# What do you put in your spritz?



## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Time is closing in and our first show is next week, God help us! I'd planned on entering a three day show that was cancelled, and now we're entered in a four day show elsewhere. The scariest part is that none of our support network will be around as we're traveling 7 hours away. 

I've reserved grooming, and between the great help of my groomer and my pup's "grandmas" (breeder and sire's breeder) I think I have bought all of the supplies that I should need. They all recommended not fully bathing every day since it is our first show and she is a pup. 

When spritzing your dog and blowing them out do you prefer to use straight water, or add something to it? Also, is your spray that you take ringside only water? Which parts of the dog do you spray immediately before the show? I'd think i'd want to avoid her topline in case the waves return after working so hard to straighten it.

Thanks again 💗


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## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Bumping up


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## jenherrin (Apr 15, 2018)

I thought you weren't allowed to use anything on the coat other than water? (Or is that just in the UK?)


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

GoldenGirlz said:


> I've reserved grooming, and between the great help of my groomer and my pup's "grandmas" (breeder and sire's breeder) I think I have bought all of the supplies that I should need. They all recommended not fully bathing every day since it is our first show and she is a pup.
> 
> When spritzing your dog and blowing them out do you prefer to use straight water, or add something to it? Also, is your spray that you take ringside only water? Which parts of the dog do you spray immediately before the show? I'd think i'd want to avoid her topline in case the waves return after working so hard to straighten it.


I will say that I have a show this week (actually watching the time because I go out to set up in a few hours - fingers crossed I can get a good spot, doing reserved is so smart and if only I were that smart  ) - I will very likely bathe my dogs at home each morning (including this morning as the day before) and bring damp dogs to the show. And then spritz a little (because the dogs dry fast on their own) and dry.

The show site has bathing facilities available, but the water is ice cold, so I don't rely on that unless I really didn't have time to bathe at home.

As well other places, water might be really gross (rusty well water).

As a new exhibitor who is showing at this site for the first time + you may still be getting the bathe/dry/prep routine downpat, so this is all reasons to kinda play it safe and just do the spritz and puff dry. So the people giving you advice are absolutely spot on. 

Plus babies don't have too much coat to stress about + judges are not too particular about young pups (6-9 month old) having perfect straight/smooth coats. They are puppies. Even in a political breed like ours where you definitely will see 6-9 pups who look like miniature adults with the coats, the judges are a lot more lenient and do seem to enjoy judging the babies (unless they are too crazy and that's a different topic altogether).

Get a CC bottle at the show - if you can! I'm assuming this is a big enough show with vendors. This bottle does a double pump thing which speeds things up and saves your hand.









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What you spray on your pup - depend on your pup. Most of us want our babies to look good in the line up behind adult dogs, so even with pups you can use products like Crown Royale Bodifier or CC's Bottoms Up. Difference between the two is sometimes people don't like the smell of the Crown Royale bodifier (it smells a little like incense to me LOL) and opt to use Bottoms Up instead.

You would just use a little in the CC bottle - so basically 1 16 oz bottle will last forever.

You can use plain water too, btw - or a water/conditioning mix (basically like a brushing spray you'd make up and use at home) especially if you are just spritzing at ringside. But if you are going to blow dry, use bodifier? Or people typically do....

Some people do a very light spritz so the dog is just lightly damp to the skin. Or they can thoroughly soak the dog. As this is your first show, lighter is probably better as you are just waking up the coat a little. Focus on the dog's body and sides, you pretty much don't need to spritz the feathers or ears. Ears can be a huge pain to dry so avoiding the area helps even while definitely some do spritz the heads as well. 

Actually one thing I kinda suggest is a couple days this week - get pup up on the table and do a spritz/dry. This way you have the practice and know how much time you need. Especially if you have a concern about flippies. How you dry should help smooth out the coat vs causing flippies - at least with a coat that's basically not curly.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Thank you, thank you , thank you!!! She will be in the 9-12 month class, unfortunately she turns 9 months just three days before the show. 

