you do on a Poodle or Bichon..... is a serious skill. The stripping on terriers, sporting dogs, and wire coated dogs of other breeds (like Irish Wolfhounds) is another serious skill. It's hard work, and it's not something many pet groomers are even interested in.

 

A pet trim is much simpler, and is generally geared towards making the pet's coat comfortable and easy to manage. It's there to make them look cute,  but you're going for comfortable and manageable, first. Most Maltese owners can't maintain a coat to the floor (and who can blame them? A show Maltese is kept wrapped and oiled!).

Oof, to say the least!  Preparing dogs for show is an art, and even when it's perfected it's no small feat.  Show Poodles have their topknots, ears, and bracelets wrapped in paper (and or banded) most of their showing career.  If they rub on furniture, rough house with other dogs, or (worst of all) chew their hair, it breaks.  When you bathe them, you squeeze the hair, you never scrub, again for breakage reason.  Every few days, the wraps are taken out, combed, conditioned, and wrapped again.  Before a show, handlers load up the coat with products to achieve "the look", with tons of hairspray.  It's really tough on the dog's coat, so after every show it's all washed out, even if they're being shown the next day.  Even just the weekly bathes...a ton of work and time.  But it's a hobby (more like obsession) that people are willing to spend their extra time and money on.
 

 LOL, I wasn't even going to mention the in between stuff!  That's why I was cracking up, at the beginning of the season, when they were told to get the Beardies ready for show.... I spend hours, every week, tending Ena's skin and furnishings. I have a harness that doesn't touch any coat, and collars purchased specifically so that they don't break a single, little hair. She's kept oiled, and super clean. She isn't allowed to walk on pavement, to prevent breaking her socks.

Matted show dogs? Huh? Maybe, I guess, but I can't imagine it. Everybody I know that shows dogs keeps them impeccably clean.