When a dog or cat is entered in a show, excellent grooming is essential in order for a pet’s physical and personal qualities to shine. Whether or not they compete in a show, dogs and cats can always benefit from looking their best. Good grooming promotes good health, and the following tips from professional groomers can help you give your pets show-quality care.
Grooming Tips For Dogs
Before bathing, you want to comb out all the tangles. The pros use multiple sizes of combs and brushes to loosen matted fur, choosing the tool based on the density of the mat and the length and fullness of the hair. For show-quality grooming, be very thorough, going over every inch of your dog’s body from ears to tail.
Normally, dogs don’t need frequent bathing as long as they get regular brushing, but a shampoo and conditioning treatment is always part of the pre-show ritual. Professional groomers recommend diluting about two inches of soap in a shampoo bottle filled with water. This will help the shampoo penetrate to the dog’s undercoat, and it will also rinse away more easily.
A show dog always gets a blow-dry after a bath. Blowing out the fur not only makes it extra soft and fluffy, it makes the dog more comfortable by drying his or her skin completely. For the final brush, you can add some spray-in conditioner for extra body and shine.
Grooming Tips For Cats
Long-haired cats should be combed regularly to keep their coat free of mats and tangles. A wide-toothed metal comb is ideal, and combing should always go against the grain from tail to head. Adding baby powder and brushing it out will clean the fur of excess oil, but this only needs to be done once a week.
Show cats are not bathed often, but they typically get a bath about a week before a show. The pros recommend using a very gentle shampoo, like a baby shampoo.
After a bath, dry the cat first with warm towels before using a blow dryer. While blow-drying the fur, brush the hair constantly until it’s completely dry.
Other grooming details for both dogs and cats include cleaning the teeth of tartar and trimming the nails. These grooming tips can help bring out your pet’s inner show dog or show cat, even if he or she never competes.