Today is trimming day (i'm not doing it! we have a lovely groomer that used to be a show groomer and is eager for a new project after grooming doodles and Shih Tzu's day in and day out). She has read the MorningSage guide inside out and watched several videos, and also used to work with a groomer who bred Goldens so she is confident about the techniques. I'm nervous because just about anything that could go wrong has gone wrong preparing for this show, but I know she has the skills. Our conformation trainer said do not trim her hocks, but I didn't get a chance to ask why. When I asked one of her grandmas she said probably because she's a touch long in the hocks and that she would recommend back brushing them. Is the idea to make them look squarer? (i.e. if they were trimmed they would look long and skinny?)

It's difficult to know how much to do because she is a puppy. She has a good amount of coat but of course it's still coming in. For example, I don't know whether we should tidy her feathering or leave it alone. It's a lot easier to find examples of good adult grooming than it is good pups.


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

For my spritz/wet to dry/fluff I use distilled water. If the show ground is static prone or dry I use an anti-static spray.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

GoldenGirlz said:


> Our conformation trainer said do not trim her hocks, but I didn't get a chance to ask why. When I asked one of her grandmas she said probably because she's a touch long in the hocks and that she would recommend back brushing them. Is the idea to make them look squarer? (i.e. if they were trimmed they would look long and skinny?)


The reason why I'd think you wouldn't want to trim the hocks too much is if the dog needs better angle in the rear. Longer hock fluff if groomed a certain way can lengthen the angle? Or that is what I vaguely remember from a grooming seminar I attended????

I'm not the best at trimming hocks - but the advice I retained from that seminar was front legs and hocks behind should be like pillars - so plenty of bone and straight up and down.

The babies I have do not have as much hock hair as their dad (thank GOD!), so my main focus is combing the hocks straight out and using my 7" shears to leave as much on as possible while cutting a straight edge down.

With goldens most dogs being shown have a lot of rear angle - and that's a reason why even when a dog is pretty good with the rear (balanced front and rear and nice angles with both), some people may want more vs less. I think anyway?

For feathers - depends on her. Comb or brush straight down and see if the front leg feathers are longer than the big pad behind the front feet. That pad should be your guide on whether to trim up or not. <= For goldens, preference is to trim up length, but leave the rest natural (unless it is really bushy and untidy).

Neck - because of her age, may want to strip/smooth out a little if she has a lot of floof under her ears and chin. Not too much.

For the 9+ month class, there is still a lot of lenience for puppy antics, but the dogs do typically start getting groomed the same as adults. As needed anyway....


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

I just took some pictures of her au naturel because I figured it probably helps to see what we’re talking about 😂


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

She doesn't have much hock hair, so brush out and maybe make sure it's tidied up (straight line) while cutting the least amount of hair as possible.

Front leg feathers - don't trim. Just brush straight down. You can lightly spritz then blow straight down to smooth it out a little.

Bib/neck - don't trim. As she grows bib in front, you would leave a little more on there.

Ears and under ears - clean up a little.

Tail needs to be thoroughly combed out - use detangler. And then trimmed.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Thank you, that was my first instinct with the hocks, to do as little as possible but even them out so that they look straight and thick when I comb them. There’s about an inch of hair when pulled out straight. She has never had any hair trimmed, hence the nutty professors around her ears.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Thank you so much for the tip about spritzing and drying her a few times in the next few days. I’ve been trying out samples of products ahead of time to see how they work/act, and what they look like after a few hours and overnight.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

This is what she has for hock feathering, and what I think needs trimming


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## K9-Design (Jan 18, 2009)

I take two spray bottles, water, and Crown Royal Bodifier. Typically I only spray with Bodifier after they have had a bath, before blow drying. Water I will spray when I need to re-brush or dry them, and at outdoor shows. I generally take the water spray bottle with me to the ring, since not only can the dog get a drink from it, but I can spray their feet if the ground is slippery. best of luck!


