Show Grooms vs. Pet Grooms

Perhaps earlier this year you were able to catch the Westminster Kennel Club's annual Dog Show, held in New York's Madison Square Garden.  It is without a doubt the granddaddy of all dog shows, and for me, it is a pleasure to watch.  Along with the fun of seeing all those dogs walking around and strutting their stuff, it is also interesting for me to see all the ways that these dogs are groomed in their show style grooms which are quite different from the typical pet style grooms we see on most dogs.

For example, take a look at what a Shih-Tzu looks like in a show groom next to a typical family pet's style...

Show Groom

Pet Groom

As you can see, they almost look like two different breeds of dog.

Take a look at these two Standard Poodles...

Show Groom

Pet Groom

Notice the similarities between the clips performed on these two poodles; their faces and feet are both clipped short. 

Here's another example, the Miniature Schnauzer,  one of my favourite breeds of small dogs...

Show Groom

Pet Groom

The first dog is in the proper breed style with a short clipped back and head, legs scissored into columns and the face and eyebrows trimmed into the Schnauzer's hallmark look.  The second is a bit different, as he still has the beard, brows and short clipped back, but his legs are trimmed shorter and the skirt is just a little bit longer than the back.  The pattern is the same but the second dog's owners will have much less brushing and combing to do, as Schnauzer's fine coats tangle and mat quite easily.

And since we all love dog pictures here is one final example...

Show Groom

Pet Groom

The dog on the left is a Springer Spaniel in full show style.  He has a robust plume on his chest and his ears are long and tassled.  His skirt and featherings are trimmed but left long while his back and head are clipped quite short fading into his longer furnishings.  The handsome devil on the right is my boy Wallace, clipped short on the head and back using the same clip pattern fading into his longer furnishings on his chest and belly.  As you can see they are trimmed shorter on his underside and legs for easier maintenance.  Wallace loves to get outside and explore and it's not unusual to find burrs and other bits of nature in his coat.  Keeping his skirt and furnishings shorter makes it much easier to find and get rid of these things without too much trouble.  His ears are also tassled, which the picture doesn't illustrate very well, but they are not quite as long as the dog on the left, again for easier maintenance and so they don't dip into his water bowl when he's thirsty.  

I'm sure you are noticing a pattern by now.  Pet style grooms are keeping in the spirit of the breed standard clip while altering it slightly (usually by going shorter in spots) for functionality and ease of upkeep.  Neither show grooms nor pet grooms is right or wrong.  It is up to each owner to decide what grooming style suits their lifestyle and personal preferences.  

Here are some things to consider when deciding how to groom your pet:

Budget

For starters, as you might have guessed, show grooms require a groomer with a great deal of skill and experience.  However, "pet grooming" is the service provided by most commercial dog groomers. There are far less groomers with the ability to execute show grooms and as such you can expect to pay more for these services.  

Maintenance

Unfortunately, the problem with many show grooms (take the Shih-Tzu for example) is practicality. A dog with a show groom will require a great deal of upkeep and maintenance.  This includes not just regular brushing and combing, but more frequent bathing and clipping to maintain their look.  If you've got the dedication and time to handle a hairstyle such as this, your reward will be a beautiful and lustrous coat for your dog that will no doubt turn heads wherever he or she goes!  

Lifestyle

The rambunctious and playful nature of a family pet's day will lead their coats to becoming dirty and tangled. In addition, the elements, water in particular, can wreak havoc on a dog's coat as constantly getting wet and drying will further tangle and mat the coat.  All in all, the typical family lifestyle is generally not suited to show grooms.  

What about mixed breed dogs?

Another thing to keep in mind is that when it comes to mixed breeds, pet grooming is almost always the way to go as there is no defined 'breed clip'.  Dogs like the golden doodles below can be groomed in almost any fashion to suit their owners' tastes and needs.  Just take a look at the differences in the clips on these two.

Remember, there is no 'right' or 'wrong' way for your dog to look.  Your dog is a part of your family and you are the one who decides what they look like.

-Peter

Keeping Your Dog's Coat Beautiful: Food

In an earlier post about keeping your dog's coat beautiful, I said that brushing was the #1 most important thing you can do.  This post will focus on the other thing that is tied for 1st place;  feeding your dog a high quality food.

As many of my close friends can attest to, I bring up the topic of dog food pretty often... To be honest, I'm a little obsessed with what people feed their pets.  This is because as a groomer I see first hand the health benefits that feeding your dog a high quality food can make.

High quality foods have sufficient nutrients, including essential fatty acids to maintain a healthy, shiny coat.  On the other hand, a dog that has flaky skin and a dull, sparse coat may not be getting these essential nutrients that are part of a balanced diet.

Another contributor to skin and coat issues, as well as chronic ear infections, are food allergies.  These can unfortunately often be attributed to the most common ingredients in dog food; beef, dairy, chicken, lamb, fish, eggs, corn, wheat and soy.  In order to help your dog overcome allergies they should be eating a food that either has limited ingredients (to identify/avoid the allergen), novel ingredients (ie ingredients that are not included in the list of common ingredients dogs are allergic to) or is hypoallergenic.  Low quality foods will not have any of these characteristics and thus are far more likely to aggravate allergies.

Other signs that your dog may be on the wrong food are outlined in this Pet MD slide show.  If your dog is having medical issues always ask your vet if a change in diet could help.

While most dog owners will acknowledge that putting their dog on a great food is important, sometimes that is easier said than done.  Two generations ago dogs were fed table scraps and leftovers from human food. It wasn't until the 1950s that the pet food industry started down the path of becoming highly commercialized.

Today, we are so inundated with advertising that it is difficult for the average consumer to separate high quality foods from low quality foods with good marketing campaigns. We are made to feel that only the priciest foods provide adequate nutritional value for our pets - or conversely, that the priciest foods aren't worth it since the lower quality foods advertise the same benefits.

The packaging doesn't help to make food selection easier nor do the ingredients that are almost impossible to decipher.

For example, here is the packaging of a low quality dog food

This food could be classified as a mid-quality dry food 

And now take a look at the packaging of this high quality food...

Did you notice that the packaging of all three of these foods featured pictures of at least one happy dog, carrots and meat?

Along with many others, I found myself duped by dog food marketing when I first brought home Wallace.  When picking the best food at the pet store I assumed that the mid-priced foods would offer the best value and be comparable in quality to one another. It wasn't until I found the site Dog Food Advisor that  I realized this was not so.

I initially fed Wallace what I thought was a reasonably high quality, grain free, food. Once I looked it up on the site I realized it was a decent quality food but I could buy another much better food for the exact same price.  This brings me to my next point.  For many dog owners the cost of food is a major consideration when choosing a food. A little research can help to ensure your are getting the most nutritional bang for your buck.

Whenever the topic of dog food comes up I always recommend checking in with Dog Food Advisor. Dog Food Advisor provides reviews and ratings for over 3,300 varieties of wet, dry and raw dog foods. It's pretty interesting when you take the time and browse through some of their reviews.  Their method of evaluating the food is straight forward and thourough; they go through every ingredient listed, define it, list its characteristics be them positive or negative, and give a final overall rating ranging from 1-star to 5-star.  By and large, the lower ranked foods have more fillers and less nutritious grains and cuts of meat, whereas the higher ranked foods are for the most part free of grains and fillers, opting for more natural and easily digestible options.

There are countless other ways that a good dog food will help your dog's long term health.  Research the food you are feeding your pet to make sure you are getting the best value for your money. A well fed dog is a happy (and pretty) dog!

-Peter