Annie smiles as her fur piles up on the table and floor.
Each of our wonderful English Setters has a different personality, and different needs. When it comes to grooming, Annie goes for the cute, short puppy cut. Annie is a free spirit. She doesn’t care to spend much time on the grooming table. For her, a puppy cut is perfect. It requires no brushing and only an occasional bath when she gets dirty (perhaps every three months). Most of Annie’s day is spent out in our fenced-in back field. As long as one of her buddies is out with her, she remains outside. Our official scout, Annie takes her role seriously, patrolling the yard. James, Lily, and King enjoy being outside for short periods of time, but prefer being inside near me. They go out in shifts to keep Annie company. Inside, they lie at my feet while I work.
King’s wonderful breeder Judi Hunter sent him off to us with a gorgeous, long, silky coat. He arrived with instructions on how I can keep him in show-coat condition. He looks magnificent. I want to keep up his beautiful coat. He’s very proud of his appearance and loves being on the grooming table getting brushed and trimmed – and getting lots of my undivided attention. He even walks right into the tub every day to have his feathers washed and conditioned, then blown dry. Such a sweet, sweet guy!
King in the tub
Annie was bathed the day before and towel-dried in preparation for her morning at our Bridgvale Farm spa. It took me a mere 30 minutes to shear her down. Once trimmed, off the table she jumped and began frolicking around outside.
In contrast, King obliged by hopping into the tub for his special conditioning treatment. After a shampoo and conditioning, I pinned him into a large bath towel and let him semi-dry while I had lunch. One word from me and King was up on the grooming table, standing like a statue as I blew him dry with a hair dryer and brushed through his silky fur. A few touch-ups with scissors, stripping knife, and clippers finished the job. A labor of love taking about 90 minutes. While King was on the table, I talked to him, pet him, and fed him his favorite treats. A very happy boy!