I wont even use hairspray which is a big disadvantage in the poodle world but I can't bring myself to do it because it's cheating (and against KC regs!)
Becky

I heard chalk has been used a few times but of course the second the dog shakes or gets patted, it's a big cloud of dust! I find this so interesting, so nosy! It is sad though how far people will go for a ribbon, especially when it's supposed to be a hobby.

Becky when I was at a limit near where I live last summer there was a guy there with a standard and a toy and he was hairspraying the both so much so that the preperation room was cholked up and I had to take Maddy and Dusty outside. The shoe sec and the judges were never far away as it was a tiny venue, just our local community hall, but he got 1sts with them both and went to rbis with the standard. The toy was only in av at the end as she was really old apparently. He was nice enough and he adored Dusty, but I didn't know hairspray was against KC as everyone was watching him and no one said anything.

As I said at the begining, it looked and smelled like leather dye, it was in a plastic bottle with a dipper type brush built into the cap of the bottle.
Leather dye has a very distictive smell, like a strong solvent, I've since found out the the person won in the ring with the dog.

The dog in question was not a breed I have myself, if it had been, I'd have had something to say to this person.

I feel vexed for the others that were competing "honestly" in the ring with this person, (bloody cheat).

if we are all honest it happens all the time, in many breeds, boxers, poodles, white dogs being chalked,,,{is tha against the rules?} I know we are alowed to do the clydesdales feathering on legs with chalk dust but not sure about the show ring,
the list is endless, they have tables set up next to rings with the judges in them so they see it happening before the dogs are in the ring,,,,,please, do they give a fig,,,NO why? because they all do it in some breeds,,,, I heard a boxer handler telling one of the girls that comes to my training club,,,, {who may I add is dead against it,,} well if your going to show you prob wont be placed if you dont touch up dogs, cover the fleash markings and so on,,,, carol -anne's response was,,,, so we dont get placed,,,and?

guess what she did get placed,,,well done for having a natural dog in the ring,,,,

thats bloody awful imo xxdk

Using chalk (or a chalk block) on breeds such as Westies and Cairns is necessary for handstripping their coats. Show dogs of these breeds don't get bathed (at most they have their paws washed). Using chalk on these breeds is form of dry cleaning. This is no different to giving dogs a bath, but there is a big difference between using chalk on dogs to clean them and enable them to be handstripped properly, and someone dying their dogs hair or painting the dogs markings, imo.

I will never understand the pleasure/pride people get when winning by cheating, it beggers belief it really does, the poor dog

Ah thanks nicola, i did think they may be allowed in some breeds, thanks for that,,, they dont use chalk when stripping all breeds though do they? whats the chalk for when stripping them? sorry I should know more I have shown wolfies and they get stripped,.

Using chalk helps you get a good grip of the coat and you get a more even finish and I feel it also helps you no end in noticing parts of hair you've missed that need done. Plus it dry cleans the coat, as i've said before. Chalk is permitted to be used.