Grooming For Supercoat

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" bgproperties="fixed" background="09300500dvldtc.png"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" ><B>Vanderbilt Samoyeds </B></FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" >-</FONT><FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" > </FONT><FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Bradley Hand ITC" >striving for global breed type</FONT><B>   |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Vanderbilt Samoyeds"><U><B>home</B></U></A><B>   |   </B><A HREF="mailto:samoyeds@gmail.com" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:samoyeds@gmail.com"><U><B>e-mail</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Grooming For Supercoat</B>   |   <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Candids n Quotes"><U>Candids 'n Quotes</U></A>   |   <A HREF="id205.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Tribute to Friends"><U>Tribute to Friends</U></A></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF" background="094d2c00dvldtc.png"> <div> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="170" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 337 ><NOBR><div>  </div> <div> <IMG SRC="a73a0770.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="119" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <bR> <div>   <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript">var site="s10vanderbilt"</script> <script type="text/javascript" language="JavaScript1.2" src="http://s10.sitemeter.com/js/counter.js?site=s10vanderbilt"> </script> <noscript> <a href="http://s10.sitemeter.com/stats.asp?site=s10vanderbilt" target="_top"> <img src="http://s10.sitemeter.com/meter.asp?site=s10vanderbilt" alt="Site Meter" border=0></a> </noscript>    </div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> Grooming For Supercoat</div> <div>  </div> <div> <TABLE BORDER="2" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="748" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" BGCOLOR=#FFFFFF > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 2776 WIDTH="736"><div> <B>GROOMING FOR SUPERCOAT</B><FONT SIZE="2" COLOR="#111111" FACE="Arial" > </FONT></div> <bR> <div> (This article originally appeared in the Samoyed Association of Canada's quarterly publication "Sammy News" - November 2002 issue (Editor<A HREF="mailto:l.a.ink@shaw.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:l.a.ink@shaw.ca"><U> </U></A><A HREF="mailto:l.a.ink@shaw.ca" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:l.a.ink@shaw.ca"><U>Lee Anne Palutke</U></A>.  It appears now in a slightly edited version.  Contact as at email above if you'd like to have the original article. JE)</div> <bR> <div> The weather has turned cool, and lots of Sams are showing up in the show </div> <div> rings in "full dress" again after a long hot summer. The aim of this article </div> <div> will be to help the serious exhibitor grow and maintain a prime show coat on </div> <div> their Samoyed. Who needs a Supercoat? The campaign dog going to shows 50 </div> <div> weekends a year? The occasional showdog being shown once or twice a </div> <div> quarter? The house pet? The answer will vary with the owners. As a judge I </div> <div> will tell you people frequently show dirty dogs. They will do all manner of </div> <div> chaulking, pasting, and spraying goo and perfume into a dogs coat to try to </div> <div> make it presentable. Unfortunately, there are no real shortcuts to proper </div> <div> grooming procedures. That is something to consider whether you are looking </div> <div> for "an edge" in the ring, or simply to make your couch potatoe as </div> <div> comfortable as he can be.</div> <bR> <div> The very FIRST factor in achieving the glorious Samoyed Supercoat is </div> <div> genetics. Make no mistake about this one. First you BREED it in, next you </div> <div> FEED it in, then you GROOM it in. Wispy, soft, droopy, dry, overdone or </div> <div> overly-sparse coats are 'usually' genetic in nature - though poor management </div> <div> of coats is always contributory to poor condition as well. Brown, </div> <div> dingy, smelly, greasy coats are dirty. Any judge worth his salt knows the difference </div> <div> between biscuit and kennel stains.