# Whiskers or Not?



## Alaska7133

What is your preference when showing?

I'm having trouble cutting my puppy's whiskers.


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## Sally's Mom

In AKC, if you do not trim whiskers, you are the only one, no matter what the standard says....


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## Alaska7133

Darn. Thanks for your help.


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## TheZ's

Sally's Mom said:


> In AKC, if you do not trim whiskers, you are the only one, no matter what the standard says....


Why is that? Is it just a preferred style? Could a judge really be affected by a dog being shown with whiskers?

There was a video posted the other day in the thread on ear grooming that also showed all the whiskers, including the long "eyebrows", being cut as close as possible, the facial hair being scissored and a pumice stone being used between the eyes "to give more stop". The commentary included advice to be careful not to cut the dogs tongue as you cut the whiskers as it would bleed a lot. It all seemed not in the best interest of the dog.

For myself, I love the long eyebrows because they add to the facial expression. Don't the long whiskers serve a purpose in that they help the animal sense how close their snout is to something close by?


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## GoldenSail

You will be in the minority in AKC if you do not trim, however, you should go with your preference. I can't imagine any judge worth their salt is going to care either way.


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## Loisiana

I trimmed Flip's once (not for the show ring) and didn't care for the look


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## CarolinaCasey

We cut whiskers with Whisker Shavers meant for horses. Very easy and safe. I didn't cut puppy whiskers until they were wild, crazy, and detracted from his soft face & expression. 


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## Megora

CarolinaCasey said:


> We cut whiskers with Whisker Shavers meant for horses. Very easy and safe. I didn't cut puppy whiskers until they were wild, crazy, and detracted from his soft face & expression.
> 
> 
> Sent from Petguide.com Free App


Which of course brings up the point that if you show your horse - all whiskers are removed, though they serve the same purpose as dog whiskers. This includes whiskers very close to the eyelashes (above and below the eyes).


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## HiTideGoldens

I trim whiskers. I do not pluck them or pull them out, I trim them. We use the shavers (that are completely safe) to trim them. It does not bother our dogs in the slightest. To be honest, using the dremel on their nails seems to bother them more than being trimmed.


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## OnMyWay2MyDreams

What Sallys mom said.. In AKC shows everyone does it..so I do it to not stick out, but I really dont mind it and she tolerates it. It definitely makes them look different IMO.


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## K9-Design

Do it if you want to, don't do it if you don't want to. I've done both and really don't care either way. Nobody else will care, either.


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## Ljilly28

It reminds me of putting on a coat & tie- more formal presentation of the dog for the show ring.


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## Sally's Mom

I always trimmed my horse's whiskers...


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## quilter

Casper's whiskers have split ends. He isn't a show dog, but I am beginning to wonder about those split ends.


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## murphy1

The wiskers and eybrows are there for a reason. When murphy was a puppy his eybrows went down over his eyes and the vet said to leave them alone " he needs them".


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## Alaska7133

So I didn't trim for the show. Neither did the owner of her sister. They were both in the show together. They were the only puppies in the 9 to 12 month puppy bitch class. We had a good laugh about both girls having whiskers and having the same groomer. So I'm glad I didn't trim, maybe we'll start a new trend!


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## tippykayak

The nerve endings on the whiskers are very rich and complex, so there's pretty solid evidence that dogs use them for interacting with the world. That said, it's clearly not painful or cruel to remove them, so it comes down more to personal preference.

That's all from a perspective _outside_ the ring. The fact is that I have been curious about this issue for a while and could not tell you the last time I saw a Golden shown with whiskers. It does have a certain impact on the expression, and nearly everybody seems to trim them, notwithstanding what the standard says.


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## murphy1

To alter a dog for a humans ego is wrong in my opinion,,,,,and I could really get this discussion going with an opinion on a Boxers ears and Rottweilers tail!!


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## tippykayak

murphy1 said:


> To alter a dog for a humans ego is wrong in my opinion,,,,,and I could really get this discussion going with an opinion on a Boxers ears and Rottweilers tail!!


I do like when people leave the whiskers on, but I think there's really no analogy between cutting hairs and cutting structures that have nerves and blood vessels.


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## Megora

murphy1 said:


> To alter a dog for a humans ego is wrong in my opinion,,,,,and I could really get this discussion going with an opinion on a Boxers ears and Rottweilers tail!!


