Born of a time when gentlemen bred for gentlemen with a great sense of fair play, the Bull Terrier harks back to around 1835 and thought to come from the Bulldog and the White English Terrier and gained size with the Spanish Pointer.
Though shown most everywhere but the USA as the one variety, the Bull Terrier is recognised as a White or White with some head markings or a Coloured with white but predominantly Coloured and preferably Brindle. The Whites were known as the White Cavalier, able to defend self and master but never seek or provoke”.
The Bull Terrier with his characteristic egg shaped head, is an exceedingly friendly dog and well balanced. He can answer the call to arms from times when life was more rugged and dog fights were allowed but he is a good family friend and fellow for today’s times too.
A good coat doesn’t happen overnight – it is the result of weeks and indeed months of dedicated work. Repetition is the answer and I don’t ascribe to the hit and miss routine. My routine is always just that – a routine! We here at Plush Puppy, never miss the call to do what is necessary with any of the dogs, no matter what it takes or when it must happen.
Well, most don’t bath weekly as they worry about stripping natural oils and rightly so, thus we use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil weekly as a final rinse after bathing i.e. 1-2 teaspoons to 1 gal/4 L water and saturate the coat and leave in – do not rinse out. Now you have the opportunity to bath this dog every week and at the same time rehydrate the coat with wonderful sheen and also keep the texture.
I insist on blow drying – this is a special part of the grooming that most don’t even think of. I use a force dryer that is medium cool to warm – never really warm or hot. Do this to get all the dead hair out, fast and thoroughly. This way you are constantly rejuvenating and rolling the coat so as not to get the “moth eaten” appearance that many coats get when doing a seasonal shed. If you are doing a weekly blow dry then you are regenerating all the time and shedding time will be minimal and certainly not patchy. You also get a more even, smoother and flatter lying coat too with weekly blowing out. That ruffling or lifting-up of some of the coats is also reduced.
During the week, hydration without greasiness is important to keep the texture looking good and we use Plush Puppy Reviva Coat – a handful a day throughout the coat and left in without rinsing off. Never greasy it penetrates into the coat and is just wonderful. Also by keeping the moisture content up in the hair, you are enhancing the depth and colour of the coat. A sun-bleached or dehydrated coat is not going to give you reflection of light or sheen.
On the head and face use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It – an amazing product for faces using the very latest of technology combined with natural holistic properties. It’s tearless formula with anti-inflammatory benefits is hypoallergenic. Key ingredients are Blue Cypress extracts, panthenol and Pro Vit B. Apply a golf ball sized amount directly to the face and eyes, massage in without causing any irritation. In addition, can be used on ears for the same benefits.
Selection of shampoo is according to what is required on that coat on that day i.e. for shine use the Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo diluted 5 parts water to one part shampoo; for a pearly white sheen on a white dog or to reduce sunburnt effects on a brindle or black coat, use Plush Puppy Herbal Whitening Shampoo at again 5:1 as it doesn’t lighten or bleach but instead tones unwanted warm tones; for itchy sensitive or scurfy skins, use Plush Puppy Sensitive Skin Shampoo at 3 parts water to one part shampoo and dilute further each time till using at 10:1 for maintenance. All the shampoos are gentle, but the Sensitive Skin shampoo is specific to reducing itch and scurf or for those that are intolerant of most shampoos. Follow with the Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil as your final rinse. This is your basic weekly routine. Use the Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil also anywhere the skin is rough, such as the elbows, hocks, chest etc. Use it undiluted and worked with your hand down into the skin. This will put not only moisture back into the coat but soften the skin and allow regeneration of hair in those calloused areas.
For a harsher texture use the Plush Puppy Ruffy Tuffy Coat Spray spraying lightly and then adding further layers of spray if required to achieve the level of harshness desired. On show day apply Plush Puppy Cover Up Cream is a great cover for stains or discolouration. Excellent on “red” area on worn elbows and to the white on the muzzle. When you really need to cover stains your whites or intensify white areas. Apply with a barely damp sponge using a small amount. Build up coverage as required layer by layer. Then use powder or chalk as required whilst cream is drying. Brush off excess when dry. Add a tiny bit of Plush Puppy Chalkestral with your finger tips to the white legs to assist holding the white powder you apply. You need something to help grip and to protect the coat from abrasion. Best of all is Plush Puppy Powder Puff Regular – a better & innovative approach to the usual methods of white chalking/adding powder to coats. Clings well and doesn’t clump. Adds crisp white tone and cover to all coats without creating harshness. Is the whitest, brightest powder around, that clings all day. Fine texture and easy to use, a little goes a long way. Nothing is so performant anywhere. Naturally sourced – no chalk or talc. Use instead of chalk and can mix with your usual white powder. Best for glamorous perfect whites. Never gets clumpy, even when wet. Apply with the Plush Puppy Ultimate Powder Application Brush. Work well into the area where required for enhancing whites and cover. Plush Puppy Wonder Wash for those show day last minute emergencies too as this will clean up the whites, pronto. Just spray, foam with the fingers and towel off.
Just because your coat is not a trimmed, clippered or fluffed up coat, does not mean it is of not important. It is, that texture and sheen is paramount. It must be perfect! Grab the judge’s eye with a sprinkle and I mean just a sprinkle, of Plush Puppy Pixie Dust which is a shimmering white powder applied to the top line either by sifting through your fingers or flicked through the top layer of the topline with the powder applied to the brush. Brush well into the coat.
This can be used on the darker coats too – just brush well to work the white powder further down into the coat which leaves the shimmer on the top. This will really pick up the sunlight or spotlights adding a gleam to catch the eye. You could apply the Pixie Dust (a small amount) in with your loose chalk. This will give dimension rather than a matt finish that one tends to get when using chalk.
Last minute touches, which are always good for not only glamour but to focus your mind and nerves, is to spray with Plush Puppy Shine and Comb. Gives great effect to the sheen of the coat – as if you need more – but then more is always good! Spray lightly and run your hand over the area to spread evenly.
Spray with a light squirt of Plush Puppy Odour Muncher which is a light non offensive deodorising spray. Judges do judge with eyes, hands and nose! This is a terrific product for giving that clean fresh smell to the dog which can sometimes be lost in transit!
Your little fellow with his strongly built body, powering around the ring with smooth reach and drive and exhibiting his typical jaunty air is quite the charmer. His presentation wrought by you over the preceding weeks is enough to gain the attention of all. He is keen and determined and if it is true that people grow like their dog then this dog will have an owner who is amenable to discipline and keenly determined to win!