Comment to '[poll] Good grooming or bad art?'
  • The link is not working BUT in my experience, Grooming is for keeping the their dogs clean and excess fur removed, or the showring. Take a GSD. They have a continuously shedding undercoat and generally are allowed to be dogs (romp in creeks, rivers, pools, run thru a wooded area, dog parks, run and play with others and slobber each other etc.. Well they do get dirty and most owners of a GSD will bring there pooch in maybe 3-4xs a year. Mostly during the heavy shedding times (Feb-April & Sept- Nov) and a few other times in the summer just to keep them more comfortable in warm months. Take a ShihTzu. Most do not have them in a show coat. MOST owners don't even want to brush there dogs, so they just give them a short cut with a little hair on the tail and the head. It is a low maintenance DO. Show Dogs are generally groomed by their owners or a handler (depending on the experience they have or what kinda of dog & coat). I have Neos that I show and I groom them before shows. There is not a lot that goes into grooming a Neo other than bath, brush, ears and nails. Pretty simple. Now I know a guy who has Swissys and he really obsesses over the coat and it looking really slick and he will over brush and the area will look bald. Well DUMMY...why obsess over nothing? wash the dog and GO! Also he was very neurotic because he has a top winning Swissy and used to breed/show poodles for 15 years :^) The vanity of the Freaks with their dogs....I have given Mohawks, dyed dogs, streaked them, Lion cuts, bell bottoms on dogs etc.. But in my business, if they pay for it, they get it! I hate to shave down dogs that shouldn't be like GSD, Great Pyrs, Huskies, LABS, StBs, Newfs etc. But if they will pay $85-$100 then they got it! Even though I explain this ruins the dogs coat, it will never be the same, the pet could develop skin conditions and the big one, it still sheds just as much but its just shorter! Grooming is an Art form without all the fancy 'dos. You are taking a crappy little rug rat dog and making it look like a million bucks. Or at least try! You have a dog that is really long in the body, there are things you can do to make them not look so long. Or a bow legged dog, I can make them look like the have straight front legs and on and on.. So in this type of FORM it is Art Work. Now I have still yet to see the Video Link, but I can't wait cuz this world is full of weirdo pet owners.