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How Can I Get My Dog To Look Like This?


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I wonder how I can get my pup, with his spotted coat, to look like the dogs in the video? All fluffy and purdy like? Without mud, burs, or just plain being stinky after a long day outside? LMAO! What a joke! I'd gladly take my scruffy pup with dirt and mud all over him any day!

 

 

http://video.westminsterkennelclub.org/breed_judging/herding/2011_2/border-collie/v1292926

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Over-fluffed, bench-legged little ... :huh:

 

You know what gets me most, and gets me every time I watch show bcs in the ring?

 

Their eyes. Their facial expression. The word that comes to my mind is "vacuous."

 

I don't even want to know how they can get those dogs from something that should look like this. (With or without the pricked ears, lol.)

 

 

~ Gloria

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I don't know, the dog that won actually looks really nice. Didnt look heavy bone like some. Didn't see his movement. Video wouldn't work. And I am pretty sure these dogs don't look this perfect 24/7. Give your dog a bath and a good brushing, and see how pretty they can look once in a while. Trim their feet to cut down on ice and snow getting packed in their feet and see how cute it looks. :-) speaking of bath I can think of two dogs in need of a bath. They both already got their feet trimmed.

 

I know more grooming goes into it. But I know I prefer a cleaned, groom dog then one cover in God knows what, smelling like a swamp, and being covered in mats and burrs. But to each their own.

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I only looked at part of the video, but maybe there was a dog that didn't look too different. And yes, some of the more full-coated working dogs probably could clean up to look just as fluffy and pretty. :)

 

Still, I remember one time my local trainer had a "fun day" at her facility, and about 4 show-bred border collies came. Those dogs weren't really fancied up, but they still looked uniformly different, much like these guys: tons of coat, cobby shape, that more blunt head with defined stop, and the matching "tulip" ears.

 

Which only says there appears to be a "type" in the show ring, not that all dogs in conformation adhere strictly to that type. But it certainly seems to show a sort of fad going on ... :)

 

~ Gloria

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I only looked at part of the video, but maybe there was a dog that didn't look too different. And yes, some of the more full-coated working dogs probably could clean up to look just as fluffy and pretty. :)

 

Still, I remember one time my local trainer had a "fun day" at her facility, and about 4 show-bred border collies came. Those dogs weren't really fancied up, but they still looked uniformly different, much like these guys: tons of coat, cobby shape, that more blunt head with defined stop, and the matching "tulip" ears.

 

Which only says there appears to be a "type" in the show ring, not that all dogs in conformation adhere strictly to that type. But it certainly seems to show a sort of fad going on ... :)

 

~ Gloria

 

 

Reminds me of a swimsuit contest....all blond and augmented.

 

Blech.

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I'm trying to decide if the dog that won was being handled by the woman in the purple jacket -- the dog placed, at least and to me, that pup was the best - nice leg length, happy to be there, carried himself well, etc. But the saddest thing was, no, "Good job," afterward. The dogs were totally ignored while the handlers stood around chatting...no reward - no wonder there's no spark in their eyes. It's just back to the crate for them.

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Still, I remember one time my local trainer had a "fun day" at her facility, and about 4 show-bred border collies came. Those dogs weren't really fancied up, but they still looked uniformly different, much like these guys: tons of coat, cobby shape, that more blunt head with defined stop, and the matching "tulip" ears.

 

 

~ Gloria

On the assumption this was a stockwork training facility, how did these show bred dogs do in their confrontation with sheep?

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In conformation shows, the dogs are judged on how well they adhere to the stated breed standard. So yes, bone structure, coat quality, gait ( as it pertains to that breed)are all marked as well as basic dog structure i.e. bite and such. A lot of it tho is interpretation of how the judge views the standard and their personal biases.

 

akc BC breed standard: http://www.akc.org/breeds/border_collie/

 

After reading all that, one wonders why so many get away with this tho it seems "Dogs that are overly groomed (trimmed and/or sculpted) should be penalized according to the extent."

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If I didn't know any better I'd say it was the same dog over and over with the a different handler :blink: No split or white faces? No black faces? No merle? No tri? Sigh.

