When you have spent good money for a smart outfit to wear to a very special occasion, do you complete your attire with a pair of scuffed-up shoes, badly run down at the heels, with holes in the soles? Of course not. Because of the impression it would make, even if they are the most comfortable shoes you own. Why, then, do you pay good money to enter your dog at a show, spend a bundle on travel and motel expenses, and then take your dog into the ring with sloppy, neglected feet? Have you thought about the impression that makes? As a judge, I could not turn down a top - quality dog just because he had long nails, nor could I put up a real turkey because his feet had been beautifully cared for. But I would not be able to help having certain impressions come to mind. The tidy feet with short nails immediately signals that here is an exhibitor who knows what he is doing. The dog with the long claws must belong to a pet owner who just doesn't know any better or perhaps to a knowledgeable exhibitor who simply doesn't care. In a very close decision, impressions can tip the scales.

While the appearance of the feet of a dog being judged can influence the impression the judge receives, foot care is even more important in regards to the dog's well being. The balance is thrown off when long claws push the dog's weight back on his pasterns and this, in turn, has a hindering effect on the whole shoulder assembly. Unfortunately, it is the habit of many exhibitors, who have properly cared for their dog's feet through its show career, to neglect the feet once the dog has been retired from the ring. This is too bad because it has been my experience that dogs who have received proper foot care and exercise throughout their entire life, remain active and agile well into their teen years.

Taking good care of your dog's feet is not difficult if you have made a point of teaching your dog from the time it is a young puppy to accept having his feet handled and his nails cut. it does take time, though. About ten minutes at least once a week, ideally twice a week. If nails on the puppies are cut at the time of tail docking and then are done twice a week thereafter during the rapid growing puppy months, the 'quick' will stay well back and the foot will usually remain tight. I have heard it said that if the tiny nails on a puppy are snipped right off at the time the tails are done, that the nails will grow back in as permanently short nails with the 'quick' remaining well back. I have not seen this procedure done nor have I knowingly seen the effects of it in a grown dog. Perhaps breeders who have tried this procedure on very young puppies will comment on its effectiveness.

I prefer to sand down the nails on my dogs, believing that the procedure is more comfortable for them by not having the pressure on the nail caused by the squeeze of the cutter blade. By sanding the nails, it is easier to work the nail back closer to the quick than with nail clippers and the nail can be rounded off, giving the appearance of a naturally short nail. Ideally, right after the nails have been taken back in this way, a dog with well-kept nails can walk across a linoleum floor without his nails clicking on the floor.

I think that nails which have been whacked off with a single slice of the nail clippers look ugly and unnatural, plus they are ruinous to stockings. Even worse to contemplate is the procedure that some Corgi fanciers are said to use, and this is to routinely shorten the nails by purposely cutting into the quick. The bleeding is then stopped with a blood clotting agent. Those who use this method claim that the dogs really don't object any more to this procedure than to any other nail trimming procedure. None the less, it seems a ruthless substitute for more frequent, less radical nail care. For those who wish to sand their dog's nails, there are different sanding or grinding devices available. I use a sanding disc attachment on Oster clippers - simply because I already had the clippers. Many other people use the Dremel nail trimmer with a grinding drum. This piece of equipment is handy in the workshop as well, providing added excuse for its purchase. The Dremel nail trimmer can be purchased at dog shows, in pet supply stores or through Animal Specialties.

The exact way of going about the process of doing nails varies with each person. Some well-trained dogs stand patiently on a grooming table while each paw is lifted and the nails trimmed. Being lazy myself about it, I sit, usually on the floor, with an "upside down dog" in my lap. This makes it convenient for the victim of my attentions to have tummy rubs in between doing each paw. I have also found I can see more clearly exactly what I am doing with the dog in this position so can work closer to the quick. There is a lot of praise at the end of the procedure and the prospect for the same attention will bring the next victim-to-be over, volunteering to get into my lap.

In preparing the Corgi for the show ring, you would be surprised at how spruced up just a little tidying up of the feet can make a dog look. The Standard specifies that it is permissable to "tidy the feet" and that is really all that is necessary. Trim the hair flush with the pads and don't cut the hair up between the toes or on the topside of the foot or you will have a ragged mess on your hands. Trim the hair on the sides of the foot right at th line between the toe pad and the hair-covered side of the foot. Blend towards the front of the foot, being careful not to cut back the hair over the two center toes. Keep in mind that you want to emphasize the desired oval shape of the foot. So many people chop off the hair around the edge of the whole foot, thereby completely exposing the nails making them look unduly long in addition to making the foot appear round instead of oval, as it should be.

The area in trimming up the foot that can get you in the most trouble is the blending of the hair from the foot into the pasterns and up the back of the hock. If you keep in mind that you want to demonstrate good bone, you will not take off any more hair there than you actually have to but will, instead, just take off the ragged hairs in as even a line as possible, smoothly emphasizing that the ample bone is carried down into the feet as called for in the Standard.

Don't wait until the night before the show to practice tidying up the ragged hairs on your dog's feet. Give it a try well before the time of a show so that your beginner's mistakes will have time to grow out and you will have time to perfect your technique. If you are lucky enough to have a dog to practice on that isn't being shown, all the better. But get to work right away on the nails on all of your dogs. The well-cared-for foot is not something that is achieved overnight.