How many of you bath your dogs just before shows?  And how do you bath them?  OH was not keen on using either of the two new baths in our renovated two bathrooms because of scratching etc  and trying to bath the WFT outside in a plastic container was not producing great results LOL.  Looking at the WFTs (and other white breeds) I have seen in shows,  their white parts  are as white as the driven snow.  Does anyone have a clue how to attain this?  Maybe a special shampoo?

I have just ordered a doggy medium size bath with plug that will sit inside one of our baths which seems like a solution and a nod to damage limitation!!  Has anyone else tried one of these baths?  It would be interesting to hear how others prepare their pooches for the showring!

Totally breed dependent. :) Like I said before, I'm pretty certain the whiteness of your breed is down to chalk rather than bathing. I'm not sure but I'd imagine your breed should not be bathed too frequently as the coat should surely not be soft? With my Papillons I bath them once a fortnight, always, with shampoo and conditioner. And always, always a day before the show. And if it rains or has got wet outside there's always a huge problem to keep them clean for even just a few hours!  With my Malinois bathing the day before the show would ruin the coat, make it too soft and make them moult, so there I prefer several days before the show if not a week. But with them I only bath before Crufts and if they have got really dirty, so perhaps 2-3 times a  year -a huge difference to every 14 days. :) Every breed is different.  Same with my cats, the Persians have to be bathed 3 days before a show -anything more or less doesn't work -and the Exotics at least a week in advance. Coat quality matters so much. Your breeder should be able to advice you.

I looked up the main breed club and it has a series of grooming articles on their website, and it appears they have seminars in grooming as well.
http://www.wirefoxterrierassociation.co.uk/grooming1.html#

(I have to chuckle every time I see your posts as my mind automatically reads WFT as WTF and it becomes something entirely different! Sorry, must have seen it used too many times on Facebook LOL.)

Forgot to say, I use a baby bath on a stand inside my bath for the Papillons and the cats. Has really saved my back as before once I had done as few as 3 dogs I would not be able to straighten up again but the baby bath is wonderful and just the right size for my dogs. The big dogs just go in the bath.

I bathed my hounds, if absolutely necessary, at least 2 days before a show to allow the coat to settle down again.   If you have a white dog, shampoos like Ring 5 White Out (if still available?) or other white enhancing shampoos would be what you'd use.

Be very careful re using chalk.   I was used to doing this out in Canada and started doing this back in the UK until somebody warned me that this was 'illegal' here!!  Things may have changed since I stopped showing of course, but at one point, random testing was done on coats and if a 'foreign substance' was discovered, you could be in big trouble.


(I have to chuckle every time I see your posts as my mind automatically reads WFT as WTF and it becomes something entirely different! Sorry, must have seen it used too many times on Facebook LOL.)
Me too!!!   

Also, a rubber mat in the bottom of the bath should avoid slipping, and scratches.

For me it depends on the dogs coat. I always wash her about 2 days before a show - but then wash her legs the night before, as the furnishings are easier to make look good when they are fluffy and just washed :)

We wash in our brand new bath (only about a month old!) but she can't seem to scratch it! We do have an old bath but it doesn't have a shower head. And I find she gets restless standing in the cold for too long so likes the constantly running water :)

The WFTs at shows do look whiter than white, but (although the rules say you can't) you see them loading their coats with chalk in the grooming area. It seems to be if you can't beat them join them!

  If you have a white dog, shampoos like Ring 5 White Out (if still available?) or other white enhancing shampoos would be what you'd use.

Not sure if it is different, but I have used Ring 5 Bright White for my showcats for the past 25 years, and I use it for my Papillons too. It's still the best I've tried. :)

> The WFTs at shows do look whiter than white, but (although the rules say you can't) you see them loading their coats with chalk in the grooming area. It seems to be if you can't beat them join them!

My understanding is, you can use chalk but it must be brushed out???
It doesnt apply to me as I dont use it & rely on my dogs natural colour & markings plus I dont like the dry feeling of chalk on my hands :)

I dont bath my dogs unless I feel they are gruby to the smooth. Although I do bath before the first show after a season. I too believe bathing to be a bit breed dependant.

My understanding is, you can use chalk but it must be brushed out???

That is the theory... When I started showing which was only like May - I was in shock to see the products going in. Then thinking "surely it isn't allowed" but they never come out again... Knowing my luck Id be the one to get caught so I steer away! In the stripped breeds (one of which I have) the dog that walks into the grooming area can look a lot duller in colour than the one that comes into the ring.

