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"We make grooming courses
all breeds, professional and private"
TAKING CARE OF THE COAT
It is a good policy to allow the dog to grow
accustomed to being groomed from the age of
3-4 months. It is preferable to do this positio-
ning the dog on a table.
At this age the purpose is gradually to allow the
puppy to get used to the long and involved
grooming process that he will submit to as an
adult. A soft brush will be used so as not to
hurt him, and his head, ears and private parts
will be trimmed using clippers.
The first grooming can be carried out when the
dog is 5-6 months, leaving the coat very short
but not touching the heard, tufi, legs and lower
part of the chest.
From this time on and fortnightly, the dog will
be trimmed along its entire body, in order to
limit the growth of the undercoat and allow the
covering coat to develop properly.
This must be
done using a wide-toothed stripping blade,
used like a comb.
The beard and tuft must be carefully cleaned
and combed after each meal.
Should these
impair vision, the tuft can be tied back with an
elastic band.
The legs must be brushed along the hair growth
and against the growth, being careful not to
remove the undercoat as this will give a full
and cylindrical appearance to the leg.
Particular attention must be paid to hairs gro-
wing inside the ear canal. These must be remo-
ved gently, by pulling out small tufis with the
aid of specific powders or, should these not be
available, talcum powder.
Anche tra le dita il pelo va spesso controllato, asportando con la forbice eventuali feltri.
The hair growing between the toes must also be
checked carefully, and any-matting cut ofl"
with scissors.
When the body hair has grown back it must be
combed with a comb with conical teeth or a
bifilar comb in order to keep the formation of
the undercoat in check.
Bathing can be done whenever the need arises. '
The use of a professional shampoo diluted with
water is recommended. Spread it on the wet
coat and lather, then rinse carefully in order to
remove all traces of soap from the skin and
coat.
There are vegetable oils and masks available
on the market. These can be applied on the
coat before drying, and they nourish the coat
and protect it from the removal of the natural
oils caused by a bath.
Dry the dog with a hair-
dryer using warm air, being careful to dry
along the natural direction of the hair growth,
except for the legs, which must be given volume
by drying against the growth.
The first real cut is done at 8-9 months. This
will allow the dog to be shown at his best.
The head is shorn first, with a 5mm shearing
head. The ears must be cleaned, not starting
from the joint, but from the fold where they fall
downwards, in order visibly to widen the top of
the head.
The head must aLso be shorn with a
3mm shearing head, beginning from 1-2 cm
behind the arch of the eyebrows and stopping
1-2 cm before the scruff of the neck. The aim is
to emphasise the typical cut of the head that
must be flat and wide.
Then, using scissors,
remove all the ridges, creating a natural flow
from short hair to long hair.
With scissors, trim
the edges of the ears to give them a neater
appearance.
With a 9 mm shearing head square off the
lower part of the beard, shearing a line from
the lower joint of ears, following the mask, tou-
ching the beard, which must be kept as long as
possible in front.
Then, using scissors, sculpt the
head giving it that squared shape that empha-
sises the lines. All the hairs growing from the
cheeks and the beard must be cut, until the so-
called "brick-shape" is achieved looking from
above and from the side.
Still using the 9 mm head, beginning from the
lower joint of the ear, shear a line on the side
of the neck to the beginning of the shoulder
line, this will emphasise the shoulder line. Use
the same shears to cut below the throat and the
chest to the sternum.
Using scissors, work in the same direction as
the hair growth, and blend the shearing on the sides of the neck to the upper part, where the
length of the hair must give an appearance of a i
strong neck while at the same time allowing the
stretching of the head.
The shoulders must be trimmed in keeping with
the proportions of the head.
Feet must be rounded and the legs must be sha-
ken after combing against the growth. Place
the dog in position, and using scissors cut
downwards from the top to the bottom so that
the hair forms perfectly cylindrical columns.
The coat in the lower line of the chest is left a
few centimetres longer than the elbow, gra-
dually rising towards the groin to emphasise
chest depth.
The sides of the trunk are cut beginning from
the shoulders, which have been done pre-
viously, tapering slightly to the loins, then cut
slightly deeper.
To give the correct shape to the back line cut
the top of the back using a 12 mm shearing
head, and using scissors, join to the withers
with a straight and slightly raised line.
With the 3mm head clip the anal and groin
areas.
Con la forbice si modella la coda, che deve essere grossa e squadrata.
Shape the tail with scissors, it must he large
and squared.
Using a 9 mm head clip the fur from the lower
tail joint to the hock point and with scissors
smooth out the thighs, trying to flatten them
slightly and not flufl them up.
The front fringe must be straightened, highligh-
ting the knee angle.
The back feet must be rounded like the front
feet and small columns are formed in this way
that must he perpendicular to the ground.
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