About Competitive Grooming and Grooming Shows :
Over the last few years I, (Heather), have competed in several grooming competitions. For those of you unfamiliar with a what a grooming show or grooming competition is, I thought I would provide a brief overview here.
Dogs arrive at the competition ring fully bathed, brushed out and ready for their hair cuts. The dogs used for competing typically have 6 weeks (or more) growth of hair. A lot of effort is spent with competition dogs in the weeks leading up to a show to make sure their hair is not getting matting or damaged in anyway. Groomers spend many days off in the Salon, bathing, drying, conditioning, and prepping these dogs! The before and after transformation is part of the judging. In fact, judges watch each competitor’s grooming area to see how much hair is on the floor after each competitor is done! Having “not enough hair”, could mean losing marks or even disqualification.
The competition begins once all the competitors have been pre-judged, which basically means, a Judge comes over and assesses your dog. They are looking for coat length, combing through your dog looking for matts, skin issues, making sure it is clean, and ready to go. Once everyone’s dog has completed pre-judging, the competition begins. This is a timed event.
Competitors have a predetermined amount of time (depending on the dog, breed, size etc.) to put their best haircut on the dog while being watched by the judges. Groomers are evaluated on technique, pet handling, style, performance, conformation, corrective grooming abilities, etc. When the allotted time is up, for example, 2 hours and 15 minutes for Standard Poodles, “scissors down” is called and competitors are required to immediately stop grooming. At this point, the Groomers tidy up their tables, and present their dogs for judging. The judges then have the difficult job of awarding 1st, 2nd and 3rd place finishers in each Division.
There are 3 Divisions based on experience and/or skill level: Novice (beginners), Intermediate, and Advanced (or Open). These levels are often referred to as the A, B and C divisions. “A” being Advanced or Open Level. Open level competitors are awarded Groom Team Points for placements and can earn a position on Groom Team Canada which is a travelling team that competes at an extremely high level internationally. Once you have achieved 3 first place finishes in Novice and/or Intermediate, you are required to move up to the next level for your next competition. Any Competitor can choose to compete at the Open level without competing in novice or intermediate first.
In Ontario, there are usually 3 main Grooming competitions each year. They are held in Toronto, “TOGS” Toronto Ontario Grooming Show in the Spring, Smiths Falls, Champion Grooming Show held each Summer and Niagara Falls, Lets Groom which is held in late fall. There are often various smaller shows taking place throughout the year. There are also many Shows across Canada including Master Groom in Albert each year, and many International Shows like Groom Expo in Hershey Pennsylvania and InterGroom in New Jersey for example.
Competitive Grooming Accomplishments and WINS:
Heather started out her Competitive career placing 1st in the Novice division at the Toronto Ontario Grooming show in poodle class with Leo in June of 2015. She also placed 1st in the Salon Freestyle class with Otis at the same show. She was awarded the Best in the Novice Division with her Poodle Groom at the event.
Heather went on to place 1st at “Get Your Groom On” in London with Leo that year in Novice Poodle. For something a bit different, Heather participated at the Ontario Dog Groomers Association Rescue Rodeo Competition held at the Canadian Pet Expo in March 2016 and placed 2nd with her mystery dog which happened to be a toy poodle.
Togs 2016
Otis 2nd place in Freestyle Novice
Otis changes back to a Poodle for TOGS 2017
After a bit of a break from competing to focus on relocating the business, Heather returned to the competition ring in 2018.
In 2018 at the Champion Grooming show in Smiths Falls, Heather placed 1st in Novice Sporting with an English Springer Spaniel, Auto, and was also awarded Best in Division for that groom! In 2019 Heather placed 1st with her Standard Poodle, Dove as an Intermediate Competitor, at the Toronto Ontario Grooming Show, and was also awarded the Best in Division for that groom. Also in 2019, Heather placed 1st in the Intermediate division in Poodle and Sporting with her Standard Poodle and English Springer Spaniel and the Niagara Grooming Show known as Lets Groom.
In 2020 all shows have of course been cancelled due to Covid 19. Upon returning to Grooming Competitions, Heather will be making her debut as an Open level competitor.
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