The Secrets to a Great Coat
The never ending question of how do I get an amazing coat is the most common question we are constantly asked. For this the answer is easy, so easy that it seems to be forgotten my many.
Bath and dry your dog weekly, not just for a show. The reason is that you need to hydrate and look after the coat in order for it to look its ultimate best. Your dog’s coat is the result of the love and care that you give it. Bathing and drying weekly allows the coat to be in its best condition and for when you do go to a show.
By bathing I mean use the good stuff, not the cheap and nasty basic shampoos and conditioners. You can’t expect the “good stuff- Plush Puppy” to help undo the damage of cheap chemicals etc. By blow drying I mean for double and smooth coated breeds a force dryer. For your long coated breeds a suitable heated dryer.
Many breeds have what we describe as a double coat. This means a longer outer coat and a denser undercoat. Bathing and drying weekly allows for the “roll” of a coat which is that each week a small amount of coat is lost and therefore being replaced. This helps prevent the major drop of coat. How many of you have entered a dog that has not been regularly shown only to find once you bath them that so much coat drops that they can’t be shown? Bath and blow dry. Bathing makes for a clean and well hydrated coat and force drying allows for the coat that is “just” hanging on to be blown out. No dog can drop new and fresh coat.
Short coats also “roll” there is the same coat loss factor like a big double coated breed but on a short coat, instead of seeing less coat you instead have smooth or balding patches. Not very attractive. The same as when the dog not bathed regularly then gets bathed and the dog has that dandruff and looks like a lamington. It’s not the shampoo, it’s the skin shedding the dead skin cells that now having been there but now bathed have become obvious to the eye. People laugh when you say blow dry short coated breeds but just like their longer coated friends the blow dryer helps roll (rotate) the coat so there is a new short and fresh coat is growing through. We have all seen that dry and dead looking coat that is just hanging on for dear life. If regularly bathed and blown dry this prevents this.
Long coats are the same. Regular bathing is key to keeping the coat in top condition. Dirty coats get brittle and simply break. In males and females the pee areas get extra dry and the coat just snaps. Looking after the dogs coat is a simple and easy thing if done regularly. It becomes hard work when they have been left too long and damage has been done causing knots and matting. This is the major cause of coat loss.
I have had 3 golden rules that I have lived by for many years.
If it needs brushing it needs bathing
Prevention is better than cure
A winning dogs coat is made during the week not the weekend
These rules sound simple but amazingly are overlooked by so many. Do what is best for you and your dog. Spend that little extra time taking care of what you have rather than dreaming of what you want.
Plush Puppy was designed with great thought. Care for the little things that make such a huge and long term difference to the results. Products based on responsibly and renewably source natural ingredients that are chosen for their results, decisions based on quality and performance. Many decades of knowledge and utilising the best minds the industry and technology have to offer have produced products that work. Not worked once or twice but products that you can be confident that will always work and deliver the results you want and need.
The product range is vast. If ever in doubt ask? We can give you suggestions on what we feel will achieve the results you desire. We however we can only suggest the effort you do to make these results real. Many of your products are designed to make it easier and quicker. Make this effort and the results will follow. We are here to give you the products to enable your dogs to have the coats they should.
The Plush Puppy website www.plushpuppy.co.nz has many purpose written breed articles and many very interesting general grooming articles. Take the time to have a look.