Grooming

Grooming

In order to look his best, the Cesky needs careful and regular grooming, but this is not difficult to do. The coat on the body and the head is clipped (not hand stripped like most other terriers). To keep the pet Cesky neat and tidy, the use of a skip-tooth blade (#7 or equivalent) is recommended for the body, with a #10 for the skull, ears and tail. The longer hair of the muzzle legs and skirt should be brushed every day – a good quality bristle or pin brush is ideal for this.

Pay particular attention to the under-arm area as this can easily get matted. The leg hair and the skirts can be neatly trimmed with scissors (especially in winter) to give a more practical coat, without losing the traditional Cesky look. The silky coat does not shed dirt, so a Cesky needs regular bathing – a good quality human combined shampoo/conditioner seems to work well, and leaves the coat easy to manage. If the coat is very fine or has a tendency to curl, brush it whilst blow-drying. A lot of hair grows in the ears, and this should be removed to prevent infection. Scissoring the hair growing between the pads and trimming the floor-length ends of the leg hair will reduce the amount of dirt carried into the house!

Preparing a Cesky for the show ring is essentially the same- although a little more precision must be used in clipping, and the furnishings should be encouraged to grow. Every dog will have a slightly different coat, and only experience will tell you the ideal time to clip that particular dog so that he looks his best for the show. As a rough guide, about six weeks before the date, the body should be clipped with a #10 blade, taking care to achieve a satin-smooth finish. The head, ears and tail can be done at the same time with a #15. A few days before the show it will probably be necessary to do the cheeks, ears and

tail again, (leaving the top of the skull slightly longer) and the opportunity can be taken to neaten any uneven growth on the body with a pair of thinning scissors. A final bath the night before the show will probably reveal a few stray hairs that need to be trimmed, and then your Cesky will be ready to take a glamorous entrance into the show ring. The traditional Czech method of show presentation is very slightly different, in that the hair over the spine, the rib cage and the top of the head is left a little longer than the rest of the body. To achieve this, use a #10 blade on these areas and a #15 on the rest. By the time the coat is the correct length for the show ring (approx. 1.5cm) this distinction should hardly be visible, but it does give a cleaner, more defined look to the quarters, whilst at the same time offering more protection to the vital organs.

The Cesky Terrier Club

Information and news for the Cesky Terrier