I get to meet a lot of
people in my travels and adore talking to Corgi exhibitors as
they are, for the most, as friendly and engaging as their dogs.
I have been inundated with Corgi exhibitors on this last trip
to Crufts and the U.S.A. Maybe they have all been on chat lines
or something as the word seemed to spread like wildfire and there
appeared to be 10 times more Corgi (Pembroke and Cardigan) coat
enquiries than anything else!
The major dilemma with
most exhibitors was that they wanted to rid their dogs of the
wavy areas on the toplines near the tail. The standard does accept
some waviness but it is preferable to have a straighter coat.
I recommend using the Swishy
Coat if the wave needs to be relaxed or Volumising Cream if the coat is a touch
softer than called for. Both work well to smooth the coat but
both do slightly different things in this instance. The Volumising Cream will
give more texture but the Swishy will straighten better.
Nontheless, the major factor is the blow drying process itself.
Whilst I did see some coats that needed help with a product, the
major factor is the direction in which the coat is blow dried.
To straighten a wavy topline, simply use a Plush Puppy Pin Brush or the flat of your
hand and push the coat in the opposite direction of the growth
pattern. The coat is now to be blow dried forwards - towards the
head. Switch to a half bristle/half plastic, oval cushion, Plush Puppy Porcupine Brush
and finish off for a smoother straighter finish. Once the dog
shakes and the coat falls back into line, the coat will now be
straighter or perfectly straight if you have done it well.
The other issue arising
with the Corgi’s coat is the texture. The standards call
for coarser or harsher outer coat and penalises a fluffy coat.
Thus, one needs to avoid anything that will cause softening or
fluffiness. (Not to be confused with some fullness where required.)
Now the trick is to not use a conditioner as such. Conditioners
are acid balanced and tend to flatten and soften.
Let’s start at the bathing stage where you need to decide
whether you want just shine or more coat. Double coated breeds
often don’t have enough undercoat due to shedding. If it
is more coat, then use the Plush
Puppy Body Building Shampoo at a ratio of 3:1 ( 3 parts
water to one part shampoo). Should you require shine as your primary
objective, then use the Plush
Puppy All Purpose Shampoo used at the same dilution rate.
Plush Puppy Herbal
Whitening Shampoo can be used for legs etc. For stained
whites use the Plush Puppy
Deep Cleansing shampoo.
Now the alternative procedure
for hydrating and keeping the coat supple without softness is
to oil. Use the wonderful Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil at a dilution rate of 1 tbspn to one
gallon or 4 litres of water. This oil is amazing and is all natural
and made from Evening Primrose Oil, Calendula Oil and other natural
fine oils. It is water soluble and will not make the coat greasy
or gluggy. Apply this mix straight after the coat has been shampooed
and towel dried and leave the oil in the coat. This gives a wonderful,
healthy shine and vigour to the coat.
Then the drying process
- decide whether you want more volume and texture and if so, use
the Volumising Cream
at 1 tbspn to 1 cup water and apply and dry. If more straightening
is required, then use the Swishy
Coat at 1 tbspn to 2 or 3 cups of water depending on how
much straightening is needed. The more water, the less intensive
it will be. You can apply this direct from the jar to the coat
but please ensure you apply evenly and don’t waste it! I
find diluting with water makes it easier to get through this quite
thick coat and doesn’t leave it lying on the top layers only.
Dry all forwards towards
the head as outlined previously. For those who want a little more
harshness to the coat for that all weather feel nothing beats
our Plush Puppy Ruffy
Tuffy for instantly adding texture and hardness. Just
spray on and blow dry or brush dry.
For finishing use the Plyush
Puppy Coverup Cream dabbed on to any stained feet or the
face etc and then finish with a chalk block and brush out or blow
out. Follow with a light sprinkle of Plush Puppy Pixie Dust onto the brush
or sifted carefully through the hands onto the pants and topline.
A light hand with this product is the key to making this work
to it’s best potential to catch the light and make the coat
shimmer. Just before going in the ring spray Plush Puppy Shine & Comb - hold at
least 12 inches away and then wipe lightly with your hand for
an even shine.
I do like this breed -
both varieties. They are a great little spitz dog and have such
fabulous personalities. It is no small thing that royalty has
served to make the Corgis a well known dog amongst the public
and given everyone the opportunity to see them. They may be small
but they can make a huge ring impact and the show scene owes much
to the presence of the Corgis.
