Community Chat

[CrazyDaisy]

Dog groomers have had competitions long before now.  Customers have asked for specific styles, cuts and yes even colors for years.  There are dyes specifically for dogs.  I have seen dogs with different color accents, stencils etc at agility trials for years. 

[eadu4]

@Spurt Some history on the poodle and why they are groomed that way. They were bred as a water retriever in early 17th Century Europe, the Poodle name comes from the German pudel or pudelhund, literally meaning "water dog." Since a Poodle's thick outer coat can get heavy when wet, the bottom half of the body was shorn back to help keep the dog afloat. To keep his organs warm in cold waters, the hair was kept long over the chest and head. Bracelets of ankle hair were left to protect joints from rheumatism, and a topknot was used to keep long hair out of the eyes when swimming. Colorful bows were added during competitions to help owners identify their dogs.  So basically the cut was done for practical reasons for what they were bred for.

     Today, Poodle owners generally choose between one of two traditional cuts. The "Continental Clip" leaves a full mantle of hair around the chest and rib cage, pom-poms over each hip and on the tail, ankle and knee bracelets, and fully shaved hindquarters and legs. With the "English Saddle Clip," a short coat of hair is left over the hindquarters and legs. In competition, adult dogs must be shown in one of these two conforming cuts, which always make Poodles big crowd-pleasers in the show ring.

     While elaborately coifed Standard Poodles are still the norm, many owners today are choosing to either leave their dogs uncut or leave them in a uniform length, such as a puppy cut. Please note that uncut Poodles are not maintenance free, and the resulting matting can, in some cases, cause significant skin issues.

[Stray]

I watched the show out of curiosity.  I have attended dog shows and loved watching the grooming in the benching area.  I also think pups attending these shows are not totally happy but it's acceptable. 

The dogs on the show were actually pretty happy and they are professional groomers, some of which were award winning.  They also appeared to love dogs and were kind to them.  

I love dogs and wasn't upset by it but as another poster staged, it was boring.  The gold fish winner was quite creative, I must say.  I don't see the purpose to the show and for a few of the groomers it was about them.  The drama of crying over a pet lost years ago seemed artificial.  I'm not saying you shouldn't mourn your deceased pet as I still do.  But, contrived grief, no.  

I won't be tuning in again but I really don't think any pets were harmed but why make a dog look like something else?  Kinda mindless entertainment.  I also wonder what happens to the dogs after the show?  That's my larger question

[SWEET]

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@Porcelain wrote:

Are you guys against fancy grooming (not talking about docking or anything like that, just styling and clipping the fur) and putting unnecessary little sweaters on dogs too? I find it pretty harmless if the dog doesn't mind it. I see it as more silly than bad for the dogs.

What am I not seeing?

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@Porcelain 

I totally agree with you.  Nothing wrong and the dogs don't seem to mind either.  Harmless fun.  I thought some were really cute and the contestants who went home should have gone.  I still have no idea what that dog was supposed to be. 

Some were very creative. Can't wait for next week.

[Porcelain]

@Stray and @SWEET I'm glad you're saying the dogs seemed happy and were not mistreated on the show. I think that's what everyone was most concerned about.

[occasionalrain]

Dogs are not houses or cakes meant to decorate. They are living, feeling pets not raw material for some insensitive show off to use to win a tacky contest.