The job of grooming for
that all important event really starts before and between shows.
Preparation, preparation and preparation are the 3 keys to successful
coats. No point running around at the last minute in damage mode
and getting the stress levels up. There's enough to do getting
to a show without having to fix dramas.
It must be so much easier
living where climatic conditions are not as harsh though I believe
no-one can afford to ignore condition and moisture in a coat.
Some breeds get dry and scratchy towards the time to shed or "blow"
coat and others which have coats for life, need oodles of extra
assistance just to keep it there and looking great.
Some people wrap their
dog's coat and other breed owners condition and moisturise throughout
the week without wrapping. Speak to your breeder/expert or email
me if uncertain what to do with your particular breed. Nontheless
all of this is in the goal of keeping the moisture in the coat
and stopping dehydration, burning, brittleness and fading colour.
Sun is the enemy. It will
leach moisture and fade coat. Red coats pale to orange, blacks
turn reddish brown and toplines will frazzle with flipped ends.
If your dog plays in his water bowl or you haven't dried him sufficiently,
then that water combined with sun and oxygen, turn to hydrogen
peroxide and we all know what bleach does to hair.
You need to get into a
canine routine of "under cover and moisturiser". Shade
cloth is great or only exercise your dog in the great outdoors
early morning or very late evening in summer. Moisture is essential.
On a clean coat, and for those who use hairpsrays and stuff and
like to bath after the show this is normal routine anyway, slather
on masses of moisturiser. Some breeds need more intensity than
others but a good safe and effective one is Plush Puppy Revivacoat. You can never
use too much of this. A nice easy to apply moisturiser in mousse
form, apply it liberally every day.
For those who like to oil,
then Plush Puppy Seabreeze
Oil is a fine natural oil - apply and leave in the coat
all week. This is good for fine coats (apply sparingly), corded
coats and thick coarse coats. Still use Revivacoat too. If you
like to leave conditioner in the coat all week, then mix a watered
down version of 1 part Plush
Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner to 3 parts Water and work
through the coat with a squeeze bottle. Apply Plush Puppy Revivacoat to the topline
area each day.
Revivacoat is excellent
for Terriers. The first thing you want is to keep the moisture
in the coat but the last thing you want is to soften the coat.
Revivacoat will not alter the texture of the coat - conditioner
will.
Some exhibitors mix Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil
and Plush Puppy
Silk Protein Conditioner together for a conditioning treatment/mask
and leave in all week. That's a great recipe for certain coats.
You can also use this as a quick treatment pack for 10 minutes
and rinse with warm/hot water. Try using a good squirt of Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil
into the warm bath water for a final rinse instead.
Lastly don't let your dog's
trailing coat become a compost heap. Wrap it or cover it with
a cut down children's T-shirt tied in a couple of knots under
the belly. Slip this on each time the dog goes outdoors. Terrific
in autumn!
Once you have maintained
a good degree of moisture in the coat then it's a simple matter
of maintenance and judging the stage of the coat to choose the
particular shampoo needed at the time and always, absolutely always,
apply Plush Puppy Revivacoat
every single day. Life will be a breeze and dog shows a simple
routine. Champions need to be in training and conditioning all
the time and so does your Champion Dog.
CHERYL LECOURT
Plush
Puppy Reviva Coat
Plush Puppy Silk Protein Conditioner
Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil