Grooming The Cavalier King Charles

The Cavalier King Charles has a coat of soft, gently-waving, never curly longish hair that is silky. There should be a profuse mane extending down in the front of the chest. There should also be thick feathering on the ears and feet, and well up the back of the legs. There should be plenty of feathering in the coat of a Cavalier King Charles. The coat should not be trimmed for the show ring.

Its red and white color type is called Blenheim after the Duke of Marlboroughs estate. Other colors include ruby, black and white and tricolor, which is a combination of black and white with russet brown accents.

Although the Cavalier King Charles claims origin in seventeenth-century England, the roots of most if not all true spaniels are found in Spain. The Cavalier King Charles probably also has some of the ancient Oriental toy breeds among its progenitors as well. Spaniels were and are sporting dogs, designed to flush and retrieve game birds. The Cavalier King Charles of the 1600s may have served a similar function, but the primary purpose was to provide pleasure for its English royalty owners. The Cavalier King Charles boasts a long history filled with royal favor.

You will need a slicker brush and comb. Many pet owners like the feet to be trimmed of feathering especially in the winter. Some pet owners prefer that all feathering be removed.

Grooming procedure:

1. Brush the Cavalier King Charles with the slicker brush.

2. Comb through the coat to remove all tangles. Use an untangle spray if necessary.

3. Check the Cavalier King Charles nails, ears and teeth.

4. Some pet owners like the thicker-coated dogs to be thinned out. You can use thinning scissors and thin with the growth of the coat. Comb the coat thoroughly. Assess whether more thinning is necessary.

5. The excess hair between food pads should always be cleaned out with scissors, but not on top of the feet. The show dog Cavalier King Charles will require a little extra attention.

Now your Cavalier King Charles is ready for his bath. Try bathing him with a pH-balanced shampoo. What may be useful for your Cavalier King Charles is a purifying shampoo and mask conditioner to enhance the coat and skin. Use this about every 4 months.

When you blow dry your Cavalier King Charles be sure you go along with the hair growth, rather than against it. You can also cage-dry your Cavalier King Charles after combing through the coat with a balsam conditioner.

Pet or show dog, the Cavalier King Charles is a delightful creature. He is especially good with children, but all ages can enjoy the companionship of a Cavalier King Charles. He loves to please his family and should do very well with grooming sessions if introduced properly and maintained on a routine basis.

The Cavalier King Charles does require a fair amount of frequent brushing and combing to keep him in shape. Nothing real complicated or anymore than the dog grooming basics of brushing, bathing, blow drying ear cleaning and nail trimming. Beyond these basics, there is a small amount of trimming.

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Connie Limon. Visit us at http://www.abouttoydogs.com and sign up for our FREE newsletters. About Toy Dogs is a toy dog breeder and article directory. Purchase ad space at $25 per year.

Shih Tzu Dog Shows

Shih Tzu dog shows and Shih Tzu dog breeding attracts the interest of people from all walks of life ranging from royalty to the lady next door. Ordinary family folk attend dog shows and compete successfully with top-quality dogs they have bred themselves. A good dog show judge will disregard all but the dogs themselves when making a final decision. Who you are or where you come from does not matter in good show dog judging. The Shih Tzu dogs have to prove themselves, not the people. The dog game is simply a love of dogs.

Most of the people you will meet at a Shih Tzu dog show share an appreciation for their dogs. As with any hobby or profession, however, there are many different opinions as to what a dog show truly is. You might hear things like: its a cult. You will definitely hear about the politics and the enormous amounts of money people spend on the dogs and how much the dogs hate it.

Where the dog game takes each participant depends wholly upon the individual interests in the sport. There is a place for everything in the dog game breeding, exhibiting, judging, training and teaching. The dog game is forever changing. To begin the Shih Tzu dog game journey, you will need a purebred Shih Tzu dog of course.

Where did it all begin? Dog showing actually began in England year of 1859. The first recorded formally organized dog show was held in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, England. The Newcastle show was limited to Setters and Pointers.

Dog shows were originally organized as a place for breeders to gather to have their breeding stock evaluated by someone knowledgeable in their respective breed. The decisions were based upon the theory that superior dogs were the most likely to contribute their good qualities to their offspring. A written description of an ideal specimen of a breed was established. These descriptions are known as breed standards. Of all Shih Tzu dogs appearing before a knowledgeable judge or person, the dog that possessed most of the characteristics described in the standard won first place. The Shih Tzu dog closest in quality to the first-place dog was placed second, and so on. This same process continues today at dog shows.

If you live in the United States you will most likely be showing your Shih Tzu dogs under the American Kennel Club. The organization maintains offices in both New York City and Raleigh, North Carolina. The AKC is the largest purebred dog registry in the United States, but other domestic registries also exist.

The American Kennel Club is devoted to the advancement of purebred dogs and maintains a registry of recognized breeds. They adopt and enforce rules for dog events, dog shows, and obedience trials, field trails, hunting tests, lure coursing, herding, earth dog trials, agility and the Canine Good Citizen program.

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Connie Limon is a Shih Tzu breeder. She publishes a FREE weekly newsletter. Sign up at: http://www.stainglassshihtzus.com