Australian Cattle Dog
The alert, intelligent and faithful friend of the
drovers of the great Aussie outback is a breed that has been around
for over a 100 years, easing the burden of working the cattle with
his quiet and determined attitude. Whilst he is seen as one of the
great workers of the dog world, do not discount his ability for
beauty and pride in the razzamatazz of a Best In Show lineup. The no
nonsense persona of these types of breeds lends credence to the
myths that they don't need any grooming or attention to coat and
that a quick hose bath is all that is needed. Frankly, I could spend
inordinate amounts of time on this breed precisely because he is not
a hairdo dog but the time would be spent in between the shows. What
you see is what you get with the Australian Cattle Dog. If you have
not done your homework along the way then you will reap what you
have sown which you will be hard pressed to correct on show day.
This dog has a quiet, soul of the earth majesty and you have a
responsibility to present him in his Sunday best.
To maintain and enhance his required rain resistant,
double coat, it is advisable to oil this coat.Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil diluted at a ratio of 1 bucket water (approx
4lt/1 gal water) to 1 tbspn of the oil. Now this lovely oil is very
special consisting of natural oils such as Evening Primrose and
Calendula oils plus others to be worked not just into the coat but
also into the skin and left in and not rinsed out. It will maintain
the texture and moisture in the coat and help protect from the harsh
outdoors especially in some of the tougher climates where this dog
is required to work. I tend to use this in place of a conditioner as
conditioners will flatten and soften and this is not an ideal
outcome for this type of coat. I suggest you also use the oil at
this dilution rate after shampooing for a show. Again leave in and
do not rinse. You will get a nice healthy sheen on the coat with
this routine. The silhouette you achieve with this coat also comes
from a good even texture on the coat and I find the best way to keep
a good texture without the moth eaten appearances some of the coats
can get when they shed or even with a rolling of the coat, is to
blow dry. I know this goes against the belief of a lot of people who
purchase a dog such as this so as not to have to blow dry but it
does do wonders for the coat. Using a cool, strong, turbo style
dryer, after bathing, dry the coat against the coat growth till =
dry and then with the growth of the coat to settle it back down.
This lifts all the dead hair out and allows you to check the skin
for any "free riders" such as ticks etc and any skin
disturbances such as eczema, rashes, scurf etc. I like this quiet
time with the dog to run my hands over his body and check him all
over for anything unforseen and knowing I am doing his coat a great
turn at the same time.
Your regular shampoo should be one such as the Plush
Puppy All Purpose Shampoo for both the red speckle and the blues
which will give a good healthy sheen or use the Plush
Puppy Whitening Shampoo to impart a good toning effect
especially if the red speckled coats tend to burn in harsh sun or
just fade out as the coat ages. Use all the above at a dilution rate
of 5 parts water to one part shampoo for a show bath and 10:1 for
home maintenance. Switch to the Plush
Puppy Body Building Shampoo when the dog is not in full coat and
dilute at 5:1. Don't use conditioner, follow again with Seabreeze
Oil.
Maintain the coat during brushing with Plush
Puppy Revivacoat - spray approx 1 ping pong ball amount into a
water spray and top up to 1 cup water. This is a great spray for
keeping up the moisture in the coat. Brush with an oval cushioned
brush such as the Plush
Puppy Porcupine Brush which is = bristle and = nylon. You need
a brush that gets down into the coat and doesn't just skate over the
top. If the coat texture tends to be too harsh due to sun damage,
mix up a spray bottle of 1 tbspn to cup water of the Plush
Puppy Blow Dry Cream. This will help flatten and relax the coat
if it has a tendency to stick up a bit. You can also use the Plush
Puppy Quick Fix as a grooming spray if you need to maintain
texture and the coat is too soft. It has a nice light hold factor.
Your other avenues for show glamour are of course
road working the dog and he ought to be getting good muscle tone if
he is working cattle. However there are a lot of couch potato Cattle
Dogs living in suburbia who need a good workout and if you cannot
road work, then a walking machine is the other option. Muscle tone
is paramount in a working dog as is good weight. I hate to see an
overweight/underweight dog. You cannot hide his silhouette with a
hairdo so striking the right balance of his height and proportions
is an intuitive thing. I am amazed at how differently people can see
a dog. Rule of thumb is that if you cannot feel the structure under
the skin then he is too fat and if he rolls on his topline he is
also overweight. Yet, do not make him too lean so that he looks
anorexic and in need of a good feed. He has to have endurance and
that needs an amount of body cover. So, you have the muscle, you
have the hydrated healthy looking coat with good gleam and sheen,
the body weight is perfect and it's show day and time to do the
fluff around stuff to help get that extra look in the ring. All
senses come into play when judging and a good smelling dog is nice
to touch. Plush
Puppy Odour Muncher is sensational in that it kills the odour
and leaves a pleasant scent behind without being to flowery or
girly. You have your Plush
Puppy Wonder Wash which is your self rinse (instant clean) to
remedy any last minute messes and who would not be tempted to add
some glints of glamour - let's not leave it all to the Poodles and
Afghans - with Plush
Puppy Pixie Dust. Trust me, this does work and used judiciously,
looks brilliant. Just don't over do it - simply add a light dusting
onto your brush, give it a light tap to tip of the excess and apply
with light edgy strokes to the topline, pants and front of the dog.
Keep brushing against the coat to work the powder down into the coat
leaving the shimmer behind on the top. This looks brilliant when
showing outdoors or under spotlights. It just grabs the pin prick of
light down onto your dog.
I do like Plush
Puppy Coat Rescue on a dead and "Gone to God" coat,
used after bathing to remedy the situation quickly - left in for 5 -
10 minutes and rinsed off. I do like Plush
Puppy Sensitive Skin Shampoo for those dodgy skin problems and
used at 5:1. I do like lots of things - the list is endless as to
what you can do to maximise this type of dog and coat. The point is,
you can do something to make this dog even better than before and to
help him stand out from the crowd.
I love the balance of power and endurance this breed
exudes. I love the honesty and integrity he displays and the courage
and devotion to which he applies to his work and family. I love
seeing him out in the ring also beautifully groomed and presented
and handled with skill that shows what he is capable of. This is a
truly admirable breed.
CHERYL LECOURT
