Always make your dead head cut above a leaf , a leaf scar, or a node.

Dead head above the first 5 leaflet leaf where the stem remaining after the cut is judged to be able to sustain vigorous growth and support the weight of the new shoot(s) that will soon emerge.

Ideally, the stem left just below the cut should be pencil thick or more, but the ideal stem thickness range varies considerably, from minis to massive climbers.

Also take into consideration the aesthetic balance of form, or outline of the bush. If after the dead head cut, the yet to emerge new growth that comes from below the cut is estimated to grow rather vigorously and produce an ultimate length that will throw the bush out of balance, resulting in a lopsided bush, make the dead head cut lower down the stem. Go down as many leaves from the first five leaflet leaf that your judgement tells you to cut, and make your dead head cut there.

In most cases, stems that are thinner than a pencil, have no leaves where you think the cut should be made, or have no evidence of a leaf scar, or a node, even a miniscule one, are poor candidates to support good new emerging growth, even if such growth does eventually occur.

Moses

Back to the OP. The initial shoot from the 1st flush had 3 main blooms stems that formed on the tip of this new shoot. This triple 3 stem cluster is short off the long shoot the emerged.

I would belowing, removng this trifecta of a cluster but when o look at that shoot below, there is no leaves. Not much to prune on this tri-short stem cluster head...

Ultimately I just removed the bloomed head and left this large cluster alone.

I do think I might go back and LOP it off and leave that leafless stem to do something.

---Dormant buds --- do exist right ?

Please, no photo, as this sensation of my head spinning is oddly pleasing.

Rifis to the rescue with much appreciated humor! 😄

The cane is itching to get back into producing new, vigorous growth. This will not occur from any point on the cane that cannot sustain such desired growth other than down below the myriad of twiggy growths that originated from a thicker cane.

That original cane probably was a new, 2022 growth, basal cane that has lost its lowest leaves by now, possibly all the way up to the twiggy, flower branching.

Bite the bullet and prune down below the cacophony of easily sacrificed, easy to reject thin growth. Cut at a point on the main cane where you can envision fresh lateral growth emerging below your cut: leaf present or not, leaf scar present or not, node present or not, etc. I assure you that new fresh, vigorous growth will come somewhere below your cut.

Moses

Yes, dormant buds exist. Roses are great survivors and have a multitude of reserve, barely visible dormant buds, especially down low on a bush. They are called up into action as needed.

Rose stems are like household plumbing. A 1" diameter stem cannot sustain a 2" stem coming from it, common sense. It's like the main water line coming into your house. The main line feeds many other smaller lines only, and has a greater diameter than the lines that branch off from it that go to your kitchen sink, washing machine, refrigerator water station, bathtub, etc.

The slender flower stems at the top of the cane in question, even if they had growth nodes, could only sustain new growths from them that were narrower still in diameter than theirs. Such growth would be useless, wimpy, producing nothing worthwhile.

Moses