Britt grooming question

[GL]

It has been a while since I stopped in here. My Goldy just turned 5 and I joined the forum when I first got her. It has been a tough 5 years but my Britt has been a complete pleasure and a very fine companion.

We finally have a much needed vacation planned for the end of this month. Heading from NY and up to Moosehead Lake in Maine for a couple weeks. One week on the lake and another on the coast in S.W. Harbor. All of our arrangements for lodging include pet friendly places so my gal is coming with us.

I have an appointment to get her groomed for the very first time on the day before we hit the road. I want her looking at her best for the trip. I just don't know what a well groomed Britt should look like and want to be sure to direct the groomer so she does not go overboard and mess her looks up. I do keep her paws and nails trimmed and I do my best with the fine hairs around and under her ears that like to get matted. She loves being pampered and bathed but is by no means a wuss. Usually, right after a nice bath she goes out and finds the nastiest stink she can roll in and comes back with a very proud poop eating grin.

I don't want her looking like a phony with bells and ribbons, just neatly trimmed in all the right places. Can anyone post a few pictures of a well groomed Britt that I can take to the groomer and show her what I want?

She has been about as trouble free and easy to live with as any dog we have ever owned. She loves every one and every dog she ever comes in contact with and is always ready to go in a heart beat. She also loves to swim and the nearest mud puddle will do, not much of a girl and absolutely fearless in the woods and fields. Fishing on the boat is a real treat and when she gets hot it is not surprising to see her jump in. I don't hunt over her but she does a great job hunting on her own and keeps the black bears out of her yard like it is her mission in life.

So, what does a nicely groomed Britt look like?

Thank you all

Gary L

[BigTub]

We keep ours clipped pretty short just due to heat and shedding. However, "looking best" is the opposite of that. You will not see one clipped in the show rink.

[GL]

We keep ours clipped pretty short just due to heat and shedding. However, "looking best" is the opposite of that. You will not see one clipped in the show rink.

Thanks Big Tub, I am looking for pics of what to trim and what NOT to trim. I do love her feathering behind her legs and the wavy coat but her ears do get a bit unruly and scraggly looking at times. The few times I have done a trim myself she looked like she just got a new and very bad hair cut. Too neat and too trimmed is not good.

[deseeker]

Bourbon xiii pic.jpg

This is a show picture of Joe Jung's National Runner-up/Dual Champion Bourbon XIII. This should give you an idea of what to trim
There are a couple of members on here that have dual champion brits that could post their show pictures.

Sorry about the size--I got carried away :roll:

[nhachman]

http://www.brittanygrooming.com/

Great resource for grooming for conformation.

[GL]

http://www.brittanygrooming.com/

Great resource for grooming for conformation.

Thank you so much for this great info. This is exactly what I needed to see and more than I could ask for. Even more interesting is that the dog in the pictures is a spitting image of my female and could easily pass for her sister. The close up shots of her ears is exactly what I am dealing with and my own previous attempts at trimming left her looking like a real bad hair cut because I don't have the skills or proper tools for thinning.

I can only hope the groomer I have selected will do as nice a job and possibly even look over this tutorial. If I can I will get some before and after shots and post them here.

Gary

[JWP58]

Hmmm i just pop a guard on and start buzzing lol...

Its a hunting dog, I think any trim/cut/buzz will do. But thats just me.

[nhachman]

Hmmm i just pop a guard on and start buzzing lol...

Its a hunting dog, I think any trim/cut/buzz will do. But thats just me.

My Britt gets a #1 guard from tail tip to the base of the skull every May. She grows it back by hunting season.

[isonychia]

self grooming brit

[AZ Brittany Guy]

http://clubs.akc.org/brit/NationalSpecialtyShows.htm

Take a look at some of the pictures on this website. Pay attention to the pictures of the show dogs.

[GL]

Self grooming Britt, Ha! We are constantly amazed with both the positions she gets into and how utterly comfortable she seems when there. Love it when she is fast asleep on her back and doing a running dream with all four going and faint growls and barks.

Just my opinion here and I have no problems with others opinions but I think it would be a shame to buzz cut all those curls and feathers. I might change my attitude if I lived in very hot or desert areas. I have never trimmed anything but her feet and under her ears. Mine is in the water every day a few times and it blows me away how fast she drip dries.

[nhachman]

Self grooming Britt, Ha! We are constantly amazed with both the positions she gets into and how utterly comfortable she seems when there. Love it when she is fast asleep on her back and doing a running dream with all four going and faint growls and barks.

Just my opinion here and I have no problems with others opinions but I think it would be a shame to buzz cut all those curls and feathers. I might change my attitude if I lived in very hot or desert areas. I have never trimmed anything but her feet and under her ears. Mine is in the water every day a few times and it blows me away how fast she drip dries.

We trial in the late spring and early fall when it can be quite hot in the midwest. I don't shave the feathering on the legs or ears. Those get trimmed with scissors and then hit with thinning shears.

[JWP58]

Just my opinion here and I have no problems with others opinions but I think it would be a shame to buzz cut all those curls and feathers.

Great thing about hair is it tends to grow back.....

[Ruffshooter]

When in Moosehead take note of the Grouse. I will be starting to be up there in the end of the month. Not sure when you will be up here but all the chicks should have been flying pretty good for a few weeks now. so if it is in a couple weeks, there may be good time to get a little training done.

