Puppy Show Grooming

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freya

Forums Regular
Hey there!
I realise this is an old thread - but I must ask you again for specifics - a show is coming up (in Austria where I live) and it´s summertime. So my dear young boy decided to shed - which is quite undertandable but kind of a really really bad moment to do so (since we didn´t have much coat to begin with) - and I need your help! I already invested tons of money to go to this show! I can´t back down now...:gaah

I plan to oder some Chris Christensen Thick N Thicker - but can´t decide which product! :confused2:

Do I need the...
1. Chris Christensen Spectrum One Shampoo 2. Chris Christensen Thick N Thicker Volumen Response Foaming Protein
3. Chris Christensen Thick N Thicker Foam

4. Chris Christensen Thick N Thicker Texturizing Bodefier



or all of the above :-P or some of the above?


I really really do need your help!



My own adviser (Robin´s breeder) can´t give any advice since they rarely show they dogs and do not use those products.


I already have a Mason Pearson brush and "Puffy Dog" foam by Plush Puppy which works really great - but I need more - this is a "situation". :(


I have some more quesitons (about brushing up the ruff and about chalk) but let´s wait for some answers first.

I really appreciate your help and plz ignore any grammar erorrs etc. I try to get it right, but german is my mother tongue :winkgrin:
 
Good luck at your show! I'll bet your boy won't be the only one there out of coat.

I would get Chris Christensen Spectrum One shampoo and conditioner.

If you want to build his coat all over his body, get the CC Substance Builder. It does a bit more than the Thick 'n Thicker which I use on my dogs just to build up the ruff. (If you want something to put in his coat at the show, you could try the Thick 'n Thicker foam. When I use it in conjunction with the bath, I don't get the foam...I get the regular formula that you put in after bathing, leave for 3 minutes, and then rinse out.)

What you will do is shampoo, use the Substance Builder, and then condition. I found it really helped my girl when she was out of coat.

Let us know how you do! When is the show?
 
Thanks so much Ann! :winkgrin:
Just to be sure: I use the Chris Christensen Spectrum One Shampoo, then Chris Christensen Spectrum One Substance Builder and finally: Chris Christensen Spectrum One Conditioner?
Puuuh. Do I water down these products?
And it really helps to use all of the above? Isn´t so much liquid bound to pull the hair down - even if I rinse it out properly?

About the show: She show is in August (10-11.8, in Innsbruck) and I´m showing on both days.
One day in Junior-class (boys from 9-18 months - we are 17 months old by then) and the other in "Zwischenklasse" (I don´t know the englisch translation for that) It´s for dogs from 15-24 months of age.
I only registered for that because nobody else was showing. Now it turns out we are 3 and 6 in the junior class. I guess that doesn´t sound that much to you XD Shelties are way more popular in the US.

I just wish the judges wouldn´t fixate so much on the coat - especially in junior class and in summer. You can´t expect every puppy to be a furrball.
Unfortunatley I´ll just have to live with that - I can´t expect to win - but I won´t be "loosing" this show either. No way am I going for anything expect an excellent. You know how people talk. I hate that. (I know I´ll have to cope with it someday and be characterstrong....hehe). :rolleyes2:
So I really am glad for your advise! It will be tricky getting these products but I try my best... :biggrin2::biggrin2:
 
You're very welcome, freya! If you're in puppy classes, I'd be almost certain you'll see other puppies that aren't in full coats either, so don't feel bad. Go and have a good time with your pup -- that's the important thing!

You're exactly right. Use all three products. I do dilute the CC shampoo and conditioner. You don't need to use it full strength and it lasts longer this way. I put some in an empty bottle, fill it up with warm water, and use it that way.

You do use the Substance Builder full strength though. It massages very nicely into the coat. You rinse it out and then use the conditioner. The CC Spectrum One products are made for rough-coated dogs specifically not to weigh down the coat, so unless you overuse or don't rinse well, no worries there.

