Preparing Your Dogs For Shows

[jok]

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As a newbie to whippets, i wonder if you experienced showers could share some tips about preparing your whippets for shows.

Do your dogs always get a bath, if so how far in advance? Is fluffy coats and scurff normally a problem following a bath? Also, anything else relevant such as cutting nails, trimming etc.

Obviously with Frankie being predominantly white i realise that any stains etc will need to be removed! Chloe use to take practically zero preparation.

Thanks

 

[JAX]

If they really do need a bath , then I would do it a couple of days before , unless you have to get the white clean , Nails should be done on a weekly basis any way IMO as should teeth . :- " Tails need to be trimed as the standard says ,`no feathering ,

If unsure how to do it , wait for a show and ask one of the peps you know to be shown how , you might have to wait for the `right` moment as some exhibitors get `wound up before they go in the ring , but Im sure someone will help , I will be at the Whippet club show and only to pleased to help newcomers with any advice :cheers:

 

[dolly]

IF FRANKIE IS MAINLY WHITE TRY USING A GOOD QUALITY 'BLUE' SHAMPOO, ON MY SNOWY WHIPPET I USE BIO GROOM FOR WHITES

USUALLY 3 DAYS BEFORE A SHOW :blink:

 

[Liz Third]

I use some conditioner after the shampoo to keep the coat smooth and silky, I think it keeps the dandruff down too. Again, 2 days before show.

 

[kirsty]

As Dolly said the Bio Groom Super White shampoo is great. I use it on my Bolognese and she comes up snow white. I also use Bio Groom Silk conditioning Rinse. It leaves her coat beautiful and silky but not limp and flat like some conditioners. It says on the bottle suitable for all colours including whites.

Kirsty

 

[jok]

Thanks for the advice. I'll get some special shampoo and have a go in advance to check what he comes out like!

 

[Juley]

My lot say it is most important to roll in something really smelly to remove the smell of shampoo. (w00t) . I bath mine the night before if they need it and watch them when they go out for a wee to make sure they don't roll in pigeon poo :lol:

 

[jok]

My lot say it is most important to roll in something really smelly to remove the smell of shampoo. (w00t) . I bath mine the night before if they need it and watch them when they go out for a wee to make sure they don't roll in pigeon poo :lol:

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LOL, i will have to watch that he doesn't get a few more brindle patches - in the shape of Dobermann paw prints!! :lol:

 

[Beerhound]

My lot say it is most important to roll in something really smelly to remove the smell of shampoo. (w00t) . I bath mine the night before if they need it and watch them when they go out for a wee to make sure they don't roll in pigeon poo :lol:

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With mine it is fox poo or something very dead if it is a few days before a show, so they get bathed the day before as well or they would need another (w00t) .

 

[aslan]

I always bath mine the day/night before the show - I would have Buckley's Chance of keeping them clean if I bathed three days beforehand. The only time I break this rule is if there is a midweek show in between two weekends and I am travelling. Then it is likely I will not bath, but use a spray shine and perhaps some chalk on the whites, particularly feet and hocks.

I use a horse shampoo - it is very deep purple - made by Equinade and it's called "Showsilk" Glo White. It's Australian made so you may not be able to get it in the UK - but I've been using it for years now, I think it's fantastic. I have rarely had problems with dandruff from it and it works well on all colours but is great for the white.

I try to keep on top of nails because when I do let them go - over the holiday break - it's really difficult to get them back short and gorgeous for the show season. If you cut once and then file every week (without fail), you should rarely have to cut again.

Some people here trim whiskers, I don't anymore. I bet if you asked a judge at the end of the day, he/she couldn't tell you which of their placings had whiskers and which did not. I just don't think it's something that many of them notice. I know I didn't when I was judging.

I do not actually do any trimming at all - not even tails - but I have never had a dog with a hairy tail. And all my dogs' coats are very dense and close-lying. I have friends though that are at the other end of the spectrum to me with trimming. They are extreme - tails, whiskers, skirt, pants, stomachs (shaved), and a file or fine hacksaw blade run ( flat) over the body to remove dead hair - not something I would do.

There are others who, as part of a regular grooming routine use potato flour or chalk on the whites. I use chalk sometimes (as in 1st paragraph). There are others who use black chalk on a greying dog's face to help make him/her look younger. (Of course a number of governing bodies' rules say something like, "no dye, colouring, lightening or darkening matter should be used and remain on any part of the dog at the time of exhibition"). But in regards to chalks/powders (which are not very permanent) this rule here seems to be largely ignored.

You should regularly check inside the ears and clean with a cotton bud if dirty ( or your finger inside a tissue or towel - no long fingernails please!).

 

[Karen]

Cant really add much to this excellent advice apart from , make sure that teeth are included in any prep as I for one hate an exhibit with dirty teeth as we dont have much to do to get our dogs ready.

