Informative and otherwise helpful Articles

Grooming

Article 2- The Afterbath

Now that your scuzzy fuzzy is fesh and sqeaky clean it is time to look over what to do with your soggy hound.

After the bath, lightly towel dry your dog by patting the towel down in direction of the coat. dry the beard by dabbing and slightly running the towel from beniethe the dogs chin out to his nose.

Arm yourself with an aditional towel to hide behind when your podenco decides to shake :)

If they have been put into oil right after the bath, be careful not to wipe away all of it with the towel.

You can either put the dog in a crate dryer, or let them play outside to let them dry mostly. I find letting them play in a clean area is the best way to drip dry, lets them get out their energy from their bath and for some reason they look fresher when they are air-dried.

However you do it, after they are mostly dry it is time to put them up on the table. If oil or coat handler wasn't applied while soggy and wet, now is a good time to get it in there. Brush the coat back and give a good spray. start blowdrying the coat in the direction it grows with a pin brush.

Blowdry (cool/cold setting) the chest and forquarters forward on long coats, down on wire.

dry the rear down and back on both coat types.

After the dog is dry, slight trimming plucking can be done.

Area's to look at are tuck up, legs/feet, neck and ear base.

If your dog has smaller ears, pluck or thin the hair at the base of the ear. clip or trim the hair on the inside.

If your dogs' neck looks thick or short, brush the sides up and take a sharp pair of thinning shears and make a few chops into the backbrushed hair. brush it back down with a slicker and compare the side you are working with with that of the one that has been left. (always work with off show side first, and go slowely comparing all the time. That way if you do something you don't like it isn't too noticable, and if you do something you like it is easier to remember how/where you did it to do the same on show side)

If your dog has a hairy tuckup it is always nice to clean it up. Plucking is best for this area as it gives the underline a neat tidy and untouched-looking appearance. Fingers or a stripping knife can be used for this. When the underline is cleaned up it makes the overall outline of the dog smoother. As in the standard it is stated they should have a racy lithe appearance, this can help our rugged woolies look more streamlined. Judges SHOULD be able to feel this, but there are those who make their desicions by looking for the shape of the dog rather than feeling for it.

Feet should always be kept tidy. (in my opinion) even if you are one not to tidy the rest of the dog.

It is amazing the difference between clean tidy feet and feet with hair let to grow willie nillie.

Foot hair can be plucked or trimmed with thinning shears. I personally thin the top of the foot and then pluck near the toes with a stripping knife.

To thin, brush the hair backwards with a slicker brush, make sure to take it up about halfway to the pasturns. Holding the leg out so there is a straight line for the tip of the toes to elbow, take your shears and makes several cuts on the foot hair and gradually go up towards the pasturn using fewer cuts. Brush it back down and evaluate.

Trim the bottom of the foot using good sharp scissors. Cutting the hair by holding the scissors the width of the foot, rather than along the length.

You can pluck the unruley toe hair with your fingers, or using a stripping knife. Or you can use curved scissors a few weeks before the show to trim toes if your not a fan of plucking.

Any long hairs that interfere with the eyes or ears should be cleaned up, as with any stragglies over the body and on the bum.

Keep in mind do not over do it, and don't cut if you aren't comfortable.

There is a fine line between a dog that looks and is shown natural and a dog that is shown as if the owners don't care. A dog show is a show, and our precious predators need a little esthetic care to look their best when up against heavy competition and handlers.

 

Article 1- Bathtime 101

I start this series of articles off by the most basic of hygenic coat care. It is up to the owners how far they wish to groom their dogs, and to make their own judgement upon what coat conditioning is acceptable for ring presence. With each article I will delve into all aspects of grooming both short coated wires and long coated wires to keeping along the lines of preserving their natural form, yet polishing them for that extra zing in the ring. On must always remember in order to have a dog with a good healthy coat the dog must be healthy.

And that one cannot make a great coat when the genetics for it are not there. Diet, housing and happiness can have both negative and positive effects upon coat quality.

When selecting a shampoo you need to look for something that has almost no frothing, foaming or bubbles at all. A shampoo that does so will fill the dog's coat with static and creat lift and poofyness, which when dealing with a coarse-wire coated breed is something we do not want. Static plauges many long wire coats, which can be very frustrating and annoying when your dog gives a good shake right as you walk in the ring. An ibizan with an afro though likely to draw attention, is not likely to bring visions of strong, able bodied hunting dogs that are the epidimy of elegance and grace.

Find a good low suds shampoo, or a shampoo directed specifically for harsh coated breeds. I will list some well recomended shampoo's afterwards.

Use warm water to wet them with prior to shampoo-ing (always brush your wires before bathtime)

When applying the shampoo do not rub vigourusly in a 'wax-on wax-off' fashion. This will disturb the natural settling of the coat.

Massage the shampoo in the direction the coat grows, making sure to get everything covered.

Rinse well in cooler water.

After cleaning while they are still wet, a high quality light oil should be spritzed or diluted and poured on their coat.

The oil will help protect their coat from breakage when romping about in the backyard or field, so there is less concern about wether you *really* should be letting Mr.Podenco out for a joy-run a week before a big show. So it makes both your dog happy as he can hunt around in the bushes and expend energy right up until it is time for show bath, and allow you piece of mind that your hound will still have good even coat by the time you get to the show.

Oil will also help hydrate a dry coat, without conditioning or softening it. Hightening the chances for better hair growth. It will enhance the natural sheen of a correct coarse

coat, making your dog radiate with health.

As always, nails should be trimmed before baths, that way if a quick should be nicked the blood will be washed off soon, without having to go back and give the dog a wee dip again. I suggest ear cleaning to be done after the bath as the moisture will help to loosen any wax buildup.

Recommended Shampoo's-

Jardines Secret with optical brighteners. Great for pinto's and high white content dogs. Safe to use on red spots and Irish dogs. Makes white coat 'POP!'. When used diluted great for wire coats, smells amazing and cleans very effectively. Great to use in higher concentrations on smooth coated ibizans too!

Plush Puppy Hydro Bath and Bath Wash low sudsing, VERY concentrated.  1 tsp. x 4.5l. of water is a suitable dilution for harsh coated breeds.

Bio-Groom Harsh Coat made specifically for wire-coats. Used at a mild dilution it works well as a frequent bathing solution. At full strength it works as a good coat cleaner. Doesn't have a strong scent, and leaves virtually no smell once the dog is dried. I recommend this for short coated wires, as it enhances the coarsness. If used on long coated wires be sure to keep your dogs in a light oil inbetween shows to prevent leeching of moisture from coat.

Natures Choice Blueing Shampoo

Use heavily dilueted. Whitens white coat and brightens coloured coats.

Chris Christiansen, #1 All Systems

Diluted this is a good cleansing shampoo that cleans and refreshes.

Recommended Oils

Plush Puppy Seabreaze Oil

AMAZING. this is the best product I have found to keep the coat in tip-top condition. It is highly concentrated and can be used either diluted or in it's pure form. Dry's with no stickyness. Coat can be kept in oil between shows to preserve moisture without conditioning.

Chris Christiansen Silk Protein

Used diluted as a spray it has great coat preserving qualities. I would only suggest using on long coated wires. And use sparringly only once every month at a maximum.

Coat Handler This is a conditioning shampoo and I would recommend only on long coated wires using it as a rinse when heavily diluted when a light oil is not in supply or not available. It will prevent matting and act almost as an oil. It has anti-static qualities and works well if used sparingly.