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Thank you. I’ll take some better pictures when we get home, but I think the grooming went pretty well.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)




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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

When I asked the groomer how much I owed her, after she had worked on my dog for 4 1/2 hours, I was astonished when she said “nothing”. She asked if we do well in the show if we will get her a photograph to hang in her shop. She also gave me a set of scissors!!!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Looks good all around (including hocks) - but maybe have tail trimmed up again? It still looks a smidge too long. Obviously go by where her tailbone is - you want to hold so there is a hand's width between the shears and the tailbone tip and check against the point of the hock. IN the picture below, the line shows how much probably could get trimmed.

You can twist the tail around and around and trim the end - when you unfurl the tail, it should be more or less the right shape with very little tidying needed. Believe this is detailed on the morningsage site.











The below is unfortunately a fuzzy cell phone picture - but you can see the length and outline of my dog's tail? This was just 1 cut.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

I totally see what you mean. We have another appointment next week for touchups, so we can address that


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

If it helps (and I feel a little bad for taking over the thread with feedback - hope other people chip in with advice!!!!)

- I snapped a couple pics while doing very last minute trimming -

They should appear in order, but -

1. showing how I twist the tail and check for length. This is after really combing out the tail and getting dead hair and tangles out.

2. shows what the "pom pom" looks like at the end after I've trimmed the end of the tail

3. shows what the tail looks like when I've let it unfurl

4. shows what the tail looks like with the dog holding it up. <= apparently GRF thinks there's something objectionable about my dog's tail LOL.  

























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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

You're showing her yourself, right>? 
Remember to give her a belly reminder to hold her topline straight. I see a dip in most of these pics. And yes! Cut the tail as described above.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> You're showing her yourself, right>?
> Remember to give her a belly reminder to hold her topline straight. I see a dip in most of these pics. And yes! Cut the tail as described above.


Yes, I am 👍🏻


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

This is the spot in her top line coat that is giving me grief. These pictures are the morning after the night before! It’s the dip you can see in her coat after we got home (after she’d had a wrestling match with her sister and about 4 hours post grooming). It’s like she has a thick cape over her shoulders and then where it tapers and meets the regular width strip that goes down her back, there’s a really deep wave.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

I know that kind of cape, it's a normal cape (I had one once whose cape was lighter than rest of dark coat and that did do a job on the eye's take on it) - take some wet pics- I bet the topline has a dip under it, cape is just accentuating it most likely.. there is a cut you can make but it's hard to explain so maybe ask someone who is a good groomer to show you. Also, her coat looks a tad dry? Do you have a masque you can apply and wash out next day? The belly reminder I was referring to- stack her, get someone to film it level w her, and you put your hand under her belly and give it a quick push up and see if that doesn't fix the dip for the moment, so you'll know what that's doing to her to the eye. You will prob have to do it several times, time it for judge's eye to see her and not you doing that.


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## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

Try drying that area back- comb and dryer both going opposite way of growth. After totally dry, then comb it back down not hard but gently and see if it doesn't fix it.. but if it is her structure, that will break as she moves go around so it's still not hidden even if it is hidden on observation stacked. You might also need to carry comb in the ring and comb it back underneath the cape after you go around. Watch some videos on FB of actual shows and you will see this being done (as well as the belly taps) if the whole ring is being filmed and not a closeup on dog being examined.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> I know that kind of cape, it's a normal cape (I had one once whose cape was lighter than rest of dark coat and that did do a job on the eye's take on it) - take some wet pics- I bet the topline has a dip under it, cape is just accentuating it most likely.. there is a cut you can make but it's hard to explain so maybe ask someone who is a good groomer to show you. Also, her coat looks a tad dry? Do you have a masque you can apply and wash out next day? The belly reminder I was referring to- stack her, get someone to film it level w her, and you put your hand under her belly and give it a quick push up and see if that doesn't fix the dip for the moment, so you'll know what that's doing to her to the eye. You will prob have to do it several times, time it for judge's eye to see her and not you doing that.


