GROOMING A WORKING BARBET

The coat length of a working dog is generally a compromise between the need to give protection against brambles, twigs, and the cold where the dogs are in water for much of the day, and having the coat not so long that it catches on everything and takes an eternity to dry after a days work.

The time of the year needs to be taken into consideration when determining the coat length required. For the working Barbet there have been many different 'trims' suggested such as those found on the Poodle and Portuguese Water Dog, and a few more 'creative' ideas, but generally an even coat length of around 1 to 2 inches is a good starting point.

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