The BCDGC

Vikki Pearman gives us the rundown of what we can expect from the British Creative Dog Grooming Championships in 2023, as well as what we can expect to see differently from this year’s

show.

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers?

My name is Vikki Pearman, and I have been a groomer for nearly 18 years, 11 of those running my salon Pedigrees n Pooches alongside my husband Trevor who is also a groomer.

I started competing in extreme creative competition with my standard poodle Lacie in 2013 and over the years, I have won many placements, and competed in Ireland, Canada and America. Creative grooming is a passion and growing in popularity every year and as such, I decided to set up Creative Dog Grooming UK.

In 2017 via Facebook and our website www.creativedoggrooming.co.uk, we aimed to provide groomers in the UK with information to understand and effectively utilise creative grooming techniques in the salon, as well as the competition ring without compromising the comfort or safety of the animal involved.

Creative Dog Grooming UK is a safe place where like-minded people can show and discuss their work without fear of being attacked or abused.

What can you tell me about the British Creative Dog Grooming Championships?

The British Creative Dog Grooming

Championships was born out of requests from fellow like-minded, creative groomers wanting more creative classes to compete in.

Unfortunately, there is a lack of these classes at other competitions as sadly misinformed people still disagree with the practices of creative styling and don’t allow coloured dogs on their premises.

The 1st ever British Creative Dog Grooming Championships was held in a small village hall in 2019. It was a great fun, friendly competition and we had amazing feedback.

Now we have grown to the point where last year, we moved to a larger location so we could accommodate more entries, as well as host seminars and have trade stands. It was the largest yet with over 70 competitors.

We have classes for all abilities, from 1st timers to seasoned pros, where any breed of dogs can be used, even smooth coats. Classes include Extreme Creative, Salon Creative, Carving, Asian Fusion, Juniors, Canine Catwalk, Model Dog and Grooming MaTTers.

What can groomers expect from this year’s event, compared to previous British Creative Dog Grooming Championships?

This year’s event is going to be bigger and better, with classes filling up nicely and a number of trade stands booked. We are hoping to get one of the amazing creative groomers from America to judge and teach a seminar, but at this moment it’s not been confirmed.

We still aim to be the most welcoming, and friendliest grooming competition, as well as providing a good chance for creative groomers from all over the UK to come and have a great day out socialising, and getting new ideas.

What are you most excited about for this year’s British Creative Dog Grooming Championships?

Every year I’m excited about The British Creative Dog Grooming Championships. Just seeing how well the creative grooming side of the industry is growing with new faces competing.

We love encouraging new groomers to compete and try being creative in a small but friendly environment. One of my favourite parts of the day is the extreme creative class and trying to work out what the competitors have come up with in their designs.

How does The British Creative Dog Grooming Championships differ from other grooming events?

The British Creative Dog Grooming Championships is the UK’s only fully creative dog grooming competition; you won’t find any breed-standard hairstyles here. Everyone can get involved from supervised children to adults. Even if you have a non-hair cutting breed, we have had boxers and Staffordshire bull terriers entered alongside poodles in salon creative, there are classes for all.

It’s a fun, friendly atmosphere with no pressure where everyone is ready to help each other.

Where can people go to get more information on The British Creative Dog Grooming Championships?

For more information on The British Creative Dog Grooming Championships, our events calendar, education, products and more, visit our website at www. creativedoggrooming.co.uk or find us on Facebook and Instagram.

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