Another thing that stripping out the fuzzy undercoat behind the ear does is to keep down the matting there. It seems that it is always when they are losing that fuzzy undercoat behind the eat that matts form. Removing it regularly keeps those mats away, and it doesn't affect the length or contour of the ear feathering. Myra
>From: Jo <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >Reply-To: The Cavalier King Charles Spaniel List ><[EMAIL PROTECTED]> >To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] >Subject: Re: [CKCS-L] trimming etc >Date: Sun, 24 Mar 2002 10:51:11 -0500 > >Hi Suze, >First let me make a correction..I asked "everyone" to write <vbg> please a >few will do. >Thanks Suze. I think it's silly to make such a fuss about having a neat >(tidy) dog. >I never use thinning shears on the body of a Cavalier I am showing..I do >fool around with the retired dogs just to see... >I do trim their feet...everyone who does not is, in my opinion, negligent. >I do pull out the tufts on top of the head. It just looks prettier ..some >never grow it ,some do. >If I wanted to show turn of stifle I would hand strip the hair along the >curve. >I use a stripping knife on the hair right behind the ears (you can't see >it) >so that my cotton lead will fit in there nicely...that is, the hair won't >knot due to the friction. Nice for the dog ; does not change appearance. >On another note..someone mentioned wanting to see a professional handler be >told by a judge to stand up...All of the pros that I respect will simply >stand up. :) smile and carry on. >And..if you hire a handler train your dog to show naturally..you can't >expect any handler to perform miracles. Or give the dog to the handler to >train well before the show. >With all due respect, >Jo Ann Carvill >BJ Cavaliers >[EMAIL PROTECTED] >www.bjcavaliers.com > > Hi, Jo Ann, > > I'll be glad to honestly tell you what I do. Six months in >advance I > > am shedding out dead hair, bathing and conditioning. This includes hot > > oil in cases in which it is needed. I adjust diet if coats seem dry, > > etc. I try to bath show dogs every week or every other week as I agree > > with George Alston and others who say "clean hair grows". > > I trim nails when I bath; I file them as well. I also brush >teeth >at > > that time. (We use oxyfresh in the water of those not being bred). > > I'll assess a dog a couple of weeks prior to a show and decide how much > > time I need to groom it. Thanks to Ellie Mordecai, I have those super > > grooming coats which enable me to cut out a lot of drying time. They > > also work wonders for that sometimes wavy back end. > > I have been known to take a small thinning shears to a bad mat > > especially underneath where it is tender. I will cut open the mat > > lengthwise so that I can then tease out the rest of the tangle more > > gently. I am guilty there if that is not allowed, but I can't bear to go > > after a mat in a tender area (like groin) and end up with either > > tortorously, long, slow grooming sessions or dogs who hate grooming. > > This generally only happens when they are blowing coat. I don't > > generally even trim the hair on the underneath (pads) of the dog's feet > > anymore, as one judge accused me of trimming when I did that! (Which IS > > allowed in our standard). > > I once used a pumice stone on a bitch with a cowlick and got >hell >for > > it. That was after I got hell the day before from the judge who > > suggested I try it. <G> > > I try to wrap the stifle of the dog so that I can show a nice >turn >of > > stifle and despair when guard hairs won't wrap because I know what my > > competition will do. <G> So, this is why I try to shed them out as much > > as possible (using slicker and comb) in that period before they show. > > I use a myiad of products depending on coat, mostly Vellus to >tame > > unruly bits and pieces. Their satin cream is useful for that but I use > > it very sparingly if I'm showing and never on ears. > > Anyone in this area can tell you that my dogs look like they are >shown > > naturally......because they sometimes have bad hair days. When Tyler > > was put up as WD at Morris and Essex, the judge made mention to Gary > > that Tyler was definitely having a bad hair day that day; it was > > terribly humid and his profuse coat was not cooperating. > > > > I honestly WISH that we could "neaten" up our exhibits, but judging from > > what is already done (some to great extremes) if we were allowed even > > that latitude, then the inch would become many miles. It *pains* me to > > show a dog that I could fix up a bit with just a tad of hand stripping > > on the head or just a little evening up of an ear, but I won't do it. I > > am so aware of the really sculpted competition and how it could change > > the breed forever. SOME of my dogs grow bell shaped ears; but most > > don't! I suppose I'll get chucked by judges who wish my dogs looked > > neater, (as I do!) but others will reward my efforts to make the most of > > my dog in a natural way. > > > > It really is a shame that human nature is such that many of us can't > > follow rules or we COULD be allowed to "neaten" without trimming. > > > > Suze > > > > > > Jo wrote: > > > > > > Would everyone***** honestly***** tell me what they do to their dog to > > > prepare for a show. > > > Starting six months before the big day. > >========================================================= >"Magic Commands": >to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL >to start it up gain click here: >mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL > > E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. >Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html > >All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author. Myra Savant Gardengate Cavaliers _________________________________________________________________ Join the world�s largest e-mail service with MSN Hotmail. http://www.hotmail.com ========================================================= "Magic Commands": to stop receiving mail for awhile, click here and send the email: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20NOMAIL to start it up gain click here: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]?body=SET%20CKCS-L%20MAIL E-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED] for assistance. Search the Archives... http://apple.ease.lsoft.com/archives/ckcs-l.html All e-mail sent through CKCS-L is Copyright 2002 by its original author.