Um.... there is absolutely no correlation between whiskers and ears or tails. Doesn't hurt or harm the dog to have the whiskers trimmed. Unless you are plucking them.

I trim Jacks' whiskers a little. I don't like them getting too long. 

When Bertie was a puppy, I trimmed his eyebrow whiskers especially to keep them from curling around into his eyes - this can cause irritation or scratches. 

On one of those grooming videos I watched while looking for a decent one showing how to use thinning shears on the ear fluff, I saw a video showing the groomer putting rubber grip fingers on and going to town plucking hair out of the dog's coat. The dog was flinching when this was done. I was flinching WITH the dog. >.< That falls into the "ouch" category. 

Clipping eyebrows with a pair of shears or whisker shavers is absolutely painless and the animals don't even notice. <- I still trim my horse's whiskers (all of them), and have never had to put a twitch on him to keep him still while I did all that. I stopped shaving his ears out because that actually needed a twitch. Different topic.


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## murphy1

I'm not talking about triming causing pain. They are there for a reason and clipping them just "because it looks better" "I' think is wrong. My opinion.....


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## HiTideGoldens

It's fine to have an opinion and not trim your own dog's whiskers, but I also think it's wrong to assume people are doing it for "ego." I trim the hair on my dogs' feet, tails and ears because I prefer the way it looks, it is not about ego. Same with whiskers.


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## murphy1

My last post here.....feet, tails and ears....fine...they don't NEED that hair. The whiskers are all together different,,,,,they are NEEDED.


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## vleffingwell

"Removal of whiskers is permitted but not preferred." in the AKC standard.
I like to leave them for the show ring but I am probably the only one. I do neaten them up so she doesn't look lopsided but I hate doing something that is not preferred. I would hope it would work for us one day in the ring.


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## Tahnee GR

I leave them, and have for some time. Of course, every time they go out with a pro, they are cut  Some dogs look better with, some without.

It SHOULD work for you, or at least not against you, at Specialties and under breeder judges.


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## Mac'sdad

*Without*



Sally's Mom said:


> In AKC, if you do not trim whiskers, you are the only one, no matter what the standard says....



Mac needs a shave ..... the people who photograph him for Pet Edge like it !!!! Stabbed myself a few time though ....prickly !!! LOL


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## Sally's Mom

Never noticed with the horses or my dogs that the absence of whiskers created an issue ... 
I like whiskers,but in the Northeast, most of the time,you are the only one with a golden with whiskers... In conformation .


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## sterregold

I leave whiskers on. Field work and hunting are my primary venues and they serve a functional purpose there. I may trim off one that is dark, or extra thick, or curly, that may be distracting-looking, but that is all.

I actually had a conversation about it with an Aussie Shepherd breeder in my area who is now provisional for Sporting. She said "But if everyone else is doing it you are going to seem the odd one out." I reminded her that the standard and function should trump what "everyone" may be doing in the ring, and that it is preferred they are left on because they do help the dog when it is working. We will see whether it sunk in or not!


My Winter got his GRCC National JAM/Gundog win with his whiskers *on*--there were 42 Canadian Ch's in the ring that day, most with whiskers off.....


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## Alaska7133

Today my puppy's sister won a 5 point major with her whiskers ON! Her owner and I had a good laugh about her being the only golden in the ring with whiskers ON. I didn't show my puppy. So you never know what the judges will think!


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## JBJ Goldens

Never shaved Whiskers and never will just my preference if I dont win just because my dog hunts and has whiskers then thats the judges fault for not seeing past the whiskers. 

Jana


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## K9-Design

Honestly I can't say I have ever noticed a dog with or without whiskers in the ring. I haven't trimmed whiskers in a while but have in the past. Honestly it makes no difference to me; I have no opinion on the matter. I think it amounts to a hill of beans.


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## Alaska7133

Anney,
This is my first year in conformation, so I wasn't aware of what grooming is done before a show. I was surprised when someone made a big deal about the whiskers have to go. I agree it should be a non-issue. But it is a good discussion for people that don't show and want to show. Grooming is something I'm still learning. Now the nose blackening I don't like at all, that's a little over the top.


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## Megora

I like the whiskers on, but admittedly.... Bertie has some thick and sharp whiskers! And since he's a snuggler - I get poked in the face a lot by them.


