What do you go through to prepare you dog for a confirmation class.
What do you mean, training or grooming? training is really a breeze to get a dog to learn to look for bait and stand...the breeder took my dogs for a quick round and had them perfected in a few minutes...I guess it's all in knowing how to bait the dog. I had shown Shepherds before (only a couple of times) and we always set them up to the proper stand for the judge. As for grooming, that depends on the breed. My Sister used to own a Standard Poodle and was showing that dog as well, they were not as time consuming as a Newf.
When do you bathe your dog, how long does it take you to get the grooming and everything ready, and where do you get it done, do you do it youself?
My Sister does all the grooming and it takes her about 4 hours from start to finish - not including the time if we happen to take a break and put under the dryer. Grooming depends greatly on the breed, we have heavy coated Newfoundland dogs and they have to be scissored on the chest, paws, ears etc. Some Newf's are so coated they have to be scissored all over
It takes about 1 hour to completely dry a Newfoundland dog with 2 girls on the dog with high velocity dryers. Most times we just spend a day, bath, zap with dryer, then put in a kennel with a huge floor dryer (cold air only). Then we take the dog back out after about 3 hours...dry with high velocity again while brushing out the coat. Then after the dog is brushed out, you have to go through with a comb, you have to be able to get a comb throught the entire coat with ease. Then my Sister scissors them up. We do all this at the grooming shop...at the show you always bring your own grooming table so you can groom them again before going into the ring.
Does your dog require any extra grooming right before the show ring??
Yes, all coated dogs do. Most people will go over their smooth dogs as well before going in.
What type of shampoo do you use and why?
We use Alexander's Own (which is a fantastic shampoo,leaves the coat shiny and is easy to rinse out), we rotate with A1 all systems as well as this is easy to rinse out. I also have a homemade shampoo that works just as good and much cheaper...palmolive, glecerine and white vinegar.
