One of the charming characteristics of Cavaliers is the minimal grooming time
required to keep them looking tidy. There is no trimming and sculpting for the
show ring allowed in our breed, so there is not the vast difference between show
and pet grooming seen in other breeds.
That said, there certainly are legal tricks of the trade that may be employed
to have your charge looking his (or her) best. Here is my own science of
Cavalier bathing, honed over the years on unwitting volunteers ranging from the
gangly pet puppy to the jaded show dog.
The first hard-and-fast rule is that no dog goes into the tub until
completely brushed out. When brushing, keep a spray bottle filled with warm
water and a tablespoon of conditioner or creme rinse handy. Spritzing the hair
lightly before brushing prevents the dry ends of the hair from snapping off. Use
the brush in a straight motion.
Once thoroughly brushed, nails clipped, ears cleaned, teeth scaled, and hair
trimmed from between the pads on the bottom of the foot only, His
Highness is ready for the tub. A quick squirt of dilute shampoo down the back
will help the hair to absorb the lukewarm water, making it easier and faster to
completely wet the dog.
Now I do a quick all-over bath. With a show dog, I use a degreaser shampoo on
the ears, taking care to work the lather to the tips of the leather. If the ear
coat is really oily, I rinse the ears and wash them again.
Next is a very thorough rinse, then repeat the whole procedure. If I am using
a whitener shampoo, I scrub it into the stained areas at this point. Again, for
show I take extra pains with the ears, as the tips tend to retain oil.
Once the dog is shampooed all over he gets another thorough rinse. I squeeze
out excess water from the coat with my hands, and lightly apply a very dilute
conditioner or creme rinse. Depending on the dog, I often do not condition the
back coat or the ears if on that dog they tend to get oily again easily. Then I
give one last rinse, a little cooler, until not so much as a bubble appears in
the rinse water.
I squeeze out as much water as I can and then use a high-pressure blower,
pointing the air flow in the direction of the back coat, to get the dog as dry
as possible. I then wrap a heavy towel around my friend and head for the
grooming table, where more water is toweled off.
I brush through all the hair with the pin brush, put the back coat flat and
in the direction I want using the slicker brush, and then "jacket" the dog with
a towel. This process of pinning the towel around the dog so that the coat lies
flat takes some practice and care, as it involves the use of sharp diaper pins
in rather delicate areas.
Once he is jacketed, I place the dog in a box-dryer for a few minutes until
the hair is still damp enough to straighten, yet so that the drying process is
not begun while the dog is streaming wet. I keep turning the dog in front of the
dryer as I brush with the pin brush, careful that one area does not dry before
another and that the dog's skin does not get irritated by the hot dryer.
Ears take the longest, but they must be worked on until dried right to
the tips. Not only does this prevent kinking, it also keeps the ear leathers
from "mildewing," which they do (the smell is horrible). Once all hair is dry
except what is under the towel, I remove the jacket, dry the chest, and check
that all feathering and the tail are completely dry .I blow down the back coat a
bit, using the bristle brush for finishing touches.
A few final flicks of the comb, and His Highness is ready for the ball-or the
nearest mud puddle, whichever he finds first.
