Grooming for the Show Competitions
This breeder I've been talking to has been trying to entice me to perhaps enter the show world with one of her pups. I am very curious about it, but am not sure about the time committment that is involved in addition to regular OES grooming. My last dog had a soft coat so I'm not really sure how much different it will be with a wiry coat. Is anyone out there familiar? Will I start to become anal about its coat so much that I won't even want it playing with dog friends? Any insight is welcomed and thanks in advance! |
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| I am not into showing dogs. But I love grooming my own dog. It gives me time to bond and think about something other than the problems of life.
The time commitment for someone showing a dog is not only the grooming time. You have to register and pay entry fees. You will have to get some training for yourself and the dog. Even if it looks like you are just walking a dog in a circle, it is a bit more invovled from what I have seen and heard. I love to go to the dog and cat shows in the Astro Arena down here in Houston. The dogs have to look their best and act their best under strange and sometimes stressful circumstances. And there's the travel. You have to be willing to travel all over in order to get enough points to qualify for the next show. Unless you limit how much you show, which will limit what titles you can actually get. Owning an OES is, of itself, a commitment. Whether you get anal about its coat depends on your personality. If you can say, oh well I can start over if the worst happens, then you will never have a problem with much anything. Life happens. Just go with it. Enjoy your dog. And show him/her if you want to. Just learning how will introduce you to experts who can help you with your dog. We have all discussed our grooming routines here. Why not look up some of our old posts. We have a very good SEARCH tool at the top in the headers and its listed at the bottom of most pages too (just check the post instead of the topics)! You will find that at least 15-30 minutes a day of grooming is needed in the first 2 years (with a weekly full grooming 1 hour routine). This is a minimum for a full coated OES. If the grooming gets t be a problem, you can shave the coat a bit, or just certain areas. Instead of showing your ball of energy you can take it to agility competitions or herding trials. As with anything there are lots of paths you can take. Oes require more care than most dogs, even a bit more than a standard poodle ( I used to own one). The have a coarse outer coat with a soft undercoat. Unless you have brushed an older OES, I am not sure why you might think their coat is wiry. Well groomed OES are the softest bundle of love you can find. But they can be a hand full. Make sure you know how to be a dominant, self-confident owner before you embark on becoming an OES owner. They usually have quite strong personalities and quirky sense of who they are. Mine still thinks we can understand her when she "talks" and stares at us like we have telepathy when she needs to go out. And loves to run anything that will give chase. A strong hand with a good sense of fairness is needed with an OES. I cannot imagine even a show breeder keeping them from getting dirty sometimes. They belong outside running at least some of the time. Good luck no matter what you decide. I love my OES. Abbi is like my fourth child. And I guess I spend about the same time grooming them  . Well, at least my youngest and Abbi. |
| Thanks for your response. I guess I shouldn't have said "wiry". I meant the coarse outer coat and soft undercoat. My passed OES never had the coarse outer coat at all, it was always soft. There is this woman in town who has a traditional coated OES and she would always complain about grooming her dog and would comment how easy it must have been to groom mine since he was so soft.
The soft coat is "undersirable" to show standards but I loved it. |
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