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## murphy1

*Why Do Dogs Have Whiskers?*

Not merely cosmetic, dog's whiskers help them navigate their world 
Published on September 9, 2011 by Stanley Coren, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. in Canine Corner 






6
inShare​


http://www.psychologytoday.com/basics/matingI recently brought my old Nova Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, Dancer, to a dog groomer to be washed, brushed, and trimmed. The regular groomer was away that day and I didn't know the girl who was filling in for her. She took one look at him and exclaimed, "Oh my! He certainly does need grooming. Look at the length of his whiskers. We will have to clip those off so that his face looks more trim and tidy."
I reflexively put my arm around him in a protective manner and said, "Please leave his whiskers be."










Dogs have a set of stiff hairs protruding from the sides of their muzzles that are popularly called "whiskers." These are not at all like the nonfunctional whiskers that men sometimes grow on their faces and they are technically called _vibrissae_. Cats have similar hairs and people often refer to these as "feelers" and this may be a better name since vibrissae really are sophisticated devices that help the dog feel its way through the world. They are quite different from most other hairs on the dog's body, since they are considerably more rigid and embedded more deeply into the skin. At the base of each vibrissa is a high concentration of touch sensitive neurons.

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Vibrissae are found in a variety of other animals including cats, rats, bears, and seals, which suggests that they must serve a useful function. One way to determine how important something is to animal is to see how much of the brain it uses. Of those areas of the brain that register touch information in the dog, nearly 40 percent of it is dedicated to the face, with a disproportionately large amount of that dedicated to the regions of the upper jaw where the vibrissae are located. You can actually map each individual vibrissa to a specific location in the dog's brain, suggesting that great importance is assigned to information from these structures.
The vibrissae serve as an early warning device that something is near the face, and thus prevent colliding with walls and objects, and keep approaching objects from damaging the dog's face and eyes. You can demonstrate this for yourself by tapping gently on the vibrissae of a dog. With each tap, the eye on the same side of the face will blink protectively, and the dog will tend to turn its head away from the side tapped.
The vibrissae also seem to be involved in the location of objects, and perhaps in the recognition of the objects themselves. Most animals use vibrissae much the way that a blind person uses a cane. First, the little muscles that control the vibrissae direct them somewhat forward when the dog is approaching an object. Next they actively "whisk," or vibrate slightly while the dog swings his head to drag these hairs across surfaces. Whisking gives information about the shape and roughness of surfaces near his head. Since the dog's eyes can't focus very well on close objects, and his muzzle blocks his line of sight when he is looking at things near his mouth, the information from the forward and downward pointed vibrissae appears to help him locate, identify, and pick up small objects with his mouth.
Many dog fanciers are unaware of the importance of vibrissae to the dog, and most groomers, such as this one that I just encountered, seem to consider vibrissae as a purely cosmetic feature, as if they were the same as human facial hair. Dogs of many different breeds routinely have their vibrissae cut in preparation for the show ring. It is argued that this gives the dog's head a "cleaner" look. Unfortunately, amputating vibrissae is both uncomfortable and stressful for dogs, and it reduces their ability to perceive their close surroundings fully.
Specifically, dogs whose vibrissae have been removed seem more uncertain in dim light. Under these conditions they actually move more slowly, because they are not getting the information that they depend upon to tell them where things are that they might bump into. With intact vibrissae, the dog actually does not have to make physical contact with a surface to know it is there. These special hairs are so sensitive that they also register slight changes in air currents. As a dog approaches an object like a wall, some of the air that he stirs up by moving bounces back from surfaces, bending the vibrissae slightly, which is enough to inform him that something is near well before he touches it.
I particularly did not want Dancer's vibrissae removed since at age 14 years he has already lost the vision in his left eye. Dogs with reduced vision depend even more dependent on the sensations from their vibrissae to help avoid bumping into things. So in my typical university professor style I tried to explain why his whiskers should not be removed to the young groomer.
She looked at me blankly and responded, "But if I remove his whiskers his face will look much cleaner and neater."
I sighed and searched for another way to explain it to her. Finally I said, "Look, he is an old dog, and old men are allowed to have whiskers on their face and so are old dogs. So leave them be."
She smiled and nodded, giving a brief "I understand now" and I left feeling my dog's important facial paraphernalia would remain intact for now


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## averageJoelene

I don't show my dogs and don't plan to... But I WILL say that looking from the outside in, I don't see why any kind of alterations are made on the dog if we're looking for a great specimen of the breed. I'm quite sure Goldens naturally have these whiskers... And I'm quite sure they serve a purpose on the dog to begin with. Why take them away just to look more aesthetically pleasing? EMBRACE what these dogs are naturally!

