Cording A Spanish Water Dog: 4. Identifying Spots to Watch

Cording A Spanish Water Dog
Part 4
6 months of growth
The good, the meh, and the ugly.
Sorry this is so late, guys. Real life caught up with posting this!

[@justinediaz]

My SWD was clipped at the end of March (approx 7 months ago). He lays a lot (of course) while I am at work, so he is really bad in the same areas as your dog, and especially around his mid-section (it feels like one big mat). His cords in that section were extremely tiny once they grew out, and just got very frizzy. We live in a pretty rainy environment, so I was hoping that every time he got wet, he would be able to shake out the curls and have them be easier to find ... not the case so far. Tempted to cut him down with a size 7 now and have it grow out again, but with more attentive maintenance. We would like to show him because our breeder wants him to father a few litters next year. There is a dog show at the end of the year, but I'm really concerned about his coat. How long do you yet your dog's coat grow out before clipping again? Do you show your dog? P.S. he's adorable!

[@slightlymadhatter]

Justine Diaz, I'm going to talk about actually splitting cords and maintenance during this time in my next video (hopefully coming soon). Barring disaster, I will be growing his coat for another year and change. I shave at around the two year mark as that is when his coat has reached the maximum length.

[@vegaswd1531]

Hi, I have a 11 month old SWD who was clipped about 4 months ago and is now starting to get some of those matted clumps that you mention later on in this video, especially on his rear haunches where he sits. Similarly, he doesn't have any clear defined curls where they are, they are more wavy in texture. Is it best to try and start splitting the mats now or leave them to continue to mat and grow out and try and wait until the get more defined to split? Thanks Lee

[@slightlymadhatter]

VegaSWD 1 Hi Lee! I actually wouldn't recommend cording right now as your dog doesn't yet have its mature adult coat. Puppy coat is notoriously hard to cord. Most SWDs don't finish their adult coats until 2 or 3 years old. It often starts with coarse hair in the rump area and works its way up. So enjoy that soft puppy coat and look for that gradual change in hair texture to start!

[@vegaswd1531]

slightlymadhatter Hi, thank you for the advice. Could I just ask if you have any tips for dealing with the matting in a puppy coat. We enter him in dog shows and I was hoping to get some extra length out of his coat before clipping it again, but am concerned that the mats will affect the quality of the coat and it may need to come off sooner than I hoped. P?S thank you for your videos they are really informative and useful for us as new SWD owners

[@slightlymadhatter]

VegaSWD 1 You can use the same splitting techniques as with an adult coat, it's just that the results will be temporary. So I'd do it right before your show, after you've bathed and let your puppy dry. Best of luck at the show!

[@vegaswd1531]

slightlymadhatter Lovely, thank you so much for all your help.😀

[@yogiyoda]

Can these dogs see when their fur covers their eyes?

[@slightlymadhatter]

So-so. They see well enough not to bump into walls but a friend fondly tells the story of her dog who she was running an agility course with. She said jump and he dutifully jumped...3 feet to the left of what he was supposed to jump over.

[@yogiyoda]

@@slightlymadhatter - thanks. I'm looking for a hypoallergenic dog that's big & athletic enough to go on long hikes. ...and heat tolerant enough to hike in the hot, humid Florida summer. Also, don't want to deal with all the grooming of a poodle. Do you think a Spanish Water Dog might fit the bill? I'm okay with doing a short trim a few times a year.

[@slightlymadhatter]

@@yogiyoda they're only 35-45 pounds and the hypoallergenic may be appealing, but this is a herding and guarding breed that many refer to as "rustic". In this case, rustic means two thumbs away from a tin foil hat and telling you about conspiracies they read on the "deep web". They're smart but not an easy breed to deal with at times. I'd recommend meeting a whole bunch before you decide. Honestly, poodles are good fun and easy to groom if you keep them in a teddy bear clip.

[@yogiyoda]

@@slightlymadhatter - lol, are you saying they're a bit crazy? I'd keep the dog a leash most of the time, but do want a dog that can be trained to be reliable off-leash. I like the size. I travel a lot and that's easier when a dog isn't too large. I'm also considering a Pudelpointer; but, as they shed more,I'm skeptical about how hypoallergenic they really are. I'm not crazy about the poodle's looks. And supposedly they need a lot of brushing and trimmed every six to eight weeks. I'll look into the teddy bear cut though. I'm going to try visiting with the different breeds. Do you know of any Spanish Water Dog breeders near central Florida? ...or another way to visit with the breed?

[@idiotically-everything]

​@@slightlymadhatterOh and they're prone to being suspicious of strangers and strange dogs so socialization is important. Wish I had been older when we got out family dog, currently dealing with 11 years of dog reactivity