 

[whippynit]

IF FRANKIE IS MAINLY WHITE TRY USING A GOOD QUALITY 'BLUE' SHAMPOO, ON MY SNOWY WHIPPET I USE BIO GROOM FOR WHITES
USUALLY 3 DAYS BEFORE A SHOW  :blink:

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Would you use the Bio white shampoo on parti's or just solid whites? and if you'd use on parti's would you just use on the white bits or would it do a good job all over? :unsure:

:cheers:

 

[kirsty]

IF FRANKIE IS MAINLY WHITE TRY USING A GOOD QUALITY 'BLUE' SHAMPOO, ON MY SNOWY WHIPPET I USE BIO GROOM FOR WHITES
USUALLY 3 DAYS BEFORE A SHOW  :blink:

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Would you use the Bio white shampoo on parti's or just solid whites? and if you'd use on parti's would you just use on the white bits or would it do a good job all over? :unsure:

:cheers:

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I use it on two of my cats that I show as well. Bailey is seal colourpoint and that is like brown face and legs and creamy beige body and Nico who is blue and white bicolour and it even brings Baileys beige bits up really bright. So I would imagine the same for a parti dog.

Hope that helps :unsure:

Kirsty

 

[dolly]

IF FRANKIE IS MAINLY WHITE TRY USING A GOOD QUALITY 'BLUE' SHAMPOO, ON MY SNOWY WHIPPET I USE BIO GROOM FOR WHITES
USUALLY 3 DAYS BEFORE A SHOW  :blink:

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

​

Would you use the Bio white shampoo on parti's or just solid whites? and if you'd use on parti's would you just use on the white bits or would it do a good job all over? :unsure:

:cheers:

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I use it on two of my cats that I show as well. Bailey is seal colourpoint and that is like brown face and legs and creamy beige body and Nico who is blue and white bicolour and it even brings Baileys beige bits up really bright. So I would imagine the same for a parti dog.

Hope that helps :unsure:

Kirsty

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i only wash the whites in the blue and use their normal shampoo for the coloured bits

 

[alfie]

I feel really ashamed now, as Mabel just had her first bath last weekend, and she's nearly 3!!

The only reason I bathed her was that she was moulting quite a lot, she has never needed one before! Must admit though, that her coat is lovely and silky, so think I may bath her again in future :- "

I used to bath Alfie before a show because he has a lot of white, but he hadn't had a bath for a couple of years before his bath at the weekend either! :- "

I'm not a dirty slob honest! You can all smell my dogs if you want- they don't stink!! :wub:

Liz and the Monellis

 

[jok]

I feel really ashamed now, as Mabel just had her first bath last weekend, and she's nearly 3!! The only reason I bathed her was that she was moulting quite a lot, she has never needed one before! Must admit though, that her coat is lovely and silky, so think I may bath her again in future :- "

I used to bath Alfie before a show because he has a lot of white, but he hadn't had a bath for a couple of years before his bath at the weekend either! :- "

I'm not a dirty slob honest! You can all smell my dogs if you want- they don't stink!! :wub:

Liz and the Monellis

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Chloe has only had a hanful of baths in her life time, and they have all been following a 'poo incident' of one kind or another, never before a show! I'll be getting some of the Bio groom shampoo for Frankie though, to make sure he's extra sparkly white. :lol:

 

[Juley]

As Lily is black brindle, no doubt she will roll in something vile and white before the big day. (w00t) .

 

[Karen]

As Lily is black brindle, no doubt she will roll in something vile and white before the big day.  (w00t) .

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If Lily is looking for a few tips Gull and Pidgion poo are great

 

[dessie]

My regime is much the same as Alfie. The oldies/retired showies only get a bath once, maybe twice a year to get rid of loose hair that they are shedding. The ones being shown only get a full bath if they have rolled in something unspeakable or it is their turn for the annual. Other than that I just do an under-carriage wash if it has been very wet and muddy. I just use Johnson's Flea shampoo, not because they have but 'just in case' and I have found that it leaves the coat lovely! I only ever shampoo once as well, never shampoo, rinse and apply a second lot of shampoo. Can't be doing with faffing about!!!

 

[bardmand]

Would you use the Bio white shampoo on parti's or just solid whites? and if you'd use on parti's would you just use on the white bits or would it do a good job all over? :unsure:
:cheers:

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I think what the blue pigment in these shampoos is meant to do is mask any yellow tinge in a white coat. I don't think they usually contain any bleaching agents. The only thing it would perhaps do to the colour patches on a parti would be to make them look slightly less warm in colour.

I have used a blue shampoo for my brindle girl with white trim - I used it all over, and could not detect any noticeable change on her coloured areas. I don't think I could be bothered with using more than one shampoo - besides, how could you possibly limit the application accurately to the white/non-white areas?

I hav also only ever bathed my whippets in three cases: Before some shows (depending on how long since the last, whether I can be bothered and so on), if they are extremely dirty from rolling in or eating something nasty, and on a few occassions when they have been molting. Other than that, they don't really seem to need it.

I have also trimmed a couple of tails, but other than that and the obvious teeth and nail maintenance, I really appreciate the naturalness of whippets. I actually never heard about chalking whippets until I read about it here on K9. Actually, regulations at shows here have become much stricter in recent years, and you actually see poodles without hairspray in the rings these days.