[pyrnet] Re: Bathing (long!!)

["ARIEGE" <ARIEGE@xtra.co.nz>]

We've been down this road before I know but having just returned from
Melbourne where the Pyr Conference was with overseas visitors I seek your
opinions on what I am going to say here.

Talking to a visitor from the UK( who has French stock)  I made the comment
that I would be going home to bath 4 Pyrs for our Pyr Ch show down South
next week.  The response was "why are you bathing? Why are you not just
grooming, if you were in France (Pyr spec show I suppose?) you would be
thrown out the ring for having bathed your Pyr(s) by the Judge.  The coat is
supposed to "crackle" and a bathed coat wont crackle because the oil has
been removed by bathing"

My reply was " I am not in France, I am not being judged by a French Judge,
I live in a semi rural area, my Pyrs get grubby, I do groom but for shows I
BATH"!!  I also stated that when I go to a dog show in New Zealand I am not
only interested in gaining the CC and BOB but I am also aiming toward BIS.
I gave the scenario of being in the Group line up with a grubby Pyr next to
a sparkling Samoyed but I felt this fell on deaf ears.

Obviously in some countries where numbers are greater and there are more
Specialties with more French Judges then I could be penalised for having
bathed dogs.  If I lived in an area where I could keep my dogs cleaner then
that may well help but I don't and my dogs just love getting grubby!!

I prefer to bath rather than use heaps of powder and chalk .The shampoos of
today are formulated not to strip the oil out of the coat and I don't use
cheap shampoos either. I do not bath for every show, not at all but these
dogs haven't been bathed for over 2 months and they sure need it.  I don't
want to be the only one out there with gray looking Pyrs and neither do my
Pyr friends here either.

It's hard to try and explain to those people who do not like the idea of
"soft coats" or regular bathing but it's what we do here (most of us anyway)
and the ones who don't bother are the ones whose Pyrs don't look good out
there grooming wise.

Come the day a French Pyr Judge comes here then I may rethink what I do and
what Pyrs I show but in the meantime I'll just keep on bathing every couple
of months (except if you are a Puffin Pyr mud baby!). What do the rest of
you Pyr showers do????

Did you get home okay Ruth?? Just so wonderful to meet all the overseas
visitors and to hear Bob Brown talk.  We really enjoyed ourselves and are
looking forward to the next Conference one day.

Jan Chaplin.