The Breed
Grooming your Clumber
The days of throwing a Clumber into the back of the car and going to a show are no longer an option (not in our eyes, anyway!). The judge expects a Clumber to be clean and tidy.
Getting started
Start them young
The grooming starts early in our household. As the puppy starts on his or her weaning programme, this usually means a tidy-up after each messy meal. This takes place on a grooming table, getting the puppy used to the idea of being off the floor and handled. We always use this method and have never had a groom shy dog, in fact, most fall asleep on the table!
We haven’t included products, as some of your fur babies may be allergic, but if you catch us at a show, please do ask.
Equipment
The tools we use
These are the tools on our grooming table, shown from left to right.
From left to right
Furminator
Used over the coat to pull out dead hair.
Stripping knife
We don’t use this in the traditional way, we stroke it through the coat with the knife flat to the coat. Great on necks, shoulders and hocks. (The model we use is Mars 99M324.)
Straight-edge scissors
Be careful! These leave scissor marks if used incorrectly.
Single-edge thinning scissors
Be careful! These leave scissor marks if used across the coat.
Coat king (Mars, medium coats)
Great for thinning out and will cut the coat underneath not on top.
Slicker brush
For the daily brush-through, head to tail.
Double-toothed comb
Used with the slicker brush when moulting, combing front to back.
Everyday care
Keeping the coat in good order
Daily brushing
We groom daily with a slicker brush from head to tail, taking special care of the feathering on the legs, undercarriage and tail. There should be no tags or knots in the coat. Check under each leg and around the nether regions especially for these little blighters.
Moulting
When moulting, combine the slicker brush with the double-toothed steel comb, combing front to back. With a Clumber, twice a year it often resembles a snowstorm, but if done correctly this will stimulate new coat growth, lying flat to the body.
Bathing
Bathing is required, more often than you think, especially for the girls (particularly around season time), who will often need their back-end feathering washed. We do this to keep the coat white and clean.
Eyes
Eyes should be wiped daily to keep tear stains away.
Never cut across a knot
Should you encounter a knot, this can be split lengthwise, DO NOT ever cut across the knot! You can save most of the hair from a knot and if you do cut across it will stand out a mile in the ring.
Step by step
Trimming for the show ring
Before and after photos show what we mean at each stage.
Front feet - the pads
Their front feet are rounded and large. We keep the pad area clean and dry, especially after being exercised in the wet. On the front feet, the hair should be kept level with the pads. We also take out the hair up to the carpal pad with straight scissors, and then shape it in with thinning scissors.
Before
After
After
Front feet - nails and the top of the foot
Nails should be kept short. On the top of the foot, all the hair should be brushed forward and cut with thinning scissors to the angle of the foot, keeping the hair intact between the toes.
Before
After
Back feet
The same principle is used for the back feet pads as for the front feet, with special attention to the area around the back pad, keeping it trimmed close, with straight scissors.
The pads
Before
After
After
The top of the foot
Before
After
Hocks
The hair on the hock should be trimmed with the thinning knife or thinning scissors so the hair lies flat to the hock. Never cut across the hock, as this will leave a scissor mark in the coat and you will often lose too much hair to disguise it.
Before
After
Ears - the vine shape
The breed standard for the Clumber calls for a vine-shaped ear. This is achieved by trimming
with thinning scissors on the outer edge to alleviate any severe trimming edges. With the
clumbers ear leather the hair should be kept long at the top and shorter as you get to the
tip of the ear.
Before
After
Inner ear and neck
The hair around the inner ear opening and the neck area (covered by the ear) needs to be cut close with thinning scissors, for cleanliness and to let fresh air circulate. Use straight scissors to cut close in the nooks and crannies of the ear opening.
Before
After
After
Tail
We swizzle the hair at the end of the tail if it is long, and trim near the end with thinning scissors. In the ‘before’ picture not much needs taking off, just the tip at the end of the tail. This will lend to tiding the rest of the tail in a tidy fashion.
Before
During
After