Creative Grooming
One little-known secret of the grooming industry is creative grooming. Contests held around the country let creative groomers highlight their talents by taking a dog, usually a Standard Poodle, and sculpting and coloring the dog's hair.
Origins of Creative Grooming
These contests were the brainchild of Jerry Schinberg, the creator of the All American Dog Grooming Show in Chicago, Illinois, which is an annual grooming show with seminars, a trade show, grooming competitions, grooming classes, and lots of fun and education for the industry. In 1980, Jerry held a creative grooming contest; it's been going on ever since and has expanded to several shows.
The trims on the dogs in these shows become even more outrageous and unique each year. When it started, you might have seen a spiral trim on a Poodle, which evolved to coloring a dog. (Ever wonder how the pink Poodle craze got started?) Today, you will see dogs that look like horses, camels, or even people! The groomers get into it and accompany their dogs with costumes, backgrounds, props, music — you name it!
Timing
These trims are usually started several months in advance of a contest. It takes time to grow the hair out to the length you need, and you need to work on it a bit and have time to grow it out if you goof it up. It's not unusual to put thirty or more hours into a creative groom. The entries in these contests are phenomenal, and even more phenomenal are the wonderful dogs who tolerate the groomers fussing over them for hours at a time. These dogs truly enjoy the grooming; they are very proud to stand there and show off for their admirers. They know they look good and are quite proud to show their colors.
Here is author Sandy Blackburn with Spencer, a Standard Poodle groomed to look like a Clydesdale horse, at Chicago's All American Grooming show in 2005.
Add Some Color
Coloring pets is easy to do using some simple nontoxic products. Light-colored dogs are the easiest to color, but even some dark dogs can have a little color added.
Chalk is an easy way to add a little color to your pooch. You can use nontoxic artist chalk, which is usually available in the kids' section of the store, along with crayons and markers. Artist chalk rubs on the hair easily and comes in a vast array of colors. Rub it on, brush or comb it through the hair, and poof — instant color!
If you don't have artist chalk, sidewalk chalk or colored blackboard-type chalk works well if you wet it first, then rub it on and brush it through. You can draw designs on your dog with the chalk and really create a masterpiece!
Blo-pens® are a favorite among creative groomers; they are usually available at craft stores and some discount stores in the crayon and marker aisle. They are simply markers that are meant to be blown into at one end, causing the color to come out the other end in a sort of airbrushed pattern. This makes it easy to color larger areas — if you have the breath. Be sure to shield your dog's eyes, of course!
Permanent markers work well to color in areas of the hair, and they don't rub off onto the furniture as chalk does. When they get wet, they can rub off or wash off, so be sure your dog is dry before she touches walls, rugs, or furniture.
Around Halloween you may see cans of colored hairsprays in the costume aisle. These are easy to use, but they do rub off onto clothes and furniture. They do wash out easily, so they are more of a one-day temporary color.
Kool-Aid® is another way to wash in a little color. Mix the powder (without sugar in it) with a little bit of water to create a very strong solution. The mixture should be dark. You can work it into the coat with a toothbrush if you like. Wear gloves to protect your hands from the color. This is a more permanent form of color; it does wash out a bit over time, and if your dog sheds it won't last too long and won't rub off on anything once it's dry.
You can use stencils with your markers or Blo-pens® or you can apply color freehand — it's all up to the artist. You can use stencil designs for each holiday and show your dog off!
Most color washes out easily, but you may have faint residual color for especially dark or bright colors. When all else fails, a haircut usually removes any unwanted color.
