styling products
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I thought the UK standard was no goo in the do?  |
| Are you washing it often? I'd leave the gray parts alone and only wash the whites while you're showing, that'll help a little with the texture.
Any of these are a good place to start, especially if you're looking to "not put anything" in the coat. The foaming protein actually rinses out after you wash and the gel and the spray are pretty light. http://www.chrissystems.com/thickn.htm Everyone likes different products, which I suppose makes sense since all of our dogs have at least little differences in their coats. I really don't use much in the way of product at a show. Just a little bit of spray as I fluff the lines. A bit more on the head. The rest is all teasing. I'm pretty lucky that my boy has a pretty good coat and I don't need to work too hard! |
| I've used the Thick N Thicker rinse for Tonks and Luna. Not that I show them, but I like their coats nice and full. Its a great product. |
The UK rules ARE no goo in the do! I feel sure people are using stuff though  |
| Thank you very much everybody.
We haven't been to Crufts (yet  ) I don't know what is the fashion in the UK now, though I have read that OES should look natural. And how can that hairdo be natural or naturally hold itself on the rear brushed backwards?! Especially, when it washed and brushed - a dog must be washed and brushed isn't it? I mean that washing and brushing make it less fluffy.We have been at two CAC shows in Bulgaria and both judges - one from Finland, the other from Russia wrote a comment that the coat wasn't prepared for the show (of course, he was washed and brushed and even with some attempts of fluffy balls on his head and rear  ) When the second judge commented about our coat, I asked what she had meant. And she said that he must had his hair styled and advised to use special styling products. I know that people even trim too long coat to make it hold the required shape. I read all I could find about how to prepare the coat. I brushed and washed him beforehand and before the show I washed only white coat. And still the grey didn't want to hold even with the tricks I was taught by a friend - baby pouder and my hairspray
Why I asked to advise me something from the UK just because I can get it from there more easy than say from the USA. |
| This Thick N Thicker sounds great, thank you. |
| No, don't wash the grays regularly. Just do the whites. When you dry the whites with a high powered dryer, blow out the gray areas. It'll blow a ton of dust out but leave you with texture in the coat so it'll hold better when you tease it. |
| Dont wash the greys only ever do them all over once or twice a year. Whites yes before a show. Washing the greys softens them and takes away the texture.
In the UK no goop to enhance the coat, but plenty do use products in the show coats that are not obvious just to help make the coat fuller and stop it collapsing while on the move in the ring. Lots of products if you are visiting the UK to try, just make sure whatever you end up with does not make the coat tacky and is easily brushed out after without affecting or snapping the back or head coat. Some are like glue and are very noticeable in the coat and hard to get out after, also you run the risk of the Judge noticing product in the coat and penalising that in the ring.. |
| It is possible, if your dog has the proper coat. I use some product in AKC shows. BUT, the UKC shows here have a "no product" rule, and they do enforce it!!
This is Chewie with absolutely nothing in his coat. In fact, we won best in show that day, while competing in a weight pull the same day too - running back and forth between the 2 events! 
and us a few minutes before, in the weight pull - harness on and hair in a topknot and me in show clothes-  |
| Dawn in Europe and the UK the dogs coats are longer not scissored into shape so having it longer the coat can flop as they say.
Part of there rules also is not altering the outline of the dog through scissoring. Only around feet to round them off and of course scissoring areas for Hygiene.
Backcombing (teasing) on the back coat works well to hold it out without any product needed if correct harsh course coat.  |
That's true. The longer it is, the more of a struggle it is.
I did use some back combing in Chewie, of course. It felt like a marathon doing hair between the 2 events! It was more of a workout than the actual events.
I will say, the UKC poodles look pretty pathetic, when you're used to the highly stylized cuts otherwise!  talk about flopped over coat. |
| The coats here must be left to GROW, not trimmed as much as in the US, but even so, the shape that you cut the hair into does make a huge difference even though it's longer, you cut the butt round so the hair stands up. Everyone takes brushes into the ring... I mean, they are brushing the hair up CONSTANTLY. Here is a clip from Ru's first show, ignore Ru because we are complete beginners, but look at the other dogs & the handlers, brush brush brush!!! Hope it helps. |
| Actually the US rules say no trimming nor changing the coat with product too. From the breed standard:
Neither the natural outline nor the natural texture of the coat may be changed by any artificial means except that the feet and rear may be trimmed for cleanliness. And yet, I stand ringside and watch folks layer on the hairspray ... among other things. And I watch those dogs who have been scissored down to look like Bichons win. |
Cassie; Ru looks GREAT! You guys were wonderful!!!  |
I spent hours before the show to brush grays up and forward, put 'hairpins' to hold it in place and I was with the brush on the ring - but it didn't help - it just kept falling back and down with his every step  I was thinking about trimming the hair shorter, but didn't risk it - it needs some experince to make it look natural and unnoticeable. What is strange , actually, his mum when she is washed and brushed looks like a 'Dulux' dog but despite I washed and brushed her in the night before a show, I managed to create a hairdo, not so perfect, but still. I thought with this dog I won't have any problem because before he was washed he was like a hairball, his coat is soft and fluffy. But I was wrong - it seems that coarse coat is better. And no washing for the grays!