Again, I'm an ACD person... I have very similar views to the docking of tails and pretty much any kind of unnatural alterations. If you're not herding swine (or any other tail crunching beast) on the regular, why are you taking away something so important to the dog? My opinions...


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## Megora

Just fyi.... the whiskers grow back. It really is silly to compare to body parts which are permanently removed.


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## averageJoelene

I'm very aware of that  They're there for a reason. It's not "silly" at all... Embrace the dog, why change them at all?


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## Megora

Removing whiskers really doesn't change anything. They grow back - and fairly quickly. 

If you leave the whiskers alone - they break a lot on their own. Especially if you have dogs who like "cleaning" their faces after swimming (my guys use their front paws to scrape whatever off their face). Rather than have lopsided whiskers, I will trim them all to a certain length. 

They also fall out on their own. 

The eye whiskers are always trimmed because they have a tendency to curl and could scratch the dogs eyes. This is advice given by our vet. 

*(this comment directed in general based on the thread in general, not on specific people)* Pick your squabbles with grooming - if you talk about people body clipping their goldens or shaping the fur to cover up flaws, that's a bit different. This is just whiskers and a very minor detail.


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## averageJoelene

Oooo, I can see people get a little prickly when faced with opposition to their own opinions here. Lol, I don't "squabble". I share my own opinions... If you do not agree, simply ignore them or kindly take your "squabbling" elsewhere. No one's opinion should be considered silly. We all have the right to them, whether someone else agrees with them or not.

My opinion? Keep whiskers. They are cute and nature set them there for a reason. I've also never had a veterinarian tell me to do any kind of alteration to a dog unless medically necessary with that individual dog. Personally, I've never had a dog's eye whiskers curl into the dog's eye... Ever. If that were the case, I could see why trimming would be necessary... But again, NEVER had that issue with any of the many dogs we've owned. I get eyelashes in my own eyes, but I still prefer to have them.


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## K9-Design

Yeah I go in the same boat as Megora -- these articles and their persuasive use of synonyms cracks me up. "Amputate" whiskers?? Ummm, OK I think I'm going to go down to the salon and get my hair amputated.


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## murphy1

The whole point here is whiskers are there for an important reason!


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## LJack

Ok, I will go on the record. I like the look of my dogs cleaner, with out whiskers. I trim them and I am not ashamed. I have also trimmed horses to the point of a whole body shave for competition. 

It is my personal opinion.

I also like to wax my own eye brows, shave my legs and I am fine with spaying a neutering.


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## ilovesandwich

murphy1 said:


> The whole point here is whiskers are there for an important reason!


Yes, I agree. The whiskers are mechanoreceptors. I had never considered trimming/plucking them before because I remember learning about mechanoreceptors in my biology courses. I'm surprised it is common practice for AKC show dogs.


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## K9-Design

Nobody plucks whiskers. You trim them with scissors.


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## ilovesandwich

K9-Design said:


> Nobody plucks whiskers. You trim them with scissors.


Oh. The word "removal" has been mentioned often in this thread which seemed to indicate "pluck" to me. Regardless, I'm surprised trimming is commonplace.



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## Ljilly28

LJack said:


> Ok, I will go on the record. I like the look of my dogs cleaner, with out whiskers. I trim them and I am not ashamed. I have also trimmed horses to the point of a whole body shave for competition.
> 
> It is my personal opinion.
> 
> I also like to wax my own eye brows, shave my legs and I am fine with spaying a neutering.


Ditto on everything


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## K9-Design

You know another point is, EVERY breed with continuously growing hair / non-shedding that gets groomed, has their whiskers whacked off, and no one makes a fuss about that. In fact, because of their long face hair, their whiskers are completely obsolete, and somehow they get along just fine. I'm talking cocker spaniels, Springer spaniels, shih tzus, bichons, poodles, yorkies, westies, etc etc etc. They live their whole lives with inoperable whiskers.