I'll bet Cherrybrook would ship to you, or maybe the ShowDog store online. Otherwise, email Chris Christensen directly and they can tell you how to get them. Their customer service is excellent. Here are links in case you want to check:
http://www.cherrybrook.com/
http://www.showdogstore.com/
http://www.chrissystems.com/customer-support-center/chris-christensen-systems-customer-service.aspx
 
Hey thanks! Yeah I will do that! I found one in germany - thanks anyway. The distributor you wrote about - Ontario Sheltie - is in Italy.

May I ask another question?
Why do some people use baby-powder (in the ruff)? What´s the use? How to use? Using chalk is out of question - yet I think baby powder basically the same?

Do I fluff up the undercoat by the hindlegs as well?

About shedding: Do I avoid brushing him too much until the show?
He has got very few wool on his back and torso - so it´s just the tail and the rear I am worried about.
(Because he has so few undercoat I thought that Thick n Thicker is the better choice... Since he is basically a "single" coated right now...)

When do I bath? Say the show starts Sunday morning - do I bath Wendesday evening?
Thank you so much! I´ll definitively post some pictures!
 
freya said:
Why do some people use baby-powder (in the ruff)? What´s the use? How to use? Using chalk is out of question - yet I think baby powder basically the same?
Click to expand...

Baby powder is used after putting cream conditioner like the one below in the ruff to give it body and help it stand up. Yes, baby powder is used like chalk.
http://www.showdogstore.com/1-all-systems-b5-pure-cosmetic-skin-and-coat-conditioner-1lb.aspx

freya said:
Do I fluff up the undercoat by the hindlegs as well?
Click to expand...

I would brush out the feathers and make sure his hocks are trimmed but I wouldn't fluff the feathers.

freya said:
About shedding: Do I avoid brushing him too much until the show?
He has got very few wool on his back and torso - so it´s just the tail and the rear I am worried about.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't over-brush him if he's blowing coat.

freya said:
When do I bath? Say the show starts Sunday morning - do I bath Wendesday evening?
Click to expand...

I like to bathe thinner coated dogs about two days before the show. So Thursday for a Saturday show. Then the day before the show cream and chalk ruff and legs so you have a base coat.

Hope this helps!
 
Oh yeah! That helps! Thanks so much! Do I need the conditioner to help the powder to stick to the hairs? I can´t go without it?

I had another odd idea about the shedding: What if my dog is kept out of the hot sun and I walk him really early in the morning and at night only? And keep him cool and a room with some action to tire him (and get his brains working)? Is that a mad idea? Or is trying to stop it (or slowing it) not going to work?

greetings
 
Without conditioner, the powder or chalk will fall right out of the hair. You need the conditioner to give the hair some body and hold the powder in. You don't have to buy special conditioner for your dog though...you can use a good cream conditioner like Wella (if you have that there) for human hair.

I don't think keeping puppy out of the sun will make a difference. Once the shedding has started, it's pretty much out of your control! :lol: Just make him look as good as you can for the show and he'll be fine. I would avoid bathing him before his show bath though, since that will loosen up any hair ready to come out.
 
Remember, 12-18 months old is an awkward stage for most dogs. He isn't going to look like a bloomy puppy, or like a mature adult - he's going to look like a gawky teenager, and lack of coat is part of that. It's OK (especially in August). If he's a quality dog, the quality will show.

Personally, I would rather show a 17-month-old dog that has a small amount of fresh, healthy, shining coat, than a 17-month-old that has a larger amount of dead/dying coat. In a similar situation, I would strongly consider doing a warm bath and combing to pull everything out, so the new hair can start to come in. You have two full weeks before the show, which is enough time for fresh new coat to start coming in... and enough for an old, dead coat to start looking really moth-eaten.

However, you have the dog in front of you, and you know what he looks like and what you're comfortable with.

As for the ruff... yes, you need to have some kind of cream or conditioner to "hold" the powder - otherwise it will come out in clouds! It's like chalk, in that it whitens the coat, but it's softer and doesn't give the same "body" to it as chalk does. Does that make sense?
 
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