COSTA MESA : Dogs Put Masters Through the Paces

Under a golf umbrella that blocked the sun’s rays, a distinguished-looking man intently applied a sheen of petroleum jelly on the already-glistening coat of his Irish setter Sunday.

“This is sure to keep the fur shiny,” the man said to no one in particular.

Not far away, a petite woman looked at her watch and hurriedly, but carefully, clipped the last of the wayward wisp of caramel-colored hair from her soft-coated wheaten terrier’s eye. “I’m getting him ready for his big debut,” she said.

The two breeders were among more than 2,000 dog owners and breeders who entered their canines in the 12th Annual Orange County All-Breed Dog Show Sunday. They came both to compete and to socialize at the show, sponsored by the Shoreline Dog Fanciers Assn.

“There’s a lot of camaraderie here,” said Susie Sakauye, 40, of Goleta as she trimmed her 9-month-old wheaten terrier, Bart. “Everyone here shares a common passion.”

That passion was evident on this sunny afternoon at the Orange County Fairgrounds, as owners and dogs waiting for their competition paced and led each other around.

“They’re just like other dogs,” said Mike Rodriguez of Los Angeles of his 120-pound black-and-white harlequin Great Dane. “Only, they’re bigger and so they pull you around.”

Grooming a dog for a show is a major undertaking, the owners said.

Terry Denney-Combs, 40, of Hesperia said it takes her 10 hours to bathe, brush and blow-dry the thick mane of Sundance Legend, her 85-pound white Great Pyrenees, who won a blue ribbon in her class.

But the powerful Doberman pinschers commanded the most attention with their pointed ears--an effect achieved by tape that is taken off only moments before the dogs entered the ring.

The taping, called “coning,” forces their ears to stay up, at least during the competition, as required by regulations.

Four-month-old Scarlett has had his ears taped for periods of seven to 10 days since he was 9 weeks old, said his owner, Linda Payne, 36, of Stanton.

“Coning gives them expression in the face,” said Payne. “Believe it or not, the ears can make or break a Doberman.”