Deciding just which breeds
of dogs would feature on the Plush Puppy labels was probably the
most dificult decision facing us when putting the range of Plush
Puppy together. Of course as breeders of Siberians, a Siberian
just had to be there and of course my sister has Pugs so one of
those had to go on - but did it really matter? We have learned
to be intrigued by all the wonderful breeds in the ring today
and any good example of a breed is hard to go past.
As hairdressers of a combined
65 years experience, we have also been manufacturing haircare
products for around 15 years, sold exclusively through hairdressing
salons. Running my fingers through all kinds of dog coats over
the past years at the shows told me there was a need for some
really great cleansing, styling and finishing products, just for
dogs.
Siberians are fairly wash and wear but those flowing coated breeds
are quite a challenge and watching their handlers run around
the ring with brushes shoved down their pants was a clear indicator
that the coats needed a product like Swishy Coat. A little bit
of this wonderful jelly type substance on a damp coat and then
blow dried as normal, leaves those long flowing coats or feathers,
swinging and swishing like a silk curtain. It softens and shines
the coat to swing and fall back into place without the need for
all that mad brushing in the ring.
A great finishing product
for last minute touches ringside, is Shine & Comb, a great
glossing and disentangling spray for all coats requiring a lustered
finish. Nice to use on those Setter featherings and the ends of
the Maltese coat for example. This can also be sprayed on wet
or dry coat.
Babysitting a dear friend's
gorgeous Pekingese recently awakened me to the pleasures of wrapping
and caring for a coat that isn't washed for every show. What
to do when the occasional mess happens and they piddle on their
bellies? This was a challenge. Thus, thanks to this sweet little
dog, Wonder Wash was designed, to spray onto those little disasters,
foam up and then just towel off without rinsing. This terrific
spray really does foam well and leaves the coats feeling wonderful.
It also has a violet tone to neutralise unwanted yellowing. Not
bad on those Siberians feet either after they've pigrooted every
bit of turf after their piddles!
Having always been a bit of an environmentalist with every allergy
known to man, I consider anything as natural as possible has to
be the go. All the shampoos and the conditioner are organically
sourced and are very gentle to sensitive skins. I know of several
breeds that have quite severe allergies to many products and Plush
Puppy has not upset any of them. We will also make an individual
formula for those dogs that just need everything in the one bottle.
All extracts are naturally sourced and address specific problems
- you just need to tell me what you want the coat and skin to
do and what the problem is. The Herbal Whitening Shampoo with
Ginseng is a ripper for killing unwanted yellowing in white coats
and leaving them sparkling and bright.
Last but by no means least,
we didn't forget the short coated and terrier breeds. You may
not need to soften coats but you sure want to keep the moisture
content up in those coats. Reviva Coat is a moisturing mousse
that can be either sprayed directly onto the coat for severe problems
or sprayed at the ratio of 1 part to 10 parts water from a spray
bottle. Not bad either on those show exhibitors though I dare
say, the pet owners will catch onto it too. We have had enormous
fun putting it together from our many years of experience and
the input of the great people around us.
Happy Dog Showing!
CHERYL LECOURT