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## BrinkleyMom

We do not show Brinkley nor is she a hunter or therapy dog, she is just a family pup. So I had NEVER even heard of trimming whiskers! Although, she does have CRAZY whiskers so we have discussed trimming them once or twice...
I think we will leave her whiskers where they are, mainly because it has earned her the nickname "Catfish" and I just think it is cute!


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## HiTideGoldens

I am not surprised this thread resurrected itself as this seems to be a common discussion. As I said back in may, I trim whiskers for showing. I have NEVER heard of anyone plucking whiskers. 

To say "why change anything?" doesn't really sit well with me. Some breeds require grooming, and to me, Goldens are one of them. I trim my dogs' feet, ears and tails when they are not shown. Maybe all of it is not necessary like other breeds (poodles,etc) but at a minimum they would be sliding around on our hardwood floors and tile if we didn't trim their feet at least semi regularly. 

If you don't want to trim whiskers on your dog, fine. I prefer the look, so I do. 

Interesting point by k9design about other breeds where the dogs have long face hair...


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## murphy1

Grooming is just fine the hair will grown back. I've read many times on the forum, never shave a golden their long hair keeps them both warm and cool in the different season. The hair on their body is there for a reason......as are the whiskers.
The thought that someone would actually Pluck them makes me want to scream. Pluck your own nose hair..........how does it feel?
Sorry if I seem nasty but I just don't get it, they are there for the dogs sake not for people to decide what they like or don't


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## gmammad

I love my little Cooper's whisker's, it gives him such a cute look!


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## Megora

Gotta say.... there was whisker genocide at my home last night.  

I was already trimming ears and feet - I clipped two very sharp and thick whiskers completely off (all the way down to the skin) as well while snipping all the other whiskers to half their length.


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## DanaRuns

I trim Gibbs' whiskers, because he is a show dog. Even though I'm not showing him right now, I keep them trimmed both because I prefer the look and because I want to keep him used to the way it feels. Like Megora, I had a serious whisker genocide yesterday. 

I do not trim Isabelle's. She is a rescue and a pet, and while I like the clean look of trimmed whiskers I resist the impulse and let her whiskers remain _au naturale_.


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## HiTideGoldens

Murphy1, I think the point was people do NOT pluck them. So there is no reason to even seem nasty on that issue since we all agree 



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## Brave

Bear has rough whiskers, but I love to kiss him there - so I leave them be. However, having groomed professionally for a few years, I have shaved whiskers off many dogs (none of whom where being shown); I've never had a bad reaction. 

Bear does get his feet shaped, hair in between the pads trimmed (not shaved, to prevent irritation), nails grinded, and I'm trying to figure out how to properly aerate his ears. Most professionals advocate plucking the hair out of the ears, but ears and I haven't really gotten along, so for now - I trim the hair inside the ear. 

The only thing of all this he minds is the nail grinding. 

To each their own. I personally cannot equate trimming whiskers to docking; that is like equating waxing my mustache (yes. I have one. *cringe*) to genital mutilation (i.e. circumcision - though that doesn't apply to me, mustache or not), feet binding, etc. two completely different things. 

Debate aside, if you don't agree with it - what is the point of coming back to rant? The OP has opted not to trim, and I doubt anyone who is currently trimming will suddenly stop. Justus perspective. 

Have fun showing your gorgeous pups!! 


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## Discoverer

I've never had and never will cut Oscar's whiskers for the show as I hunt with him and DO believe they are for the purpose. Last weekend he got 6 points with his whiskers on, so it seems judges don't care either.


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## Ljilly28

Mystic is going to lose his on halloween day- first show day.


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## DanaRuns

Okay, maybe I'm weird, but I like shaving them off.  I have these little razors that are used for surgical patients that Gibbs' handler gave me, and I just go zip-zip-zip! and it's done.

It's like popping zits kind of enjoyable. :yuck::uhoh::no::


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## Megora

The above is a reason why I think that outside of shows and tidying up the whiskers so they aren't too scraggly.... why it's a good idea to leave them on a dog who is a bush whacker like mine are.  

Bertie ran through the bushes on our property one morning and came back to me with a little scratch very close to his eye. We have raspberry vines towards the back, so I gather he ran through them. His eye itself was fine, because I imagine the whiskers did their job and he had his eyes shut.


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