I have some good leave-in conditioners i can apply daily between now and then. I was also thinking about conditioning her croup, maybe the whole topline when I bathe her. The rest of her coat is still soft puppy coat, but her topline is coarser. If I run my hands over her with my eyes shut I couldn't tell you where the dip is, so hopefully its just a coat thing. I'll take pictures next time I have her soaked down.


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## FinnTheFloof (Jun 27, 2021)

Prism Goldens said:


> You're showing her yourself, right>?
> Remember to give her a belly reminder to hold her topline straight. I see a dip in most of these pics. And yes! Cut the tail as described above.


I was going to ask about that- are Goldens a breed where you would use a little bit of some sort of mousse to fix dips in the topline? Or no? I know that some people use mousse or even shaving cream, but I have not seen it done on a golden.

Also, FWIW, I love the smell of crown royale bodifier.

again, FWIW, when a golden handler showed me on site grooming, she sprayed with water, self rinse, and bodifier, brushed it through, and line dried the dogs. However, that was a seasoned pro on adult dogs, so take it with a grain of salt.


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

GRF friends, I know you’re not going to believe this but our first day was amazing…


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Very awesome<:

Congrats on your first points!


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

Just catching up here, but CONGRATULATIONS!!!


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## LJack (Aug 10, 2012)

Wonderful!


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## ArkansasGold (Dec 7, 2017)

FinnTheFloof said:


> are Goldens a breed where you would use a little bit of some sort of mousse to fix dips in the topline?


Yes, but only in the dipped spot or on a steepish croup.


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## Tagrenine (Aug 20, 2019)

Omg wow congrats!!


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## FinnTheFloof (Jun 27, 2021)

GoldenGirlz said:


> GRF friends, I know you’re not going to believe this but our first day was amazing…
> View attachment 889947
> 
> View attachment 889948


That is AMAZING!! Great job!!!


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## FinnTheFloof (Jun 27, 2021)

GoldenGirlz said:


> GRF friends, I know you’re not going to believe this but our first day was amazing…
> View attachment 889947
> 
> View attachment 889948


You have her looking sooo good!


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## Oceanside (Mar 29, 2021)

Congrats!


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

GoldenGirlz said:


> GRF friends, I know you’re not going to believe this but our first day was amazing…


So gotta ask since you didn't say - did people at the show help you? Or how did it go? 

What did you end up doing as far as bodifier or water? 

In the win pic her coat looks so much healthier than the earlier pics. Somewhat seems to be a reminder that bad lighting can make things look different!


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Megora said:


> So gotta ask since you didn't say - did people at the show help you? Or how did it go?
> 
> What did you end up doing as far as bodifier or water?
> 
> In the win pic her coat looks so much healthier than the earlier pics. Somewhat seems to be a reminder that bad lighting can make things look different!


They didn’t help me, but they didn’t not help me either if that makes sense. I didn’t ask for help but I’m sure they would have been helpful had I asked. The ring steward was extremely helpful because I was so terribly nervous and then excited and nervous that I didn’t know if I was coming or going. The judge was also very friendly and relaxed.
I fully bathed her with just shampoo and dried her each day, wetting down and drying doesn’t seem to work for us. I had also raked out her neck quite a bit between the last grooming appointment and this. I think mostly her coat is becoming trained from having grooms her so much in the past couple of weeks, but I think it was bad lighting as her coat hasn’t ever been bad.


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## Megora (Jun 7, 2010)

Great job - yep, full baths and dries are a ton of work - but they seem to work the best at giving your dog that look without using too much product. Was going to say her neck looks great. 

Was thinking out there (TX) that you were up against some pretty big handlers. Good job<:


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

Megora said:


> Great job - yep, full baths and dries are a ton of work - but they seem to work the best at giving your dog that look without using too much product. Was going to say her neck looks great.
> 
> Was thinking out there (TX) that you were up against some pretty big handlers. Good job<:


Yes we were, I think they were even more surprised than we were!


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## GoldenGirlz (Nov 15, 2021)

GoldenGirlz said:


> Yes we were, I think they were even more surprised than we were!


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