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NikaClea
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Grooming The CHOW CHOW
The Chow puppy you bring home should be taught to quietly lie on its side for grooming. To start, you just make them lay still for a few minutes each day, praising them each time they do this and increase the time day by day. A grooming table is a must for the new exhibitor. A non-skid bath mat on a sturdy table will suffice for the pet owner.
To teach your puppy this, wrap your arms around him, as one would carry a lamb (see illustration this page), gently turning him over on his side and slightly leaning on him. The first few times you do this, just rub your hands over him rather than doing any grooming. The puppy coat is best to tackle with a poodle comb, a three-inch deep one with teeth widely spaced. A one-inch comb with teeth spaced both closely and far apart will be used behind the ears and on the metatarsals. On adults' coats, you will use a brush and a comb.
With the puppy lying on his side, start at the top of the shoulders and work your way back toward the rear. Hold the hair back with one hand and comb out a small amount of hair forward (see illustration). Use short deep strokes. Make sure you are combing down to the skin. If you comb only the top surface, you'll tend to card the coat. This will virtually create one big mat on your pup. As you finish combing out each section you're holding, keep moving toward the rear of the dog. Finish the midsection. Move to the hind leg. Comb it in a downward direction. Do the front leg in a downward direction. Comb the top and side of the mane. Turn the puppy over and repeat.
Sit your Chow up. Work up from between the front legs, pushing up with one hand and combing down. When you get to the mane, comb down and out. Stand the dog up and work up from the back of the hind foot. Comb the metatarsal hair straight back. Push the breechings up on an angle towards the anus; comb down and out. Pretend the wind is blowing from the rear and fanning the hind end. Starting behind the front foot, hold the coat up. Comb down and back. Hold the tail straight up and work up from its base. Comb it down all around
Scissoring Shape all four feet. Put the blade of the thinning shears under the excess hair and lift up. Snip and lift. Snip and lift. Cut across the front of the foot. Do not indent around each toe. Do, however, pick foot up and remove excess hair from around pads from underneath.
Use the one-inch comb on the metatarsal hair. Comb out and back again. Point thinning shears straight down if you find it easier to do this with your Chow standing. Otherwise, support the leg backwards and scissor with the thinning shears pointing up. Let your puppy return to standing every once in a while to review the progress of you handiwork. Take it a little bit at a time. You do not want to take the hair off all the way down to the skin. Instead, try to leave enough on to make the front and rear bones appear equal. Leaving too much on will ruin the straight-hocked appearance
Bathing A pet Chow rarely requires a bath. His coat and skin are naturally sweet smelling and flea-resistant. Too much bathing will dry out these properties. Semi-weekly brushing will usually keep your dog in fine shape. A hot bath will loosen the coat that is ready to shed out once a year A show Chow requires more frequent bathing, whether it be full or spot bathing. The dirt of the dog show sites and the grit that clings to coat conditioners make it so..
Thoroughly brush out your dog. Carefully split and comb out any mats. Put a few drops of mineral oil or ear medication in his ears and plug them with several cotton balls each. You can apply an ointment in the eyes if you'll be using a harsh shampoo.
Soak the coat with warm, not hot, water. Lather, then rinse well. Lather again, then rinse thoroughly. A trick that will help you deep lather through the Chow's double coat is to use a terry facecloth to rub in the shampoo. Apply conditioner, let soak in and rinse out if necessary. Cut the softened nails when you take to dog out of the tub. Let him shake while you continue using several Turkish towels to blot him. A correct texture of coat will start drying quite rapidly. Unfortunately, the undercoat retains moisture. You must, therefore, concern yourself with drying it thoroughly. Pay particular attention to the underside of the tail and the area it covers. The same care should be taken behind the ears, the elbows and around the male's testicles. Even when you think you've sufficiently dried these areas, some unobtrusive cornstarch or medicated powder won't hurt. Blow dry the Chow as shown in the diagrams. Use a high-velocity cool heat to blow as you brush. Wait overnight for the coat to settle before you neaten your dog up
Removal of Whiskers
The removal of whiskers is subject to debate. It's allowable, but some fanciers feel that you are injuring a sensory organ when you do so. You must decide one way or the other, the clean look or the whiskered look. Do not leave the stubble look or feel. If you do remove whiskers, insert your finger inside the lip and push out where you want to cut them. Use the tip of scissors to snip as closely to the skin as possible.
Grooming the Headpiece
Use a flea comb to comb the dead hair off the muzzle. It is also valuable under the bottom jaw and around the lip where food may be trapped. Use the one-inch comb on the skull to comb down and define the scowl. Comb the fine hair behind the ears. Brush the offstanding mane to frame the head. Keep your Chow's bib dry with the dryer or some cornstarch or powder. Secure a towel or bib tightly under the chin until judging.
Trimming
The Chow Chow Standard reads "Obvious trimming or shaping is undesirable". The key word here is obvious. A red puppy coat that has been scissored back to expose charcoal gray or black undercoat looks awful. So does a male's underside that has been scalped so much as to leave his penis in plain view. Cutting the mane into a perfect circle is unnatural. Why people scissor-in a tuck-up on a breed that frowns on one is a mystery. However, do not kid yourself that trimming doesn't exist. Look at most of the top-winning Chows and notice how neat they look. Scissoring, plucking and thinning helped create that look. Pointy tips on the ears can be rounded off. A low tailset can be made to appear higher, as can a good tailset. A mane hanging in a point and obstructing the front gives an optical illusion of a narrower front. The same holds true for excess coat between the front legs. It's better to lop off long wisps than to try and save them. Scissoring back actually gives a fuller look.
Clipping
Do not think that clipping your Chow down for summer will cool him. Instead, his coat acts as insulation. Even if you've neglected your dog's coat, it is still preferable to carefully comb it out rather than shave it off.
Hot Spots
Moist eczema, or more simply, a hot spot, is the condition whereby your dog will chew on his skin and coat until it becomes a raw, oozing sore. Any number of factors can contribute to your Chow gnawing on himself. Boredom, change of diet, stress, and allergies are usually the cause. Allergies can involve your Chow being overly sensitive to a fleabite. You may not find any fleas on your dog because his skin naturally repels them, but one may eat and run. Some Chows have been found to be allergic to wheat. Therefore, when a corn-based kibble is substituted, an improvement is possible. Basically, if you suspect your dog is having an allergic reaction to something, have your veterinarian conduct a series of tests. If you can nip a hot spot before it becomes too deep or too infected, you might try something as simple as a cornstarch, not talc-based, medicated powder. The object is to dry up the moisture and relieve your Chow of the itchiness. If the hot spot is severe, your only recourse is to clip down that area, consult your vet for medicated shampoo and salve, and keep the spot clear of flies. This is a gross subject, but double coats trap moist eczema and invite flies that lay eggs. In a matter of hours eggs can become maggots that burrow into the skin. Therefore, treat any hot spot immediately and you should be able to clear it up rather quickly.
Good luck with your grooming!
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Grooming the chow-chow |
