Secrets to a great coat and maintaining it.

The never-ending question of how to get an amazing coat is the most common question Plush Puppy is constantly asked. For this the answer is easy, so easy that it seems to be forgotten by so many. Bath and blow dry your dog weekly, not just for a show.

The reason is that you need to hydrate, keep clean 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 blow drying weekly allows the coat to be maintained in its optimal condition for when you do go to a show.
When bathing we highly recommend using Plush Puppy, our high quality formulas are passionately made and do not contain any cheap nasties that can damage the coat.
Blow drying all coat types is extremely important and Plush Puppy will explain the reasons why. By blow drying we mean for double and smooth coated breeds a force dryer. For your long-coated breeds and non-shedding coats use a suitable heated dryer, or a combination of both.
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 coat drops and that out of coat look. 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? Regular maintenance bathing and blow drying is the answer. Bathing makes for a clean and well hydrated coat and force drying allows for any coat that is "just" hanging on to be blown out. No dog can drop a new and fresh coat.

Short coats also "roll" there is the same coat loss factor as a double coated breed but on a short coat, instead of seeing less coat you instead have thinning, 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 snow globe. It's not the shampoo, it's the skin shedding the dead skin cells that now having been there but now bathed have become loose and very obvious to the eye. People laugh when you say to blow dry a short-coated breed but just like their longer coated friends the blow dryer helps roll (rotate) the coat so there is a new short and fresh coat 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 easily prevents this.
Long coats are similar. Regular bathing is key to keeping the coat in top condition. A dirty coat gets brittle and simply breaks. In males and females, the pee areas get extra dry and the coat just snaps. Looking after the dog's 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.
Non shedding breeds have their own issues if left too long between bathing. If left too long between baths the coat dehydrates, becomes brittle, loses its vigour and overall health. These coats therefore have breakage, appear thinner and it gets harder to achieve a finish to the coat. It's so important to maintain the health of these coats to achieve the required appearance and texture. Regular bathing and drying maintains the coat to its competitive condition.
It's so very important to remember that entry fees, travel costs and your time going to a dog show are the same for a dog that has been maintained and presented in peak condition compared to a dog that is not. Isn't it time you give your dog its very best chance to win and not just be a number in a catalogue?
There are 3 golden rules that we should and need to abide by:
- If it needs brushing it needs bathing.
- Prevention is better than cure.
- A winning dog's 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. The extra time spent on a more regular maintenance actually saves you time for when it really counts as the coat is in a much greater condition. Less time and money are spent trying to "fix" the problems and issues.
Plush Puppy is designed and formulated 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 renewable source natural ingredients that are chosen for their results, formulas are scientifically based on quality, performance and most importantly results. Many decades of knowledge and utilising the best minds the industry and latest technology have produced products that actually 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. Sadly, many product brands the first and second time work great, then for some reason slowly start to not work and give you the same results. These brands use cheap and inferior ingredients. If used long term they will not achieve the results you need.
The Plush Puppy product range is vast. If ever in doubt, ask? We can give you suggestions on what we feel will achieve the results you desire. Plush Puppy has a huge database of breed specific grooming articles and many general grooming articles also. These articles are written specifically for that breed, we do not write or allow breed articles that are generically written. This database is constantly growing but if your breed is currently missing feel free to ask for our help. We have a number of world class specialists available that can help with every breed of dog. We however can only give you suggestions, the effort you make to utilize them denotes the real results. Many of our products are designed and formulated to make it easier and quicker. Make the effort to learn what is best suited to your dog and breed and the results will follow. We are here to give you the products to enable your dogs to have the coats they should.
It's time to stop trying to fix coats but use Plush Puppy products to better care, grow and maintain them. Prevention is always better than cure!
Plush Puppy is all about giving you the knowledge and education to better, easier and consistently use products that are best suited to your dogs' coat needs.

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