Rick

[GL]

When in Moosehead take note of the Grouse. I will be starting to be up there in the end of the month. Not sure when you will be up here but all the chicks should have been flying pretty good for a few weeks now. so if it is in a couple weeks, there may be good time to get a little training done.

Rick

Thanks Ruffshooter, she may have some fun up there with them. Where we live is in fox, coyote and Bob cat country and Grouse are very few and far between. Surprisingly, and with zero training, she does find a few here now and again. I am guilty of owning a dog that does have all the capabilities and sense but I am not a hunter. Some would say I have ruined her because she is a companion and with me night and day either fishing, boating, swimming, hiking or just hanging out around the yard while I work. She never stops hunting and chipmunks are her favorite but patrolling the yard and keeping the large population of black bears out of it are her passion. They apparently have a distinct odor and she will wake from a sound sleep while we are watching TV to let me know with a low guttural growl that a bear is in her yard. In a different life and with a different owner I am sure she would do fine as a bird dog but she is just a pal for me and worth her weight in Gold. It is very nice to watch her go into a gorgeous point when she sees turkeys just outside of the yard and in the woods. We will be at Moosehead on July 21.

Gary

[DonF]

I'd just buzz cut her. On my setter's I cut off everything but the feathering on the front legs and the tail but do clean out a few inches on the base of the tail. The leg feathering I trim with thining sissors and then down to about a inch long. Lady from back east recently had a photo of her dog in here with a field cut and a great job to. Karen, yea Maybe she'll see this and post a photo for you.

Tried to find the post by Karen but can't do it. Think about what she looked like when you first got her and leave a little bit of feathering in the front legs.

[Karen]

DonF, you must be thinking about this picture:



This is the same dog, with coat, groomed to be shown:



It's really a matter of personal preference how you want your dog to look. When I posted the 1st picture above, someone was convinced Blaze was a pointer/britt mix. He's done showing, and doesn't handle the heat well, so we tend to keep him shaved down so he's more comfortable in the field competing (and it's easier to find ticks on him this way).

Your dog doesn't look like she's heavily coated, she'd probably be fine with a trim. Finding a groomer that can do a decent cut on a Brittany is another story completely. Most groomers that you'll find at PetSmart or your local grooming shop won't have a clue how to groom a Brittany, and may not have the skills to do it properly even with pictures (sorry but most can use clippers....few can properly use thinning shears).

Keep in mind that if you chose to shave your dog down, her coat may not grow in with the same texture it has now. Blaze's grew in softer and more cottony, which means he's a burr magnet when in full coat.

[GL]

Thanks to all for the great info and pictures. I love the look of the "Ready for show" cut the best and would never consider a buzz. I will also keep in mind what Karen warns with groomers and technique.

Here is Goldy today in her untrimmed look. A bit scraggly in my opinion which is why I want to get her trimmed for vacation.







Gary

[Karen]

If you want her to look absolutely excellent, and don't mind driving a bit, I'd make the trip to Hope's Kennel in Blairstown, NJ and have Doug Tighe groom her. There is NO BETTER when it comes to grooming Brittanys.

http://www.hopeskennels.com/

I can't think of anyone up your way that shows, but like I said, I'd make the trip to Doug. He's about the same distance from me, and I've made the trip MANY times for grooming over the years, while I learned to do it myself.

[GL]

If you want her to look absolutely excellent, and don't mind driving a bit, I'd make the trip to Hope's Kennel in Blairstown, NJ and have Doug Tighe groom her. There is NO BETTER when it comes to grooming Brittanys.

http://www.hopeskennels.com/

I can't think of anyone up your way that shows, but like I said, I'd make the trip to Doug. He's about the same distance from me, and I've made the trip MANY times for grooming over the years, while I learned to do it myself.

Outstanding Karen and only 60 miles from me! I will be calling Doug to get some ideas of cost and schedules. Thank you

Gary

[Karen]

Cool! PLEASE post a new picture when she's all purtied up!

[GL]

Cool! PLEASE post a new picture when she's all purtied up!

Will DO!

Gary

[DonF]

DonF, you must be thinking about this picture:



This is the same dog, with coat, groomed to be shown:



It's really a matter of personal preference how you want your dog to look. When I posted the 1st picture above, someone was convinced Blaze was a pointer/britt mix. He's done showing, and doesn't handle the heat well, so we tend to keep him shaved down so he's more comfortable in the field competing (and it's easier to find ticks on him this way).

Your dog doesn't look like she's heavily coated, she'd probably be fine with a trim. Finding a groomer that can do a decent cut on a Brittany is another story completely. Most groomers that you'll find at PetSmart or your local grooming shop won't have a clue how to groom a Brittany, and may not have the skills to do it properly even with pictures (sorry but most can use clippers....few can properly use thinning shears).

Keep in mind that if you chose to shave your dog down, her coat may not grow in with the same texture it has now. Blaze's grew in softer and more cottony, which means he's a burr magnet when in full coat.

Yes. That first photo is it. beautiful job.

I don't worry about how it comes back because I like them shorter hair any way. My boy's coats were way to soft. If there's came back any different I haven't noticed. Beautiful groom job karen!

[GL]

Goldy finally met up with Doug at Hopes Kennels. I think she looks great and she is as proud as a Peacock.







Thanks Karen and this is exactly what I wanted. Doug is a Pro and well worth the trip.

Gary

[Karen]

She looks great!