This wonderful medium sized Sporting Dog used originally for springing
game is mostly used today to find or flush and retrieve game.
Tallest of the ancient
order of land Spaniels, the English Springer must present an overall
appearance of power and endurance with a clean but natural outline,
enhancing the quest for a dog that is able to work and keep going,
even under difficult conditions.
His coat standard calls
for one that is virtually waterproof, weatherproof and thorn proof.
It must have a glossy and clean appearance, indicative of good
health. Some trimming is allowed but not to the extent of artificiality
that comes with heavy barbering or amateurish chopping of the
coat.
You can legitimately trim
around the head, ears, neck and feet to remove excess and to thin
or shorten excess feathering to enhance the overall functional
appearance. It is best to wield the thinning shears at this point
having ensured you have purchased a good quality pair that fits
and suits your hand and eye. It does take skill to use a pair
of straight shears/scissors without leaving "steps and stairs"
in the coat and this is better left to the professionals. Far
better and the most natural method is to hand strip or to strip
the excess undercoat with a stripping knife. Ask a Terrier person
experienced in these techniques to show you how.
As the head is meant to
be the approximate length of the length of the neck and the top
of the skull to be flat on top with a slight rounding at sides
and back, your shape is fairly designated for you. Sometimes a
picture of your dog will serve to step you back to having a good
objective view of the dog that you can sometimes get too close
to with eye and heart when shaping.
When preparing this coat
for a show, use the Plush
Puppy Whitening Shampoo diluted 5 parts water to 1 part
shampoo for that nice pearly white finish to the whites and to
tone the unwanted rusty tones of the darker colour of the coat.
If shine is paramount and indeed the AKC standard uses the word
glossy, then use the Plush
Puppy All Purpose Shampoo with Henna again diluting 5:1.
If the feathering is sparse and you require a little more fullness,
then use the Plush Puppy
Body Building Shampoo diluted 3:1 for extra oomph.
A light squish through
the longer parts of the coat with a well diluted mix of up to
10:1 of Plush Puppy
Silk Protein Conditioner will serve to keep the featherings
untangled and hydrated. I don't advise using any conditioner on
the shorter body coat as conditioner can make the coat fluffy
and you want these areas to sit flat.
For show drying, use the
Plush Puppy Pin Brush
and a well diluted application of Plush
Puppy Swishy Coat to the featherings - (1 tspn to 2 cups
water) applied and left in. This helps to keep the coat disentangled,
helps reduce static and serves to minimise excess wave. Should
the coat featherings appear boofy, excessive or wavy, then add
a tspn of Plush Puppy Blow
Dry Cream to really flatten and soften. Leave in &
dry to ¾ dry and finish for smoothest finish with the Plush Puppy Metro Brush.
I recommend this 2 brush technique to minimise stretching of the
coat.
To maintain the coat between
shows, use the Plush
Puppy Revivacoat diluted for quick application (1 golfball
amount to 1 cup water) and sprayed onto the coat as a grooming
spray or used as a disentangler during the week. This great product
is excellent for moisturising and hydration, helping to maintain
the elasticity in the hair. For damaged or brittle coats, use
the Plush Puppy Coat
Rescue again diluted for ease and speed of application
at a ratio of 1 tbspn to 1 cup water and worked well into the
damaged areas and left for as long as the dog will sit still!
Then rinse.
Another good in between show remedy is the Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil. Sourced from
Evening Primrose Oil and Calendula Oils etc this organic plant
product will really protect and nourish. Spray the topline and
featherings - can also be used as a final rinse 1 tbspn to 1 gal/4lt
water and left in. This will not alter the texture but keep the
coat hydrated and protected. A good spray around the pee feathers
stops discolouration and breakage too. A real outdoors dog's best
friend!
For severe climates add
a dash of the Plush
Puppy Sunshade to the topline and head especially for
the liver coats which sun bleach easily.
Show day - well your work
has been primarily done. You simply have to add the fluff around
bits and pieces to make this dog the star and stand out he ought
to be. A quick dab of several layers of Plush Puppy Coverup Cream with a barely
damp sponge to the white areas such as the face, elbows, hocks,
legs etc to even out any discolouration and finished with an application
of corn starch will not only make the coat appear whiter but assist
in holding the chalk to the coat. This white cream stays well
onto the coat all day having to be washed off to remove.
The Plush Puppy Wonder Wash is another show
day mainstay. Having done all this preparation it is soul destroying
when your dog has an accident or gets muddied in foul weather.
A quick spritz with the Wonder Wash and a light foaming up with
your hands, and then wipe clean with a towel and the dog is as
good as new. This product really foams well and doesn't just lie
there on the coat doing nothing.
Now the last minute titivations are the Plush Puppy Shine & Comb misted about
12 inches/30 cms above the topline and allowed to fall just onto
the topline will add that last minute sheen and overall picture
of health appearance. A very judicious dusting of Plush Puppy Pixie Dust to the last two
rows of the Metro Brush stroked through the bib, pants and lightly
to the topline prior to the Shine & Comb, will add that extra
sparkle without being overdone. I always say the dog is to perform
in the show ring and not become the glitter fairy on top of the
Xmas tree so if you have the view that if a little works well
then more must be better - don't! Everyone loves this product
and it is sensational - used wisely.
You own a breed that is
distinguished and one of a class of dogs that is from the old
school of esteemed dogs - the Gundogs. For those of us with other
breeds, we admire the skill and usefulness of a dog who not only
is man's best friend but has the ability to put food on the table.
His value as a good working dog has produced a hard, muscular
animal with great pride of carriage and enthusiasm for his job.
It is a dog owned and shown throughout the century by gentlemen
and men of distinction. Shown today in the conformation ring,
he has flash and dash and class. Well presented, he is just breathtaking
- a true force to be reckoned with.
