This wonderful medium sized Sporting Dog used originally for springing game
is mostly used today to find or flush and retrieve game.
Tallest of the ancient order of
land Spaniels, the English Springer Spaniel must present an overall
appearance of power and endurance with a clean but natural outline,
enhancing the quest for a dog that is able to work and keep going, even
under difficult conditions.
His coat standard calls for one
that is virtually waterproof, weatherproof and thorn proof. It must have a
glossy and clean appearance, indicative of good health. Some trimming is
allowed but not to the extent of artificiality that comes with heavy
barbering or amateurish chopping of the coat.
You can legitimately trim around the head, ears,
neck and feet to remove excess and to thin or shorten excess feathering to
enhance the overall functional appearance. It is best to wield the thinning
shears at this point having ensured you have purchased a good quality pair
that fits and suits your hand and eye. It does take skill to use a pair of
straight shears/scissors without leaving "steps and stairs" in the coat and
this is better left to the professionals. Far better and the most natural
method is to hand strip or to strip the excess undercoat with a stripping
knife. Ask a Terrier person experienced in these techniques to show you how.
As the head is meant to be the
approximate length of the length of the neck and the top of the skull to be
flat on top with a slight rounding at sides and back, your shape is fairly
designated for you. Sometimes a picture of your dog will serve to step you
back to having a good objective view of the dog that you can sometimes get
too close to with eye and heart when shaping.
When preparing this coat for a show, use the
Plush
Puppy Whitening Shampoo diluted 5 parts water to 1 part shampoo for
that nice pearly white finish to the whites and to tone the unwanted rusty
tones of the darker colour of the coat. If shine is paramount and indeed the
AKC standard uses the word glossy, then use the
Plush
Puppy All Purpose Shampoo with Henna again diluting 5:1. If the
feathering is sparse and you require a little more fullness, then use the
Plush Puppy
Body Building Shampoo diluted 3:1 for extra oomph.
A light squish through the
longer parts of the coat with a well diluted mix of up to 10:1 of
Plush
Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner will serve to keep the featherings
untangled and hydrated. I don't advise using any conditioner on the shorter
body coat as conditioner can make the coat fluffy and you want these areas
to sit flat.
For show drying, use the
Plush Puppy Pin Brush and a well diluted application of
Plush Puppy
Swishy Coat to the featherings - (1 tspn to 2 cups water) applied
and left in. This helps to keep the coat disentangled, helps reduce static
and serves to minimise excess wave. Should the coat featherings appear boofy,
excessive or wavy, then add a tspn of
Plush Puppy
Blow Dry Cream to really flatten and soften. Leave in & dry to ¾ dry
and finish for smoothest finish with the
Plush Puppy
Metro Brush. I recommend this 2 brush technique to minimise
stretching of the coat.
To maintain the coat between
shows, use the
Plush Puppy
Revivacoat diluted for quick application (1 golfball amount to 1 cup
water) and sprayed onto the coat as a grooming spray or used as a
disentangler during the week. This great product is excellent for
moisturising and hydration, helping to maintain the elasticity in the hair.
For damaged or brittle coats, use the
Plush Puppy Coat Rescue again diluted for ease and speed of
application at a ratio of 1 tbspn to 1 cup water and worked well into the
damaged areas and left for as long as the dog will sit still! Then rinse.
Another good in between show remedy is the
Plush Puppy
Seabreeze Oil. Sourced from Evening Primrose Oil and Calendula Oils
etc this organic plant product will really protect and nourish. Spray the
topline and featherings - can also be used as a final rinse 1 tbspn to 1
gal/4lt water and left in. This will not alter the texture but keep the coat
hydrated and protected. A good spray around the pee feathers stops
discolouration and breakage too. A real outdoors dog's best friend!
For severe climates add a dash
of the
Plush Puppy Sunshade to the topline and head especially for the
liver coats which sun bleach easily.
Show day - well your work has
been primarily done. You simply have to add the fluff around bits and pieces
to make this dog the star and stand out he ought to be. A quick dab of
several layers of
Plush Puppy
Coverup Cream with a barely damp sponge to the white areas such as
the face, elbows, hocks, legs etc to even out any discolouration and
finished with an application of corn starch will not only make the coat
appear whiter but assist in holding the chalk to the coat. This white cream
stays well onto the coat all day having to be washed off to remove.
The
Plush Puppy
Wonder Wash is another show day mainstay. Having done all this
preparation it is soul destroying when your dog has an accident or gets
muddied in foul weather. A quick spritz with the Wonder Wash and a light
foaming up with your hands, and then wipe clean with a towel and the dog is
as good as new. This product really foams well and doesn't just lie there on
the coat doing nothing.
Now the last minute titivations are the
Plush Puppy
Shine & Comb misted about 12 inches/30 cms above the topline and
allowed to fall just onto the topline will add that last minute sheen and
overall picture of health appearance. A very judicious dusting of
Plush Puppy Pixie Dust to the last two rows of the Metro Brush
stroked through the bib, pants and lightly to the topline prior to the Shine
& Comb, will add that extra sparkle without being overdone. I always say the
dog is to perform in the show ring and not become the glitter fairy on top
of the Xmas tree so if you have the view that if a little works well then
more must be better - don't! Everyone loves this product and it is
sensational - used wisely.
You own a breed that is
distinguished and one of a class of dogs that is from the old school of
esteemed dogs - the Gundogs. For those of us with other breeds, we admire
the skill and usefulness of a dog who not only is man's best friend but has
the ability to put food on the table. His value as a good working dog has
produced a hard, muscular animal with great pride of carriage and enthusiasm
for his job. It is a dog owned and shown throughout the century by gentlemen
and men of distinction. Shown today in the conformation ring, he has flash
and dash and class. Well presented, he is just breathtaking - a true force
to be reckoned with.
CHERYL LE COURT
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Plush Puppy TN - 15424
Hotchkiss Valley Road, Loudon TN 37774
Phone: 865-988-9889
Fax: 865 988 5665
Copyright © 2004,2005,2006,2007 Plush
Puppy TN
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