Tail trimming

[moetmum]

I never trim their tails. I like a natural dog. Having said that Pip has a very bushy tail! There are still quite a few of us in the UK who don't trim.

I don't trim their whiskas either.

[Kahirah]

I agree I dont like the trimmed look, to me just trimming very little to give it a neat apperance is all thats needed for show.

[Patty]

There are quite a few of us here who don't trim; in my opinion a 'natural' tail seems more in keeping with a 'natural' dog like a Basenji. I have seen Basenjis in the show ring here who not only have their tails but also their rears trimmed, personally I think it looks obscene.

I suppose if it had always been done here we would get used to it in the same way that we are gradually getting used to dogs with long tails who were previously docked until it was banned by our Kennel Club..

[khanis]

Hopefully, those tha tlike the natural look still bathe the dog crisp and clean.

I can tell you there is nothing more gross than going over a dog in the ring that is FILTHY, or has so much crap in it's coat that it is sticky. And yes, I am talking about Basenjis!
This also goes for toenails… don't trim AT the show... trim no later than the day before... long toenails and an unkempt dog are an insult to the judge.. that one dones't value their opinion enough to make their dog look its best.

Don't flame... I have had this happen to me in the ring!!!

My dogs are well-groomed [WITH TAIL HAIR] and carry all whiskers. I trim whiskers on the IG, as I would be the only one without them trimmed, and it just looks much cleaner on an Ig to NOT have whiskers.

[Patty]

I've never had a Basenji under me in the ring with sticky coats but I have had Basenjis that smell which is foreign to me.

I would be ashamed to take a dirty dog into the ring - I think it's disrespectful. Having said that some of the showgrounds here in bad weather are absolutely covered in mud and it's impossible to take a dog into the ring with perfectly clean legs. I do my best to clean them up before the judge has to go over them but if they are still dirty I apologise to the judge who usually take it in good heart as their legs also are mired! I suppose if my dogs were crated and so brought into the show that would be the answer but here again I feel that that's insulting to my Basenjis. They do have four legs with feet after all!!!!

I also agree with Quercus about toenails.

[moetmum]

I don't bathe my dogs for every show, sometimes I just wash the white bits. The year we had the sea of mud that was supposedly the showgrounds I used to wash the white bits when I arrived! Wash the mud off with clear water, spray shampoo then towel dry! I use baby wipes to clean off any mud before we go into the ring if necessary.

I do sometimes dremel the nails at the show, and before the show as well. I leave the dremel out at home and often give them a little file so their nails are never terribly long anyway.

Mine all walk into the shows too Patty, I use the crate and the wheels to take all of the necessary paraphernalia into the show!

[Maya]

@khanis:

Hopefully, those tha tlike the natural look still bathe the dog crisp and clean.

I can tell you there is nothing more gross than going over a dog in the ring that is FILTHY, or has so much crap in it's coat that it is sticky. And yes, I am talking about Basenjis!
This also goes for toenails… don't trim AT the show... trim no later than the day before... long toenails and an unkempt dog are an insult to the judge.. that one dones't value their opinion enough to make their dog look its best.

Don't flame... I have had this happen to me in the ring!!!

My dogs are well-groomed [WITH TAIL HAIR] and carry all whiskers. I trim whiskers on the IG, as I would be the only one without them trimmed, and it just looks much cleaner on an Ig to NOT have whiskers.

Agree with the bathing thing! When i judged pugs one time i had one that STANK! I could smell it as i walked towards the table, and his coat was so dirty and greasy. Just disgusting. How anyone can have a dog like that in their home and think its acceptable i dont know, but to take it to a show like that is just crazy.

[Maya]

@moetmum:

I don't bathe my dogs for every show, sometimes I just wash the white bits. The year we had the sea of mud that was supposedly the showgrounds I used to wash the white bits when I arrived! Wash the mud off with clear water, spray shampoo then towel dry! I use baby wipes to clean off any mud before we go into the ring if necessary.

I do sometimes dremel the nails at the show, and before the show as well. I leave the dremel out at home and often give them a little file so their nails are never terribly long anyway.

Mine all walk into the shows too Patty, I use the crate and the wheels to take all of the necessary paraphernalia into the show!

I do the white bits often also Maya isnt much of a mucky dog so i just give her a wash on her white bits and wipe her down with some baby wipes. When you're doing shows every weekend, or more than one show at a weekend, its not really good for the coat to be washed before each show

I also am guilty of dremeling at the show :o

[basi]

I don't trim tails,whiskers or EARS:eek: I like the au natural look:)

When I was showing in Germany I saw loads of tails that looked more like they had been shaved rather than trimmed and I didn't like it at all. Not sure about whiskers as never noticed:o
As for bathing mine don't get a full bath before every show usually I just do the white bits. Nails I do a couple of days before. Mine always walk in to the show also and just get wiped down once in. I like Basenjis for the fact that they are a wash n go breed:p:D

[Patty]

I totally agree with Jess about over washing - after all basenjis are perfectly good at keeping themselves reasonably clean and shouldn't need bathing every week - in my opinion too it's not good for the coat.

I'm wary of using a dremel and sometimes when one of you are dremelling at a show when I'm there I'd be grateful if you'd show me how you do it! I brought a dremel a few years ago and its still in its box unused!!!

[Janneke]

I don't bathe/wash, don't trim nails, don't touch the whiskers and I have trimmed Tillo's tail once because his breeder emailed me about it.. Haha

Tillo looks and smells perfect as he is

[dmey]

I agree, I think a little trimming the tail looks good and is ok, but the whiskers.. I don't know, I don't think they look bad and ..you know, they use them it's a necessary part of their sensory system… I don't know it just seems wrong to me.

[dmey]

yeah I agree about the bathing as well, although, here in the tropics, with the heat and really high humidity ,even Basenjis can get a litlle funky sometimes!

[moetmum]

@Patty:

I totally agree with Jess about over washing - after all basenjis are perfectly good at keeping themselves reasonably clean and shouldn't need bathing every week - in my opinion too it's not good for the coat.

I'm wary of using a dremel and sometimes when one of you are dremelling at a show when I'm there I'd be grateful if you'd show me how you do it! I brought a dremel a few years ago and its still in its box unused!!!

The secret to the dogs co-operating with the dremel is bribery! Mine queue up because they want the treat.

I use the Dremel all the time at home, I have 4 B's that aren't shown at the moment! If its an indoor show and you just briefly dremel the nails they look super clean when they go in the ring!