If I had something flat coated I definitely wouldn't wash as much, Im an advocate for letting the coat take care of itself (to a certain level) but with the WT I have to wash to keep the furnishings looking nice. (Feel like Im telling on people! Eeep!)

The day before the show I bathe with both of my breeds, even f they don't look dirty they will be and evidence is when I stick them in my bath and put the shower over them, wouldn't ever put a dirty dog under a judge..

That is the most satisfying thing - watching the dirt which is otherwise unseen wash away! :D

I bath the brindle Frenchies 3 days before a show and the pied the day before, all bathed with MD10.

I put an old single duvet cover in the bottom of the bath to stop scratching.

I wouldn't be thinking about bathing a Wired Haired Fox Terrier at all - I would be using chalk to clean and keep the coat course.  :)

Glad to hear I was right about that. :)

I've never bathed a pet WFT let alone one destined for the show ring.  :)

Quite frightening with mine is I find less dirt rinsed out of the dogs when bathed than when  I do my own hair twice a week!!!

I do live in town and mostly road walk, so they don't get a chance to get very dirty often

I don't normaly bath my vallhund befor a show, she doesn't need it as she swims in the river most days so is clean. I will often wipe down her legs with a grooming wipe if her paws are dirty.
I did bathe her befor crufts last year and will do it after a season or on the odd occasion when she had doggy smell. So normaly she gets 2-3 baths a year. I use furmanator shampoo. If bathing befor a show I habe to do it a week befor a show so her coat isn't to soft.

My friend with Lhasa apsos baths her show one's every couple of days, think she said every 5-6 days normaly and will bath the night befor the show.

For a general all over bath the tub with rubber mats with sticky grips on the bottom white bits for a show day before baby bath old style on grooming table in kitchen with second grooming table next to it with towels ready to use. If giving an all of over bath 14 days before show they tend to look like I have plugged their paw in to a plug other wise as it all stands on end taken between 10 to 14 days to calm down

The pure white on the WFTs usually has a lot more to do with chalking than it does bathing. When I bathe my Scotties, I use two plastic washing up bowls (one of clean water, one for soap). Because the jacket is not washed on weeks where the dog is being shown, I find it easier to use these for the furnishings. I rinse in the clean water bowl, soap in the soapy water bowl, then back in the clean water bowl for a second rinse. This gives me total control over which parts of the dog actually get wet. However, this isn't going to get the furnishings pure white, even if you use a shampoo for white dogs. I have heard of some people using bleach, but I certainly wouldn't recommend it and can't imagine it's very good for the dog. That look is usually achieved through the use of chalk (and something like kolestral which holds the chalk in the coat). You can go back and blow the chalk out with a blow dryer, but you're only going to get that pure white if some chalk residue remains on the coat.

I wouldn't be thinking about bathing a Wired Haired Fox Terrier at all - I would be using chalk to clean and keep the coat course.

I just want to point out that chalking does not keep the coat coarse in the long term. Although it might provide the immediate effect of added texture, it will not produce a true terrier coat and will wreck the coat if left in. Terrier furnishings should be bathed on a regular basis to keep them clean and promote hair growth, but I would only bathe the jacket if it was especially dirty or had product in it (ie. chalk used for the purpose of stripping). Regular brushing and stripping keeps the jacket surprisingly clean. My Scottie bitch actually had the cleanest jacket when she was being actively shown and groomed without the use of chalk or other product, despite the fact that the jacket hadn't seen a drop of water for over a year.

With the Bedlinton Terriers,  I bathe a minimum of 3 daysbefore a show,  to allow the coat to settle.

You can buy hard coat shampoos that won't add softness to the coat,  but it still takes a while to get that coarseness back ;-)

Regarding whitening shampoos,  it's best to use them in between shows to keep the coat white,,  mainly the furnishings,   then wash with a hard coat shampoo a few days before the show.   I've seen the dogs being chalked up and left with it in,  use of 'chalk helpers'  etc.  But never did this myself,  sods law it would be me that was 'caught'.

Despite this,  I still managed to make my first bitch up to champion in 12 shows,  her daughter was on 2 RCCs,  lots of BIS opens etc,  and the youngest BIS opens and BIS pup at the breed club CHshow.   Youngest never got a fair outing due to family illness.

If you've got a good dog and the judge knows their stuff,  you'll still do well ;-)

No bath, just a warm flannel and a rub down :-D