West Highland White Terrier Breed Magazine - Showsight

the breeder from whom you acquired the dog for lessons and what tools they may suggest. It is important to know what a well groomed dog with correct conforma- tion should resemble. You can do this by attending a dog show and taking pictures of the dogs during the grooming process and ask questions of the groomer. Now some handlers and owners are very busy at the shows, so it is important to ask the person who is working on the dog if they would mind if you watch or take pic- tures. Asking permission is very impor- tant and when you do, please realize that the person working on the dog will sometimes be under a timeline and may not be accepting of interruptions. Don’t take it personally and move on to some- one who will have the time to visit. Usu- ally, it will be after they have shown the dog and they have come back from the ring following the competition. Breeder- Owner-Handlers are more apt to take the time with you so seek them out first.

You can usually tell Breeder-Owner- Handlers by their set up (grooming area). Usually they will have only Westies and they won’t have as many dogs as the Pro- fessional All-Breed Handlers. Once you have your pictures, have them enlarged and place them on the wall where they are easily seen from your grooming table, which you have purchased at the show along with the grooming arm and noose. In addition, you will need a mirror where you can observe your dog as your remove the coat. Looking at the pic- tures you will note there are areas which are to be very short and others which are longer. Th e “jacket” is the top of the back. Th e “skirt” is the sides which are longer than the jacket. Leg coat is to be longer but shaped to make the dogs legs appear straight. Blending is the key word when grooming a Westie. Please do yourself a favor and get the Westie Illustrated Standard . Th e Illustrat- ed Standard will help you reference the

correct type and conformation of the dog which you are learning to groom and if you have not already acquired a dog, you may be better informed when you visit- ing prospective breeders to find your new family member. Additional information can be obtained by finding a Breed Club, an All-breed club or an All Terrier Club in your vicinity. Most of the people participating in the various “Dog Sports” are willing and want to help people who are interested in learn- ing more about the “Sport”. A little time and e ff ort spent finding out about all of the activities will pay o ff with a better relation- ship with your dog and a lot of laughs, too. Just listen to his thoughts as you gather his lead or harness. ‘Hmmmm … I hear the rattle of my tracking harness. Forget Mr. Squirrel, I’ll get back to him later. Oh boy! Treats and the scent of the track. I can‘t wait to find out what kind of treats I will earn today. Great outdoors, here I come! Oh Boy! Oh Boy!’ S HOW S IGHT M AGAZINE , M AY 2014 • 237

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