Though my dogs don't have tails, I think, since European countries want the OES to be with tails, they should change the hairdo which obviously was created for the docked dogs. It would make the life so much easier
Thank you for the films, Hint Of Mischief - you were great. |
| It is sad you don't have any support for showing. Can you turn to your dog's breeder for help? How about the Old English Sheepdog Club in your area? I have had some contact with the London club and they seem resourceful. Here in the states, our national club has Mentors available.
The advice you have gotten here is dead on. By not washing the grays, it will aid a soft coat. Then we all have a slightly different routine for coat prep and the "sanitary" trimming. The reason it varies is that each dog is different and you adjust the grooming to highlight your dog's positives. Failing any aid by clubs and the breeder, I would start chatting with the people who you think do the best job at presenting their dog. Especially those that are presenting in Best of Breed and are not direct competition but benefit by your attendance, as you add additional points. In my experience those people have been very helpful and supportive. Good luck! |
They still look good presented the same way with tails here is one of mine in Europe who has a tail.
Here is the mum of him, docked and long coat presented the same way. That's her long coat naturally 
That's her done up for the showring minus the face toggles before showing
The trick is stripping the neck coat so you have a defined shape between the head, down the neck and the rise to the loin, by removing the undercoat around the neck area it helps them not looking like a thick lions mane around the neck area or just one big hairy blob from the front to the back of the dog, it also retaining the length of shawl as well and also you can tip the back coat especially across the rise to the loin to help it stay up. Using one sided thinning shears as it does not make scissor marks on the coat. Very hard if you have no one to show you how to make it look non obvious and put that initial shape into them . One sided thinning shears are great and you can also then just lightly tip the head coat also to get of the stringy bits and help it stand out in a poof ball without flopping or obvious scissor marks. 
Sometime too much length the whole lot flops regardless so you may need to get someone to show you how too with tipping & the initial first major styling of your dog, especially the overhang of long hair on the butt area, too much overhang as the coat flops can make them look long in loin. Bries head coat and no product in that just a bit of backcombing to floof it out and slight tipping of the head coat so no long stringy bits that can flop over.
Also no washing your OES greys most important as you need the texture to make it stay out on puffy bloom, washing just makes the coat so soft, takes away the natural oils in the greys and just too soft to stand out till the oils and texture return. Brushing should be enough to make the greys of the coat clean again along with while line grooming using a mist water bottle to lightly mist each layer of the greys as you are grooming. Then depending on what they get up too, once maybe twice a year an all over bubble bath. |
that last photo is UNBELIEVABLE. What a GREAT looking coat!!! |
| Those pictures are absolutely beautiful. Wish I could make Miley look like that
On the bright side the more time I spend here the more I learn! I am getting better. |
| I was my own breeder with this dog The Sire came from a kennel which doesn't show their OES, they all were sheared as well as all other dogs I have seen in the UK in the area we lived. My girl was sort of a local wonder in her full coat, people often thought she was a Border Collie Where we live now, OES is a rare breed and all those I have seen, even at the show, were sheared, I guess because of the very hot weather. So I am on my own with this problem. And I am very grateful for eveone who helps me here. Of course, it is much better to have a look once than to hear about a hundred times, but it can't be helped at the moment. I hope one day we will make it to a really big show with OES professionally groomed and since we wouldn't be much of a rival , somebody would share with me their experience .
Thank you LisaOes for the great pictures and your advice. The tail looks in place very much The coat is amazing endeed. I think the other question for you should be how you manage to keep such a white 'face'  
I'd asked my question on Plush Puppy site and their specialist have sent me a long letter about preparing the OES for a show using their products with some tips on brushing and even advised to add a spoon of Apple Sider Vinegar to food to maintain the coat white, and also said that Listerin can be used for whitening. I though it might be interesting to tell here. |
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