Extreme Grooming

Any thoughts ?

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...tests-USA.html

Ridiculous and unnecessary! Why would anyone want their dog to be put through that much grooming. My dogs love a good brushing but wouldn't tolerate hours of it.

Also, if people want their dogs to look like a giraffe, bison, coy carp etc why not just go out and get one of those. My dogs are dogs and look like dogs - just as they should do.

I don't believe in dressing dogs up at all; either in this way with colours and OTT grooming or with clothes and outfits. I did buy waerproof coats for my lot and coats with padding when we had the horrendously cold weather last winter and this year but other than that, a dog has fur to keep it warm. It doesn't need clothes, colours, outfits, attachments etc.

Some people need to stick to dollies. JMO.

Creative grooming, I have to say I'm not totally agaisnt it, I did a study on it for college, the assignment was called 'pets as fashion statements' and I thought I would try this, the title of the study upset the woman I was speaking too, but she helped a lot on it.

Some of the stuff I was getting told by her was helpful, and she was saying that her dog actually enjoyed it, she worked in a grooming parlour, or run it, can't remember, but her dog would get more attention from customers after it was done, so positive assocation meant that he liked it, also its a lot of one on one time with the dog and owner, the dogs are also trained to get use to it, its not all decided one day on a random dog and the dog is expected to just stand there it takes time to train them up to accept it, some dogs don't like it, this person actually rehomed one dog who didn't but that probaly goes under the dogs for your hobby thread I do think that it takes a lot of skill, and if the dogs were unhappy with it they wouldn't stay still enough for everything to look like it does. I was also told that the dies are made out of vegetable based food colouring, the person I was speaking to had a poodle with a kidney problem so the owner did regular blood tests incase the die did affect the dog, but there was never a problem with the blood as a result of the creative grooming.

But I do think that this depends totally on the dog, and if the dog doesn't enjoy it, it shouldn't happen, but its probally like everything with the people involved, there are good and bad in everything, but done correctly I don't think its as bad as most people first think when they see it.

ETA, when its very extreme, using glue and other things on the coat, or when people decide to use other dies, blo pens, and tempory sprays (like what people use to spray their hair for halloween, red nose etc) and I don't like all of that, and wonder why people do it, I also think that some of these must be uncomfortable for the dog, espcailly having things stuck on to the coat as it would be extra weight on the fur, I also wonder how easily it all washes out, and I do think that there should be more rules relating to the welfare, and what can and can't be used.

My first thoughts were "April Fools"!!!

I dont like that. surely the dogs cant enjoy being put through that...seems quite cruel and un-nessesery IMO!

I don't see why it's any worse than grooming a poodle for show, assuming that all of the dyes etc are dog safe.

i think its very over the top,perhaps the dogs are so used to it they enjoy it,its very stunning but not really called for and perhaps fair,karen

I hate it - in fact I would say it is not far short of abuse. Some people will exploit anything to get themselves noticed. Absolutely abhorrent.

This has been done to Poodles for centuries! At one time enterprising groomers would watch a jousting tournament, then once thry knew who the winner was, they'd clip the crest of the winner into the poodle's coat, then sell the dog to the winner of the tournament.

Seems that is the lot in life for a poodle.