Groomers and owners will tell you that when coat is shaved off a dog, the texture of the coat that grows back is often different. In some breeds, like the Spanish Water Dog, this can be a challenge in a show ring when the breed standard allows for “complete and even” clipped dogs, but also calls for hair “of a wooly texture.”

The obvious solution is to show the dog in full coat, or to abide by the part of the breed standard that reads, “For shows, the recommended extended length of the coat is between 1 inch and 5 inches to demonstrate the quality of the curl or cord.”

The parent club of the breed writes: “In order to maintain the rustic appearance that attracts us to this breed, the coat should be clipped at least once a year evenly all over. A #5F or #5 skiptooth blade will leaves about a quarter of an inch of coat. This is a utilitarian clip: one length all over including body, head, legs, and tail. No part of the coat is left longer for aesthetic reasons.”

In agreement would be traditionalists who pine for the days when once a year, everyone sheared their Spanish Water Dog along with the sheep, the same length all over. Many owners do just that when their dogs are working, or when they’re not being shown.

Understandably, though, the coat must be long enough for a judge to be able to assess the quality of the curl since this single coat must always be curly, and even in corded presentations (the dog may be shown in natural curl or cords), the ends of the cords usually show a curl.

That said, fanciers know (with a wink and a nod), that in a show ring, there will be those who can’t resist “the call of coat” and feel that to be competitive, more coat is better than less. Grooming that is evident (or “creative”) is to be penalized since the dog isn’t within the standard.  We wonder: Can a corded SWD’s cords be too long, say, beyond the 5 inches specified in the standard?

What say those of you who own and exhibit this breed?

Image: “Jango,” a Spanish Water Dog, was created by Heather Wolfe who customizes photo-realistic portraits of one’s dog. Contact the artist at her website.