Grooming for perfection

ANY dog showing at Crufts needs to be groomed to perfection, and that’s especially true of the Schnauzer with his crisp, characteristic conformation and distinctive coat colour and texture. 

“The outline and shape need to be quite precise and accurate - every piece of hair needs to be in line and needs to be right,” explains Laureen Woods who will be at Crufts this year with her daughter Beccie and three of their Miniature Schnauzers.

The Schnauzer is a breed that requires regular coat care including hand stripping, scissor work, clipping round the ears and of course regular shampoos. 

“The mud this wet winter has made the job harder than usual,” says Beccie. “Anyone with a light-coloured dog coat will have found that. Hair can absorb substances and mud can sometimes change the colour of the coat, so you really have to keep on top of the shampooing.” Happily the Woods’ Schnauzers are all introduced to bathing, clipping and hair drying as puppies and really enjoy it. 

Forty years of experience

When it comes to grooming Schnauzers, few people can match Beccie and Laureen for experience: “We have had schnauzers now for about 40 years… so it’s been 40 years of learning,” laughs Laureen.

“There’s no one hairstyle to suit all dogs - it must suit their attributes,” she continues. “It’s about having an eye for a dog and how to make the most of the dog you have in front of you. “

Beccie and Laureen spend time on their dogs’ coats daily in the build up to Crufts, using specialist hairdressing scissors which cost well over £100 a pair. “Beccie will work on hand shaping and regular baths most nights, and the last cut is outside the ring on the table literally before we go in,” explains Laureen. 

An exciting young dog

The Woods are very excited to take their young champion Penbro Carbon Copy to Crufts this year to see how he fares.

We’ve had an amazing year this year with him,” explains Beccie. “He’s the top Miniature Schnauzer puppy for 2025 in the UK. He’s also been second top in the whole utility group, and 7th overall for every breed. But who knows how he’ll do? It all depends on the judge on the day..”

Crufts’ brand new grooming class

One dog which has not been stripped and clipped ahead of Crufts, however, is their 2024 Crufts Best of Breed Champion Penbro Man About Town. That’s because Beccie hope to be competing in a brand new class which will showcase grooming skills — fascinating for spectators to watch — for which dogs must have a good six to eight weeks of growth.

“For a dog that’s not had any work done for several weeks, the allotted two-and-a-half hours to groom may be really tight,” says Beccie, but she sounds up for the challenge. “I hope it shines a light on the dog grooming side of things - It’s an unregulated business and hopefully it will show people what really good grooming looks like,” she reflects.

Added to which, it’s a wonderful opportunity to bring their now retired Crufts Best of Breed winner for 2024, Champion Penbro Man About Town back to Crufts before he's able to return in veteran classes once he’s seven.  “Some dogs are real showmen and he hates being left at home,” says Beccie.