At his father´s side

We started out by asking him how it was that he started out so young.
At home we had a short haired dachshund and when he died my mother wouln't have another dog in the house until we could look after him properly. So my father used to take me to shows so that at least I could see lots of dogs even if I couldn't have one of my own. I was very small at the time and was fascinated by it.
 
And where did your fascination for comb and scissors come from?
AI liked everything to do with dogs. Angel Sotoca was a neighbour, and I remember that there was a show in the neighbourhood and a friend had a wire haired fox terrier that she wanted to show. We asked Angel where we could take him to be groomed ( this would be about 1977/78) and he told us about a place. When we went to pick the Fox up I almost had a heart attack. He had been "shaved" with an electric trimmer leaving him with a "pair of trousers". I took my mothers tailoring scissors and cut away the trousers and we showed him. Obviously it didn't meet the standard, but it was my debut! Other friends, the Villota family had a wire haired Dachshund and I experimented hand stripping on him. Later I met a vet who lived close to our house, Antonio Vázquez, who was the official vet for the Madrid Show, he had Fox Terriers and Yorkies to show. He did it himself but little by little I started to get involved and in the end I was the one who prepared them for showing. I was an ever present at the shows and was like a sponge, absorbing everything I saw and heard. Almost without realising it I started to pick up quite a few customers, and at the time this wasn't bad at all. In those days the role model for a groomer and exhibitor in Spain was Paco Guijarro, who was pretty good.

In demand

Cesar has groomed dogs of many breeds, we wanted to know which he enjoyed most.
Well, as hairdresser, I like them all, but my passion for Kerries is well known. As a commercial proposition those which I least enjoy are the Cockers but for show I enjoy grooming all breeds.

We are not averse to a bit of gossip now and again, we'd love to know which dogs currently on show are in your hands.
Simply loads! But to name names for example, The Pommerland Schnauzers, Angel Sotoca's Foxes, Chewbaccita's Softs, Marisa Elorza's Cockers, Cristina Sanz's dogs, Manolo Moreno´s dogs, Vanessa's Teckels and many more that I am not going to name.

What are the keys to producing a dog with "that certain something"?
We are entering a phase where there is tendency to groom the dog to perfection, and on the table in the ring they are really beautiful, then you put them on the ground and what was lovely on the table suddenly isn't because it hasn't been groomed with intelligence.Then a long dog is still long and a short is still short. The grooming has to be done in such a way as to favour the individual dog.

And how do you manage this?
The aim is to make the dog look just as good when it's standing and when it's moving. It shouldn't look like another breed but meet its own breed standard. For example, you see a lot of Kerries and Softs that look like Poodles. And they aren't! This happens with many breeds. There is a tendency to cut the terrier breeds'coats very short, when, for example, Westies and Scotties need a good two inches of coat. Of course it's much more eye-catching if they are cut very short, but it's not correct. The Griffon that looks like a Schnauzer... I could give more examples. I don't run away from exaggerated grooming, but always following the orthodox standard. As my good friend Alberto Velasco and I always say, "a good haircut can work wonders".

Handler and judge.

But César is also a presenter at shows. We asked him about this facet.
I love presenting dogs. If I'm going to compete then I want to win but if I don't at least I have taken part. More than just presenting it's the whole process, grooming according to my own tastes, presenting in my style, that's what I enjoy. Handling has always been a thing I've done for friends, for entertainment and fun rather than for money. I present because I want to, not for money.

In your experience, what is the ideal show preparation?
Fundamentally it needs time. For example, the wire haired breeds appear "ready for preparing" just one week before the show. A dog needs time for everything. He needs exercise to develop his physique, it´s not possible to have a dog everyday in a box and take it out from time to time. Everything has to be planned, a dog isn't just a one day thing for a show. It is essential to prepare well and be patient. The dog must be sociable, outgoing, have that certain "show personality" and this has to be worked at from being a puppy. In the ring the dog has to be absolutely groomed and presented, be it short or long haired, or wire coated. One supposes that a professional handler will present better than an amateur, but I've seen some owners who are wonderful presenters. For me a good handler should bring out the star in a dog, not be the star themselves.

Do you think that some dogs are born winners?
Yes, absolutely. There are dogs who are born with an innate show temperament. There was an American judge who greatly admired who used to say "There is no such thing as a perfect dog. They all have faults, but some dogs are so marvellous that you don't see their faults, because they carry themselves so well that you don't notice their weak points". It´s because of in the USA, Champion Class is called Special Class because in that Class really are the special dogs.

After so many years and having met so many important people in the dog world, which individuals have you most admired?
As a judge, Pamela Cross Stern for her style and savoir faire in the ring and also her vast knowledge of dogs. As a presenter, Peter Green who not only was an outstanding presenter, but because he was a purist and showed because they are "real dogs" not only to win. As a groomer, Joan Hubber.

But apart from being a groomer, handler, occasional breeder ("very occasional because I don't like selling pups") Cesar is also a Terrier judge. Is he a demanding judge?
Yes, I always try to judge the dog and not the grooming. I like to see and value what is under the coat and that doesn't always please everybody. I have given a BOB to a dog that wasn't groomed, fortunately an Irish judge also gave the same dog BOB the following week.

Do you think that grooming is over-valued?
No. A good, dog, if it is well cared for, is better; and a dog that is not so good but is well groomed is also better than it would otherwise be, but it's still nothing special. In this respect I think that there are many judges who don't really know the standards in depth. At times it can seem that the only thing that matters to them is the grooming and the presentation, nothing else. Both exhibitors and judges should be better prepared for what they are going to do. They need more knowledge and less vanity, winning is important but it isn't everything. You can spend all the money you want on a dog, but if you don't really know what you've got, you aren't going to get the best out of it. We need more people who are willing to really learn. In England I have seen ladies who have been presenting for 40 years without winning a single point. But they do have what really counts, a love of the competition for its own sake. That is unthinkable here. In Spain people spend fortunes on dogs, and if they don't win they simply disappear. People prefer to begin again and not take advantage of the excellent bloodlines that we already have here. If the owners of these lines die, then the line dies along with them, and nobody worries.

Can you say you have had the dog you always wanted to have?
No, the best is yet to come.

Published in: "Dog´s Show Nº 6. Spain, 2006
By kind permission of César Alonso and Dog´s Show