This is a wonderful majestic breed at various shows. A devoted companion, he is a master in the water and a powerful draft working dog. The legends and stories of his prowess give him a fabulous mystique that stirs the hearts of all.
There are many queries about grooming this dog and where one should extend the extra hand to bridge the leap from his working role to the show ring. When in doubt refer back to your standard which allows you to focus on the origin and purpose of the breed and then work within that framework to achieve the best outcome. Your standard calls for a water-resistant, double coat that has a somewhat coarse outer coat and because he is a water dog, you don’t want a feathery, open finish to the coat though I don’t mind a bit of a push when it comes to lifting the undercoat up a bit to give him a fuller and sturdier silhouette.
For faces use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It – an amazing product for faces using the very latest technology combined with natural holistic properties. Its 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.
Firstly, decide what is the greatest need for the coat when choosing your shampoo. If shine is of the greatest importance, then use Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo diluted at a ratio of 5:1 up to 10:1 (i.e. 5 parts water to one part shampoo).
For toning unwanted warm tones, for instance, reducing yellowing on whites or reducing colour fade on a brown or black coat, use Plush Puppy Herbal Whitening Shampoo at 10:1 dilution. This will not bleach or lighten but cleverly tone to minimise unwanted hues and imparts a clear finish to whites.
For stained white areas on Landseer’s use Plush Puppy Wonder Blok – this product is one of our proudest achievements in helping to maintain a white stain free coat. It is not a bleach and contains no harmful chemicals but with the use of modern technology and high amounts of naturally sourced vegetable surfactants and glycerin. This product is designed to remove gently unwanted warm/red tones to the coat. Best used on a damp/wet coat. Gently rub into the areas required allowing time (5-10 minutes) and rinse. For maximum effects repeat or allow a longer time for this amazing product to work. As with all products take care around eyes.
For out of coat situations, use Plush Puppy Body Building Shampoo at no more than 5:1 for maximum effect. Dilution allows greater and easier dispersion of the product throughout the coat without overly softening the texture. This is a big dog we are talking about! To keep the water-resistant look to the coat, avoid using a conditioner. Conditioners flatten and soften and tend to make the coat fluffy.
Oiling a Newfie coat is the secret to being able to regularly bath and still maintain the ideals of the purpose for which this coat was bred for. Oiling will not flatten and soften and Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil applied at a ratio of 1 tablespoon to a 1 gal/4 L water in a bucket, and sponged through thoroughly leaves the coat with that water-resistant sheen as seen on ducks. Leave the Seabreeze Oil in the coat and do not rinse out. Using this once a week or whenever you bath, keeps the coat looking good. It is not greasy, nor oily feeling yet gives the coat that correct feel that one expects in a water dog whilst maintaining the moisture and elasticity in the hair
For a really faded black coat, use Plush Puppy Black Opal Shampoo. First, we must start with a clean coat!! Use Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo first and then follow with Black Opal. Apply with gloved hands and smear onto the faded areas. Leave for 10 minutes or longer (go make a cup of tea and come back!) Rinse off. Black Opal is a low foaming shampoo designed primarily to stain the coat. Repeat each week till the level of cover is achieved and then every alternate week.
Should your Newfie be light on for coat due to coat shedding, then use Plush Puppy Volumising Cream diluted at a rate of 2 tablespoons to 4 litres (1 gal) of water. Saturate this whole mix thoroughly and evenly throughout the coat with a large sponge. It will coat those 3 remaining hairs and endeavor to make them look like 3,000. This is a nice light product that maximises the hair without compromising the texture or feel. Use this whilst the dog is still wet from the bath & prior to starting to blow dry. This is also available in a Ready to use Formula which is great at shows to refresh a coat. A light spray and brush dry.
Dry using a force dryer. Plush Puppy Ultimate Pin Brush. Brush against the growth of the coat and follow with a good comb through using a long metal wide-toothed Poodle type comb. I like to be able to line comb right through to the skin on any double coat.
To increase drying time, use Plush Puppy FAST Blow Dry Spray that combines the latest active ingredients together to dramatically reduce drying time, adds moisture and conditions while protecting the coat. It contains a recently discovered ingredient from the Australian Native Flame Tree that makes dry or old coat feel and look perfect. It also protects the coat from damage from sun and heat. It contains a slight hold ingredient for better coat management and a special active ingredient that eliminates static electricity and stops the flyaways. FAST is probably the most technically advanced formula in the Plush Puppy Range to date.
On show day, brush up with Plush Puppy OMG (concentrate) diluted 30:1 i.e. 30 parts water to one part OMG. Brilliant for detangling and getting right into that double coat for true free brushing. Great for show brushing, weekly brushing, and any time brushing. This is available in a ready to use formula. For Landseer’s If any hocks or elbows need to be whitened use – Plush Puppy Cover Up Cream lightly smeared onto a barely damp sponge and lightly dabbed layer upon layer, rather than smearing it on to white areas and then hit it with a cover of loose chalk or Corn Starch will add to a super white finish
If your Newfie has a wavy rump or an area that is not behaving and requires smoothing, flattening or straightening, apply Plush Puppy Blow Dry Cream diluted 1 tablespoon to 250 ml of warm water and sponge onto the offending area. Blow-dry AGAINST the growth of the coat and if working on the topline, dry on the diagonal against coat growth and towards the head crossing over in a herringbone pattern with your Pin Brush and finishing off with the Plush Puppy Ultimate Anti-Static Porcupine Brush drying now with the growth of the coat into final position. Dry to 100% dry. Make sure your brush is reaching the base of the hair as this is the area that will direct the movement and where the coat sits. No point just drying the ends.
Avoid that felted, matted feel that you sometimes see when the hard yard hasn’t been put into the coat. I am a stickler for this. I know that a well-maintained coat will serve the dog well in the ring when it matters. Okay, I acknowledge this is a working dog but he is going to be up against the flashy breeds such as the Std. Poodles and the Afghans etc so just for one day a week, he can play showman too without losing his integrity. For a light finish, add a spray of Plush Puppy Shine and Comb held at a distance of around 2 feet or 60 cms to allow the mist to fall onto the coat rather than blasted onto the coat. It gives reinforcement to that low-level sheen one expects to see on these types of water working dogs.
I do believe judges use all their senses when judging dogs and the olfactory senses are assisted with a light application of Plush Puppy Odour Muncher. The Odour Muncher is not only a lovely light fragrance, it is primarily a deodoriser – great for those dogs that miss when they pee. It really is all about those 100 little things that make the whole when you show a dog.
His soft expression, his large, well-balanced body and now your dedication to his heavily coated silhouette touched with subtle nuances of light and low-level shine and vigour, should swing the spotlight of fame, fair and square to where he stands. It would be a hard judge who could not give the nod to a well-groomed and well put together Newfie. He can put on his water wings any time and come and rescue me!