Poodles are coiffed as Bart Simpson, a Japanese geisha and Batman at the creative pet grooming world championships Sue Eld-Weaver, from Northamptonshire, is the UK's top dog groomer Channel 4 documentary goes behind scenes as she travels to the USA Dog grooming is multi-billion dollar industry in the United States Groomers compete to create wacky designs including superheroes With everything from lions to popular superheroes on display, creative pet grooming is proof that art isn't limited to a canvas and paint. Or so Sue Eld-Weaver, the UK's top dog coiffeur, will tell you. A Northamptonshire mother-of-four, Mrs Eld-Weaver has won every competition the UK has to offer - with a little help from her pet poodle, Dobby. Now a new Channel 4 documentary takes you behind the scenes as she battles it out against top groomers from around the globe at the world's biggest dog grooming event in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Creative: The UK's top dog groomer Sue Eld-Weaver with her poodle, Dobby, in a Japanese-inspired look The prize? A spot on the cover of Groomer to Groomer magazine, which, until now, has only ever featured American dogs on the cover. 'If you're going to do creative grooming, being the UK champion is really nice, really sweet, but it's not really much of a challenge,' explains Mrs Eld-Weaver. I want to be the best - to be up with the best. And the competition is fierce. In the USA, dog grooming is a multi-billion dollar industry and winning at Hershey can transform a business. For Adriane Pope, a champion dog groomer and the owner of a canine condo in Conway, South Carolina, the rewards are obvious. 'People spend more money on their pets than they do on their children around here,' she explains, while pointing out some of the more unusual features of her deluxe dog hotel. Literary inspiration: Sue's Memoirs of a Geisha look included a bonsai tree tail, a waterfall and an orange fish Competition: Sue went up against American groomers (L-R) Cindy Oliver, Adriane Pope and Cat Opson 'We've got flat screen TVs, ceiling fans... there's furniture for the dogs and people can choose the channel for their dogs to watch. A lot of people request sports but some like the Cartoon Network. Like Mrs Eld-Weaver, Pope is also planning to compete at Hershey and has dreamed up a Disney themed design for her dogs, Logan and Gucci. 'I reckon you could compare this to someone who sculpts things out of wood or concrete,' she adds of her passion for extreme dog styling. Picasso used a white blank piece of paper, I use a white dog. This is my canvas. In Hershey, Mrs Eld-Weaver and Dobby have arrived after an eight hour flight from London, but they can't go to bed - there's still hours of preparation required before the poodle can appear in front of the judges. To win the Judge's Award, Dobby will need to be perfect, complete with a clean, fluffed-up coat, a flawless dye job and a haircut that Nicky Clarke would be proud of. Previous winner: American dog groomer Sandy Hartness' 2004 flower garden inspired design Clever: Cat Opson, a groomer competing against Sue, entered this Sesame Street design in 2012 Impressive: Dog groomer Lori Craig's Lion King effort took home the coveted trophy in 2009 But not everything can be done beforehand: points are awarded for the transformation achieved in front of the judges, and most of the cutting work has to be done on stage in front of the Grooming Expo's 5,000 visitors. 'I have no idea what's going to happen,' reveals Ren Netherland, the show's official photographer. 'I mean, I know what a poodle looks like but here, at a show like this, it ain't a poodle anymore. It could be anything. Lions, camels... I've seen buffalo. They're running out of animals!' Luckily for Mrs Eld-Weaver, Dobby's design has little to do with the animal kingdom and everything to do with the literary world. 'Dobby's design is Memoirs of a Geisha,' she explains. 'There's quite a lot involved. If I mess it up in any way, it's like anything else - you get sent home.' To win, she has to impress judges Teri DiMarino, Kathy Rose and Dawn Omboy, all of whom were once champion groomers in their own right. Looks familiar: Angela Kumpe's impressive Madagascar inspired look narrowly missed out on the top prize Clever: Karen Stickle's Panda Bear was narrowly beaten by Lori Craig's Lion King effort in 2009 'There's more to it than putting colour and a couple of patterns on a dog,' insists Teri. 'It's still dog grooming. I want to see a well-groomed dog and a well-prepared dog. By the time showtime arrives, Mrs Eld-Weaver is thoroughly nervous. 'I feel sick,' she quavers. 'There's so much pressure today!' But despite her nerves, her Memoirs of a Geisha design goes on to see off competition from dogs done up as Batman, the Simpsons and Donald Duck, and Dobby becomes the first British dog ever to win the prestigious prize. Backstage, a thrilled Mrs Eld-Weaver can't contain her emotion. 'Being able to accept yourself, trust yourself, believe in yourself - that's what I'm finally getting to do,' she says. 'I've gone up against some of the best in the world and proved myself against them.' Doggy Styling airs at 9pm on Monday 30th December on Channel 4 May the force be with you! Jean Hosinger's 2012 design was inspired by Star Wars favourite, Yoda