Kerries in Grooming Contests

Chanel with groomer Angela Mullinax.

Chelo Lewter's Chanel was one of the 17 terriers competing in the Atlanta Pet Fair in March 2007, and got 2 - 1st place wins making her eligible to compete in BIS.

In BIS Chanel won over 100 dogs of 5 different breeds.

Tom and Chelo were ecstatic with her BIS and were extremely proud of their little girl. She behaved so well on the grooming table the entire two hours and greeted the judges with tail wags and kisses. Chanel had a grilled sirloin steak on her return home which she shared with Lancelot.

Another interesting activity for some Kerry owners are grooming contests.

The rules for grooming contests very from class to class. In the terrier class a competitor has 90 minutes to complete the groom. Standard poodles get 2 hours.

The dogs are pre-bathed and the pads and undercarriage are pre-shaved.

The grooming judges rate the style, the scissor work (smooth, choppy etc.) the clipper work. They go through the dogs with a comb looking for snarls and mattes.

It is only in the last 5-8 years that it has become important for the dogs to look like their showring counterparts. Before the grooming was the only thing that counted and a round blownout dog would win just as readily as a stylish packed in coat. There have been a few groomers instrumental in encouraging the groomers to view the dog under the coat, to stylize a groom to suit that particular dog.

Grooming contests usually include a terrier class, a standard/ miniature poodle class, a non- sporting class (bischons, PWD), a personality class (mixed breeds) and a sporting class (cockers, springers). The length of time allotted varies with the difficulty of the grooms needed for the various breeds.

Most contestants want to have 8-10 weeks of growth on a Kerry before competition.

Kerries regularly win first prize in these contests because they are stunning dogs that require a exceptional grooming skills. Grooming contests are another avenue to have fun with your Kerry. If you are lucky enough to find a great groomer who competes, it can become quite a new experience for you and your Kerry.

Grooming contests are fascinating and exciting to watch.