What’s In Your Tack Box?

I thought that a good follow-up to the show grooming video would be a post on what we take to the show with us. I’d love to know what other people with small coated dogs bring to the shows in their tack boxes too, if I’ve missed anything!

Let’s talk about talk about the tack boxes themselves. A “tack box” is simply a container to carry all your grooming stuff to and from the dog show. So it doesn’t need to be fancy. At the cheapest end, you can use a grocery bag. But you probably won’t want to do that more than once, because you’ll never find what you want, when you want it, in the bottom of that bag! Then there are some easy to find “grooming totes” that are not inexpensive, like this one from Chris Christensen, that look like a good idea. They are not inexpensive, (around $50) and even though I bought one to start with, I found it difficult to work with. (Still the problem of things getting lost in the bottom all the time)

After I gave up on the Chris Christensen tote, I got myself a “Cosmetic Train Case”. <Amazon Link> This one is about the same price as the Chris Christensen case, but look around, there are cheaper ones too. I think these are a fantastic choice for someone who wants an economical tack box to get started with. They are very easy to organize, and have space for grooming tools on the shelves, while the bottom area is large enough for bottled products.

I used two of these boxes (I wore the first one out) for several years. I think for someone showing a single dog, or showing less often, this is a super option.

I finally decided to bite the bullet and buy a Best In Show aluminum tack box, powder coated to match my trollies. There are several companies that make these tack boxes. All are expensive, and all are built to last pretty much indefinitely. Sometimes you can find one used, though, so that is another option! They are pretty light weight, considering that they are made of metal, but once you fill them with stuff… well, they aren’t so light any more. But neither are the other types of tack boxes! I have the very smallest one, and it is perfectly adequate for my needs with the side caddy, which holds spray bottles. <Best In Show Link>. It was a big expense, but was worth it for the amount of showing I do, to be able to organize my equipment in the best way possible for my work flow.

So now that I’ve shown you what I use to organize and transport the equipment I need to a show, let’s go, section by section through what I bring with me!

In the middle photo above, is the bar for storing show leads, I have Ducky and Lili’s regular show leads, plus two extras on the bar. There is also a grooming loop that goes on the grooming arm of my trolley that is stored here.

The first photo in this row is the side caddy. In the bottom section, is powder that I use to “freshen up” a boy who needs it after a pee break. The second section is a spray bottle with SheaBlast, and underneath that are water cups for the trolley. In the third section is my hairspray. (Podium)

The second photo is the top tray of the tack box, and these are my grooming tools that I need immediately at hand. My regular Greyhound comb and a face comb, a good pin brush, a slicker brush, a spray bottle with Ice on Ice, and a small set of very sharp scissors.

The the third photo is the top drawer. In the left section are my Eye Envy products, cotton rounds and a box with one of my favorite lapel pins. The center section contains the brush used for applying the Eye Envy powder, “Stick ‘Um’ Up” (for taming stray hairs around the eyes), a snap hook (can help in a number of ways!) and an extra arm band elastic. The right section contains corn starch, which can be helpful to dry or whiten an area that needs it, plus the brushes used to apply it.

The second (bottom) drawer is not divided, and it is sort of my “junk drawer”. It contains things that I need less often, or maybe not at all, but I MIGHT need them! All three of these photos are the same drawer, but I’ve shown you the layers of “stuff” in the drawer.. First, and REALLY important, is current rabies certificates for all dogs that MIGHT be with me. I just put them in at the beginning of the season and don’t need to think about them again. You almost never need them. But some shows DO have department of animal health officers wandering around, and technically you COULD be asked for them. So HAVE THEM!

I also keep a copy of the current point schedule there, because it changes, and I forget. And I want to be SURE if a certain number is a major! The round container is hair clips to hold the dog’s hair back after it is sprayed, while they are waiting for ring time. Clothes brushes to clean off the handler. Needle and thread… just in case. Vetwrap… just in case. Extra doggie bags… just in case. Pens and a marker… just in case.

Photo two, I’ve layered in a small packet of wipes for cleaning off “boy parts”. Chalk, which I hardly ever use, but haven’t removed because when I do, I’ll want it. And a wrist brace, because I have pretty bad arthritis in my wrists, and sometimes I need it.

Photo three, is a packet of tiny bands for tying up their hair on the way home.

Under the two drawers in my tack box is an open space. In the first photo above you can see what I keep in that area. A towel, my ringside bag, and a small first aid kit.

Second photo is the first aid kit. It contains antibiotic ointment, hand sanitizer, band-aids, cotton rounds Tylenol, some safety pins and (because I get migraines) an Imitrex tablet.

The third photo is my ringside bag. This is what I actually take to the ring with me. A small spray bottle of Ice on Ice, a small slicker, a Greyhound comb, and a small pin brush with a dryer sheet stuck on the pins. (keeps static down in the ring)

I also bring one or two plastic tubs with me, depending on whether it’s a show from home or an away show, where we are staying in a hotel. Those tubs contain bathing supplies, which can be necessary even for “wardrobe malfunctions” with a coated breed, a hair dryer, and extension cords. I also have a battery operated hair dryer for shows where there is no electricity available. You can’t dry a whole dog with it, but you can dry wet feet, and faces. These boxes often stay in the car when we are showing from home, unless I find that I need them. If it is an away show, they go into the hotel room, where I can use them to bathe the dogs as needed.

So that’s what I keep in my tack box! I hope this might be useful to some of you who are starting to show. And for those of you who do show, if you bring things that I’ve missed, tell me! I’d love to hear about them!