I have oft admired this
wonderful majestic breed at various shows especially when I venture
over to Crufts and other overseas shows where one gets the opportunity
to see the Newfie in greater numbers. A devoted companion, he
is a master in the water and a powerful draft working dog. The
legends and stories of his prowess give him a fabulous mystique
that stirs the hearts of all.
There are many queries
about grooming this dog and where one should extend the extra
hand to bridge the leap from his working role to the showring.
When in doubt refer back to your standard which allows you to
focus on the origin and purpose of the breed and then work within
that framework to achieve the best outcome. Your standard calls
for a water-resistant, double coat that has a somewhat coarse
outer coat. Because he is a water dog, you don’t want a feathery,
open finish to the coat though I don’t mind a bit of a push
when it comes to lifting the undercoat up a bit to give him a
fuller and sturdier silhouette.
Firstly decide what is
the greatest need for the coat when choosing your shampoo. If
shine is of the greatest importance, then use the Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo at a ratio
of 5:1 up to 10:1 (i.e. 5 parts water to one part shampoo). For
toning unwanted warm tones, for instance, reducing yellowing on
whites or reducing fading on a brown or black coat, use the Plush Puppy Whitening Shampoo
at the same ratio of dilution. This will not bleach or lighten
but cleverly tone to minimise unwanted hues and imparts a pearly
finish to whites. For our of coat situations, use the Plush Puppy Body Building Shampoo at no
more than 5:1 for maximum effect. Dilution allows greater and
easier dispersal of the product throughout the coat without overly
softening the texture. This is a big dog we are talking about!
To keep the water-resistant
look to the coat, avoid using a conditioner. Conditioners flatten
and soften and tend to make the coat fluffy. Oiling a Newfie coat
is the secret to being able to regularly bath and still maintain
the ideals of the purpose for which this coat was bred for. Oiling
will not flatten and soften and Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil applied at a ratio of 1 tbspn to 1
gal/4lt water and sponged through thoroughly or 1 dspn to a hydrobath
tankful and squished through, leaves the coat with that water
resistant sheen as seen on ducks. Leave the Seabreeze Oil in the
coat and do not rinse out. Using this once a week or whenever
you bath, keeps the coat looking good. It is not greasy, nor oily
feeling, yet gives the coat that correct feel that one expects
in a water dog whilst maintaining the moisture and elasticity
in the hair.
Now blow dry. I know it
is a working dog but this is a dog show we are talking about and
blow drying has more benefits than just supposed cosmetic tomfoolery
for a show. Some prefer to crate dry but I prefer to section by
section dry. Place the dog on a bench with a neck noose and a
belly band and using a cool, turbo dryer, work against the growth
of the coat with the opposite hand to the one holding the nozzle,
parting the hair with the heel of the hand. This opens the coat
to the skin allowing you to check for beasties and skin disturbances.
It also allows the air to get right down to the skin, aerating
the skin and ensuring there is never any undried damp coat lying
around in heat and humidity to cause hot spots. We don’t
all live in arctic climates so we cannot apply arctic logic to
it. Don’t fret that you will overly lift and fluff the coat.
Your big fellow will somehow manage overnight to flatten and naturalise
most of the good works you have wrought overnight, giving you
all the flat appearances required in the places required. He will
just look ten times better.
Should your Newfie be light
on for coat due to coat shedding, then use the Plush Puppy Volumising Cream diluted at
a rate of 1 tbspn to one cup of water. Spray this whole mix thoroughly
and evenly throughout the coat. It will coat those 3 remaining
hairs and endeavour to make them look like 3,000. This is a nice
light product that maximises the hair that is there without compromising
the texture or feel. Use this prior to starting to blow dry. You
can take an extra spray bottle of the mix to the show and if facilities
allow, brush up against the growth of the hair with the blow dryer.
For extra push and shove
to a really needy coat, use the Plush
Puppy Puffy Dog which is a strong holding mousse type
product that gives volume and lift and sometimes you need volume
and lift. Make sure when applying the product that you work several
dollops smeared onto your hands and worked into the roots and
midlengths of the coat avoiding where possible the ends of the
coat. Some judges don’t like feeling anything of a suspected
foreign nature in the coats and though this product is not an
obvious suspect, don’t glaringly provoke interest.
On show day, I like to
brush up with an oval cushioned pin brush such as the Plush Puppy Pin Brush - never use one
with knobs on the end. Brush against the growth of the coat and
follow with a good comb through using a long metal wide toothed
comb such as a Poodle comb I like to be able to line comb right
though to the skin on any arctic coat. I hate that felted, matted
feel that you sometimes see when the hard yard hasn’t been
put into the coat. I am a stickler for this. I know that a well
maintained coat will serve the dog well in the ring when it matters.
Okay, I acknowledge this is a working dog but he is going to be
up against the flashy breeds such as the Std. Poodles and the
Afghans etc so just for one day a week, he can play showman too
without losing his integrity.
For a light finish, add
a spray of Plush Puppy
Shine & Comb held at a distance of around 2 feet or
60 cms to allow the mist to fall onto the coat rather than blasted
onto the coat. It gives the reinforcement to that low level sheen
one expects to see on these types of water working dogs. Not to
be outdone, I am prone to adding a light hint of Plush Puppy Pixie Dust. Tapped lightly
onto the brush and applied against the growth of the coat, this
method allows the white powder to sink down into the depths of
the coat and leaves the shimmer behind on top. Use on the topline,
chest and pants for maximum effect when doing the out and back.
It just picks up glints of light to illustrate that healthy vigour
and work you have put into this coat. A light hand will allow
you to use this even on a black dog without turning him into a
glitter fairy.
Now I do believe judges
use all their senses when judging dogs and the olfactory senses
are assisted with a light application of Plush Puppy Odour Muncher. The Odour Muncher
is not only a lovely light fragrance, it is also a deodoriser
- great for those dogs that miss when they pee. It really is all
about those 100 little things that make the whole when you show
a dog. Just as Olympic athletes use every edge they can find,
so ought you the dedicated show person find all the hints and
special techniques you can to make your dog stand out from the
crowd.
Well, he is a hard dog
to miss - he is bigger than most and the legendary air of his
heroic history draw the eye to him every time. His soft expression,
his large, well balanced body and now your dedication to his heavily
coated silhouette touched with subtle nuances of light and low
level shine and vigour, should swing the spotlight of fame, fair
and square to where he stands. It would be a hard judge who could
not give the nod to a well groomed and well put together Newfie.
He can put his water wings on any time and come and rescue me!
CHERYL LECOURT
Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo
Plush Puppy Whitening
Shampoo
Plush Puppy Body Building
Shampoo
Plush Puppy Seabreeze
Oil
Plush Puppy Volumising
Cream
Plush Puppy Puffy Dog
Plush Puppy Pin Brush
Plush Puppy Shine &
Comb
Plush Puppy Pixie Dust
Plush
Puppy Odour Muncher