</div> <bR> <div> For the purposes of this article I will limit discussion to adult coats. </div> <div> Samoyed puppy coats are another whole article in and of themselves! A very </div> <div> common comment heard around Sammy rings is "he blew his coat with the bath". </div> <div> Usually the dog in question has been recently bathed "for" the show and 50% </div> <div> plus of his undercoat fell out in the bath/blowdry process. The disheartened </div> <div> exhibitor makes his proclamation at ringside as if his dog had plotted this event!  The morale then generally becomes one of feeling the dog has been categorically eliminated from winning anything on this basis.  Of course loss of confidence is STRIKE TWO!</div> <bR> <div> The dog was bought as "show quality". The entries were paid weeks before. The family </div> <div> activities were rerouted to accommodate attending this show with *great* </div> <div> judges; the bait made, the van packed. Hmmm ... somebody forgot to condition </div> <div> the dog! Typically the dog hasn't been bathed for several months, and the </div> <div> owner was blissfully unaware of the process that was silently occurring at </div> <div> the dog's skin level - namely a slow but continuous dying of old hairs, </div> <div> with regrowth blocked by the dead coat still holding the follicle position. </div> <div> Regular combing/brushing removed some of the dead coat - but not well enough </div> <div> to avoid the above scenario.</div> <bR> <div> What then is the secret? Plain old soap and water, and some dedication to </div> <div> routine (aka elbow grease). Starting with a full coat, the best way to KEEP it is to </div> <div> bath/blowout it out every week. That's right EVERY week - or two weeks at </div> <div> the most. Starting with no coat, this program will also hasten a regrowth. </div> <div> This single act alone will serve to "roll" the coat through it's shedding </div> <div> stages so that the follicles are always stimulated and regrowth encouraged. </div> <div> Ask any Afghan or Shih Tzu person - "clean" hair grows. Dirt is the enemy of </div> <div> the showcoat. Here I will insert a standard disclaimer before all the </div> <div> purists start jumping up and down. It is perfectly possible and indeed </div> <div> desirable for the "Samoyed showdog" to dig holes, rollick in the mud, run through the woods and </div> <div> otherwise get good and dirty between shows - just being a dog. A Samoyed </div> <div> cannot be kept "off the ground", or "under wraps" for the purposes of holding </div> <div> a show coat. At least not a "happy" Samoyed, as the mind must be conditioned </div> <div> as well! And the good news is that this is not necessary. The </div> <div> properly textured Samoyed coat resists most dirt - or at least it falls out </div> <div> quite easily with grooming. Adult coat is somewhat porous, but not as not </div> <div> porous as puppy coat - which can and does become easily stained.  Of course chronic dirt WILL stain the coat over time, but a weekly washing can do wonders to keep the coat fresh, healthy, and sparkling.</div> <bR> <div> There are several elemental hazards to Samoyed Supercoat - the largest, </div> <div> arguably, is the sun. Samoyed coat responds quite quickly to sun exposure by </div> <div> the beautiful silver tips turning brown and curling over. We frequently see </div> <div> these "singed" coats in the ring. Even dogs provided with plenty of shade </div> <div> will often get enough sun exposure in a week to damage the silvertips noticeably.</div> <bR> <div> The next elemental problem is moisture in its chronic form. This may start </div> <div> as a wet coat from rainfall absorbed into the coat or damp quarters. Over </div> <div> time the moisture causes skin irritations that alter the colour of the hair, </div> <div> emit a foul odour, and most definitely are not comfortable for the dog. </div> <div> Pressure points (such as elbows) are also often stained or calloused. A Sam </div> <div> kept in these conditions cannot have a supercoat. End of story.  Sams like to eat bedding, so keeping them dry and comfortable can be a challenge!!  Wood shavings are a reasonably good choice for indoor kennels, though some of the woods used in these products also can stain the coats!  In the house, good absorbent mats and furniture covers will keep the dog clean of 'trace' elemental debris.  A dilute antistatic sprayed on the coat a couple of times a day is also probably a good idea to minimize static damage and hair loss.</div> <bR> <div> Back to maintenance grooming. If your Sam is fully bathed with an excellent </div> <div> quality shampoo and blownout/combed out weekly - he WILL grow coat. If he </div> <div> doesn't, he likely either has a disease process going on (check for parasites </div> <div> and thyroid levels for starters), or genetically is not programmed for </div> <div> Supercoat and nothing you do will ever give him one.</div> <bR> <div> The combination of skin stimulation and removal of dead hair from </div> <div> bathing/drying, and regular combing will in normal circumstances, produce a </div> <div> coat of such luster, sparkle and lushness that you will be amazed it is the </div> <div> same dog! This kind of conditioning usually takes 2-3 months to turn a </div> <div> damaged coat around, but can keep a Samoyed in show coat for about 10-11 </div> <div> months of a year. Contrary to common belief, it does not strip the Samoyed </div> <div> coat of "oils" - at least we have never found frequent bathing to dry out our </div> <div> Sams coats unless we were using too harsh a shampoo.  Males are generally </div> <div> easier to keep in show coat because they usually shed less, and do not </div> <div> experience the "big blow" that follows the seasons in some bitches.</div> <bR> <div> A word about the blow-dryer - try to get one of the big "Hurricane" </div> <div> or "Cyclone" dryers - they cost more but you will save MANY HOURS in drying </div> <div> time.  And once you start "the program", it's the ONLY way to fly! Whatever your dryer type - use COOL air, as hot air is not healthy or comfortable. And of conditioners - they are only rarely required for damaged/dry </div> <div> coats, and even then go lightly! Too much conditioner will make the coat </div> <div> soft, droopy, and difficult to dry.</div> <bR> <div> You have conditioned your beautiful Sam's coat, and bring him to the shows </div> <div> glistening. The final touches can either be done at home, but usually are </div> <div> left for day-of-show so the dog looks his freshest. We spoke earlier of </div> <div> chronic moisture being the enemy. Today humidity will work in your favour. </div> <div> Groom your dog with a VERY dilute solution of an antistatic grooming </div> <div> solution. Mist each area freely and often as you go. LINE COMB the entire </div> <div> body. Use the pinbrush on the tail. You will feel the coat "body up" as the </div> <div> moisture is absorbed as you groom and spray. The reason that your product </div> <div> needs to be dilute is that you don't want anything building up on the hair </div> <div> that is going to interfere with the judges feeling the true and natural </div> <div> texture of your dog's beautifully conditioned Supercoat. I usually take a </div> <div> spray bottle of plain water to ringside with me to "freshen" the coat </div> <div> frequently. A Samoyed will usually shake after the coat is </div> <div> humidified and the clean, immaculately groomed coat will stand off gloriously!</div> <bR> <div> Other grooming details include neatening up the pads of the feet and hocks,</div> <div> and of course trimming the nails. The legs can be brightened up daily </div> <div> before exhibition if they have gotten dirty from day to day by using "the </div> <div> purple stuff" - a self rinsing shampoo. Apply this liberally to the legs and </div> <div> feet, and lightly mist the body. Spray some directly on your clean hands to </div> <div> apply to the face and ears (careful of the eyes!). Next towel dry as much </div> <div> out of the coat as possible. Blow dry the legs, starting with the feet. </div> <div> Usually by the time you finish the legs the body is already dry, but if still </div> <div> damp - keep drying. If the legs still look dull I might apply some absorbent </div> <div> cornstarch - but remember that all foreign substances must be removed before </div> <div> entering the ring. Blowing out the cornstarch/powder with a dryer is </div> <div> recommended. Comb "up" the hair on the legs/hocks, do a final misting of the </div> <div> body, and you are done!</div> <bR> <div> Now your dog looks spectacular, and you have prepared well to win! If the </div> <div> dog is exemplary in breed type, movement, temperament ~and~ both dog and </div> <div> handler have some modicum of training - your preparation in conditioning a </div> <div> Supercoat could make the difference. Of course it's just one part of the </div> <div> plan of winners. We'll cover others in future articles.</div> <bR> <div> Send your specific grooming questions/problems to <<U>vanderbilt@nexicom.net</U>>. </div> <div> As time permits I will try to answer all.</div> <bR> <div> Judi Elford</div> <bR> <bR> <bR> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></div> <bR> <div>  </div> </td> </tr></table></body>