6 minute read
Portuguese Water Dog Styling
How Many Dogs Should You Groom a Day?
Portuguese Water Dog Styling Portuguese Water Dog Styling Portuguese Water Dog Styling
by by Jodi Murphy Jodi Murphy
Before grooming any pure breed it is always wise to read the breed standard. The breed standards are individual breed descriptions written by the parent breed clubs which define the ideal dog based on correct structure, temperament, coat type, etc. The standard is considered a blueprint to the perfect animal of that particular breed. Having breed standards sets goals for breeders to improve their breeding programs. The AKC Complete Dog Book consists of all the registered breeds in the United States.
Understanding the important points of the breed standard will help in understanding correct pattern placement, coat length and the correct structure of the breed. Let's take a look at the Portuguese Water Dog. The Portuguese Water Dog is a Working dog originating from Portugal. It was used to herd fish into nets and to retrieve broken nets and tackle for fisherman.
The Portuguese Water Dog is a natural swimmer and would act as a courier from both ship to ship and ship to shore. Due to their utility they have a very dense waterproof coat to protect them
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from the icy waters of Portugal. The Portuguese Water Dog can be shown in two different trims: the Lion trim or the Retriever trim.
The breed standard describes the two trims as follows:
Lion Clip As soon as the coat grows long, the middle part and hindquarters, as well as the muzzle, are clipped. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length. Retriever Clip In order to give a natural appearance and a smooth unbroken line, the entire coat is scissored or clipped to follow the outline of the dog, leaving a short blanket of coat no longer than one inch in length. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length. The Lion Clip is a very popular trim for dogs with a wavy coat. The curly coats are much easier to scissor and are often groomed in the Retriever Clip. Proportion Off square; slightly longer than tall when measured from prosternum to rearmost point of the buttocks, and from withers to ground. Neck–Straight,
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short, round, and held high. Strongly muscled.
Topline and Chest Level and firm.
The above statement describes the proportions of the dog. Some breeds have a square outline which means that the length and height of the dog are of equal parts, like the Poodle for example. The PWD is slightly longer than tall. The topline should be set level. Chest is broad and deep, reaching down to the elbow. Ribs are long and wellsprung to provide optimum lung capacity. Abdomen well held up in a graceful line.
Not docked; thick at the base and tapering; set on slightly below the line of the back; should not reach below the hock. When the dog is attentive the tail is held in a ring, the front of which should not reach forward of the loin. The hair at the end of the tail is left at full length. The tail is of great help when swimming and diving. Shoulders
Shoulders are well inclined and very strongly muscled. Upper arms are strong. Forelegs are strong and straight. The above statement describes the ribs and the depth of the chest. The depth of chest should reach the elbow. The coat should be trimmed to the elbow line. Some dogs may not have the correct depth of chest, however, by trimming the coat to the elbow will give the illusion of the correct structure.
Abdomen
"Abdomen well held up in a graceful line" describes the underline. The underline should be trimmed following the natural underline of the ribcage into the tuck up creating a graceful line. The tail is described as being thicker at the base and tapering. The tail should have a plume at the end and should be left in full length not reaching below the hock when held down.
Note: the word "strong" is consistently used when describing the PWD. The front legs are described as being strong and straight. Enough coat should be left on the legs to create a column-like appearance as well as giving a strong appearance. If the legs are trimmed too short they will appear weak. Hindquarters Powerful; well balanced with the front assembly. Legs, viewed from the rear, are parallel to each other, straight and very strongly muscled in upper and lower thighs. The rear legs are described as being "strongly muscled." They should be scis-
sored to appear parallel when viewed from the rear. The thigh should be scissored to show the muscle tone and to exemplify power. Head
An essential characteristic; distinctively large, well proportioned and with exceptional breadth of topskull. Ears–Set well above the line of the eye. Leather is heart shaped and thin. Tips should not reach below the lower jaw. Skull
In profile, it is slightly longer than the muzzle, its curvature more accentuated at the back than in the front. When viewed head-on, the top of the skull is very broad and appears domed, with a slight depression in the middle. The forehead is prominent, and has a central furrow, extending two-thirds of the distance from stop to occiput. The occiput is well defined. Muzzle–Substantial; wider at the base than at the nose.
The above description of the head is self explanatory. The head can be difficult to groom as the PWD coat types can be very different from dog to dog. The wavy dogs are the most difficult due to the way the coat falls. Using thinning shears will help achieve a nice appearance on wavy coats. Coat
A profuse, thickly planted coat of strong, healthy hair, covering the whole body evenly, except where the forearm meets the brisket and in the groin area, where it is thinner.
There are two varieties of coat:
Curly Compact, cylindrical curls, somewhat lusterless. The hair on the ears is sometimes wavy. Wavy–Falling gently in waves, not curls, and with a slight sheen.
Worley Some coats are often referred to a "worley" as they are a combination of curly and wavy.
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Whether the dogs are trimmed short or groomed to breed profile, the pattern is always set following the structure of the breed.
With coated breeds like the PWD a groomer can leave more coat in the right places and also remove more coat in the right places to camouflage any faults the dog may have. This takes knowledge and experience which comes with time and practice. ◄
About the Author JODI MURPHY Jodi Murphy is a two-time Master Pet Stylist, a NCMG (National Certified Master Groomer) through the National Dog Groomers Association of America, as well as MPS Meritus (Master Pet Stylist Meritus) through the International Society of Canine Cosmetology. She is a multiple Best All Around and Best in Show competitor. These titles allow Jodi to certify groomers to their master pet stylist status throughout the USA. She was a GroomTeam USA team member for four years and ranked within the top four pet stylists of the United States. Her popular web site www.JodiMurphy.net offers competitively priced Instructional Grooming DVDs,
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