Grooming

 

The discussion about grooming a Spinone will vary from one extreme to possibly another extreme, depending on who you talk to.  In Italy, the UK, and all other countries except the USA, the Spinone is a breed that is stripped of its coat, most especially before they enter the show ring.  There are many thoughts as to why stripping is done, one being it is the practice of removing dead coat.  Stripping the coat (pulling out the dead hair) is a fairly quick method and thorough. A dog running through the brambles might do the same thing, only not as uniform. Another reason for stripping, especially with dogs that enter the show ring, is in stripping the coat from head to toe, a judge can easily see the conformation and the structure of the dog from nose to bottom.  A dog with a longer correct coat can visually hide flaws with the coat. If stripped, the flaws are very present.

I think every Spinone owner that has a dog with a longer coat or a very hairy face, should at least have the opportunity of seeing the possibilities of what grooming can do to the look of their dog.  A very important feature of the Spinone is the expression in their eyes. With their eyes covered with floppy coat from the top of their head and/or from the bridge of their nose, you cannot see that beautiful expression. Once properly groomed, the face comes alive.  This is, of course, my opinion.

I would like to thank Jan Anderson from the UK for her contribution to specifically grooming the head of a Spinone. Click the link below.

 

For more information on grooming, visit:

Klondike Spinoni

 

I want to thank Val Smith for offering her pictures taken during the stripping process of her dogs.  Val lives in Scotland and can be contacted at Javalspins@btinternet.com if you have any questions about the process.  I offer her pictures as a way to learn the technique and to see some of the possibilities of a dog that has been cleaned up.


Tools for grooming


 

Here are some pictures prior to grooming

   
   
   
   
 


 

The actual steps to stripping

 

What a groomed head can look like

 

What the dogs look like after stripping

   

 






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