 

In a way it reminds me of a car show or something, showing off a possession, not your best friend. :(

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Gloria--I love that pic of your dog! Even my uneducated eye could see the difference too--all round-ish, blunter face, no eye (is that the right way to term it?). And nearly all so big! I like my little, pointy, foxy, keen eyed girl--to me that's one of the things makes them so wonderfully different from other breeds. Believe me, she's clean as I bathe her when she needs it (weather permitting) (I think she believes I am the crazy bathing lady--she always gives me a weird look when I bathe the kids and take a shower--like, "Geez, what is your fascination with this anyway!) but I don't think I could ever get her looking even close to the video--she's just sort of nappy no matter what I do!

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On the assumption this was a stockwork training facility, how did these show bred dogs do in their confrontation with sheep?

 

Sorry, I wasn't clear. :) And the answer was - they didn't. They sniffed around, they trotted this way and that, they might have made a couple half-hearted passes at the sheep, but immediately skittered away when the sheep reacted.

 

They showed no working instinct.

 

It was very illuminating, to me.

 

~ Gloria

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Thank you, Star! Love your description of your girl. :)

 

And I must add, the photo is not my dog, it's a photo I took of Erin Swanson's Cooper, one day when working at Suzy Applegate's place. He's one of the most handsome BC boys I know. :)

 

I had a girl rather like you describe: keen, foxy, and she also didn't understand my "thing" with bathing! :P She was happiest when she was dripping mud and sheep poo.

 

Sadly, my photos of her are stuck on my yet-to-be-repaired PC, or I've have posted her. She was also fluffy and classic looking, but waaaaaaay more intense than these show dogs! :)

 

~ Gloria

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How could I get my dog(s) to look like this? A couple of ideas come to mind. Of course, none of them would shorten their legs, blunt their noses, increase their stops, etc.

 

I could do something with the ears but I should have done it when they were pups - some little support and a penny to hold the tips down. Shorten the tails - I think the standard says that tails shouldn't be longer than to the hocks. I'd have to just cut those off there. Maybe have the vet remove a section from the middle so we didn't lose the white tip.

 

About the coat - two thoughts come to mind. Hair extensions, and undercoat additions. But that would be pretty pricey, so maybe I'd just stick a toenail into an electric socket, to get that fluffy, hair-on-end look. A little teasing (anybody old enough to remember teased hair?) and hair spray would help. Oh, and this outlet method might help with the airplane/puppy ear things my boys have going on. That should get those babies standing right on end, add a penny at the tip, and good to go!

 

To get the facial expression, well, there's got to be a drug for that (which would help bring the dog down a bit from the electric outlet hair treatment) - something to allow the dog to be able to move around at a sedate walk or trot with his/her head in the air, but still have that empty behind the eyes. All the while the commentator is probably carrying on about the "intensity in those eyes"!

 

Geesh. I know better than to even take time to think about this.

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Over-fluffed, bench-legged little ... :huh:

 

You know what gets me most, and gets me every time I watch show bcs in the ring?

 

Their eyes. Their facial expression. The word that comes to my mind is "vacuous."

 

I don't even want to know how they can get those dogs from something that should look like this. (With or without the pricked ears, lol.)

 

 

~ Gloria

 

Give me a dog that looks like this one any day. I love the power, the presence, and the thinking.

 

I agree with you Gloria about the "vauous" eyes.

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Why, oh why, do conformation dogs need to be FAT to be successful? It's most disgusting in the Labradors, but 95% of the dogs in this video are overweight. I doubt you can say it's all hair. Broad-backed fat little lumps.

 

I saw two dogs that made me wonder if they had Cardigan Corgi in their background -- Long backs and stumpy little legs.

 

Ugly broad heads, way too much hair.... I wouldn't want a dog like that for anything.

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Poor fat and useless dogs. I've known a few show- bc's, one was a finished champion that had hip dysplasia so was given away to a flyball home. Took them several years to train the dog to do flyball. He seemed so dumb and dull-minded that I asked how smart he was, they said dumb as a bunch of rocks!

Between the hyper/neurotic and the show collies I'm amazed there are any nice dogs left. Thank goodness for my two dogs!

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I am not saying that they are/arent fat, but I will say that conf grooming does tend to make most dogs look pudgy if they are med to long haired dogs. Take the OES for example. shave em down and they are the same size of your average hound dog. They will be "back" brushed n clipped to create that "fat/fluffy" look.

 

brushed but un-groomed OES:

13890817_600.jpg

 

show style:

548px-Old_english_sheepdog_Ch_Bobbyclown%27s_Dare_for_More.jpg

 

BC's are alot easier to fluff than an oes.. takes me 2 days just to brush Bell out o.O

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