The importance of good grooming

Grooming a dog is an art. Each one has special requirement, and the groomer must be prepared for anything. Grooming a Maltese, for example, is quite different from grooming a Great Dane.

There is actually a National Dog Groomers Associaton of America that has been around for 38 years, uniting groomers, creating grooming standards, and offering certification.

There is also an association for groomers on the go, The American Mobile Groomers Association. I love the idea that they could come to your house in a little van and transform your dog right there in the driveway.

In England, groomers can enter the British Dog Grooming Championship. Held in October, it is an exciting event that results in one groomer being named Groomer of the Year.

Not to be outdone, the Irish Professional Dog Groomers Association (IPDGA) celebrated it's 10th anniversary last October with a weekend of competitive grooming followed by a gala dinner where, according to their website, "to say everyone let their hairdown was an understatement."

Groomers of show dogs have a number of special products to enhance the dog's appearance. There are powders, coat enhancers, finishing sprays, and snoods. At Westminster, many of the handlers were spraying an anti-slip product on the paws of their dogs.

My favorite is a product called "De Nose Nos." It is a 2-step nose darkening kit for show dogs with unsightly nose discoloration.

The history of dog grooming reaches back to the Elizabethan era, as seen in lithographs of the time. Dog grooming parlors flourished during the reign of King Louis XV of France, with the Poodle being the royal dog of the court. The Poodle was originally used as a hunting dog, but his thick curly coat made it difficult for him to function in the field. Hunters shaved the hindquarters, leaving the pom-poms that protect the hips and ankle joints and keep them warm.

While there are countless ways to clip a Poodle, the clips allowed in the show ring are limited. According to the American Kennel Club,

"English Saddle" or "Continental" clip. In the Stud Dog and Brood Bitch classes and in a non-competitive Parade of Champions, Poodles may be shown in the "Sporting" clip. A Poodle shown in any other type of clip shall be disqualified."

Ok, enough about dog grooming for today.