Pure Dog Talk

Will Alexander on Grooming, Handling and Heroes Will Alexander winning BOB in Gordon Setters at Westminster Kennel Club this week. Canadian dog handling legend, Will Alexander, shares his memories, his handling tips and grooming tools that have brought him significant success in the last 25 years. “My heroes were people like George Alston,” Alexander said. “He basically taught me to trim Irish Setters over the phone.” “I always wanted to be a handler, but before embarking on a handling career I worked for Garry MacDonald in Canada, and for Bobby Stebbins in the States,” Alexander said. Carving the picture Will Alexander grew up with Irish Setters and learned from George Alston, over the phone, how to trim them. Grooming is not a recipe, Alexander noted. Every dog is different. Famous for his meticulous grooming of setters particularly, Alexander describes a process to “build a shell around the dog” when trimming the back coat. He works with a stripping knife, his fingers, a grooming stone and, the most im