Belgian Shepherd Dog
Groenendael & Tervuren
These striking herding & guard dogs, are long
well established, dating back as far as the 1890s for their first
written standard. A good working medium sized dog that
proportionately should fit within a square, he must carry a coat
that suits his open air life and able to resist a variable climate
such as his native Belgium. Calm and alert, this vigilant and
fearless dog is highly prized as the watchful guardian of any
property. He is keenly sought for his readiness to leap to action -
not a lazy dog at all. He is ever aware and shows sharp interest in
all his surroundings - I love the way they virtually check out the
whole of our booth in 2 seconds flat when they come to visit with
their owner. Dont you just love intelligence in a dog?
Both coats of the Groenendael & Tervuren are
much alike, colour being the noticeable variation. Both coats must
be dense and of good texture with the undercoat providing protective
covering. Herding breeds are invariably dogs who must withstand the
elements and be able to do their job. These are dogs that would have
had to earn their keep and their workability was often dependant on
ability to work in all weathers and in this case, likely more often
than not, wet and cold conditions. The golden rule for all coats
that have to retain texture is not to use a conditioner. The
temptation when faced with a dry or dehydrated coat is to reach for
the conditioner. We are so conditioned ( no pun intended) to
thinking how we would correct our own hair instead of stepping
outside the square and not relating to the human situation. The way
to keep a coat hydrated without softening or changing texture is to
oil the coat. However one mustnt make the coat greasy either. I
recommend Plush
Puppy Seabreeze Oil. This fabulous oil is sourced from
Evening Primrose Oil and Calendula Oil and other natural niceties.
It is not oily as such, being top quality natural plant oils and is
applied by diluting in water to gain even dispersion throughout what
is in this case, a fairly weatherproof coat. Just spraying the oil
onto this coat is not going to do the product or the coat justice.
You need to get right down to the skin with the oil to keep the
whole coat hydrated and gleaming with healthy vigour. It is best to
thus dilute the oil at a ratio of 1 tbspn to 1 gallon/4 litres water
- this will give you enough mixture to thoroughly saturate the coat
of a good medium sized breed. Apply this after you have shampooed
the coat, using for the Groenendael, Plush
Puppy Whitening Shampoo diluted 5 parts water to one
part shampoo again for easier dispersion and to minimise rinsing
time on this rather thick coat or the Plush
Puppy All Purpose Shampoo for the Tervuren, at the same
dilution. The Whitening Shampoo is a toning shampoo and will not
lighten but instead deepen the tone and give a pearly sheen to the
black coat . This will also assist in offsetting any unwanted
reddish tones too. (You can also use a regular application of Plush
Puppy Sunshade along the topline to protect against sun
damage & fading during the week.) The All Purpose is the shine
shampoo and will give good lustre and vibrancy to the Tervuren coat.
So, having shampooed and rinsed, apply the oil as specified above
and leave in - do not rinse out. Your standards also require the
ornamentation around the neck to be long and abundant described as
like a collarette. Thus you are seeking to build and make much ado
with this area as also the tail, the back of the forearm and the
breeches. The procedure is that after applying the Seabreeze Oil
mix, apply Plush
Puppy Puffy Dog which is a strong holding product to the
areas described for maximum lift and volume. If a softer less
voluminous effect is desired, then use Plush
Puppy Quick Fix Spray for a light hold and for an
overall volumising effect to the whole of the coat, especially good
for when out of coat, use Plush
Puppy Volumising Cream by using 1 tbspn to 1 cup water
and applying generously. The Volumising Cream will give a more
coated effect whereas the Puffy Dog or the Quick Fix will give more
lift to the coat - you can use the Volumising Cream in conjunction
with either of the other two - they just do different things and
sometimes you need to do them all. For texture to the coat, you can
add extra harshness by using Plush
Puppy Ruffy Tuffy Coat Spray. I go through bucket loads
of this when Belgian Sheepdog people are around. They just love
this. Spray lightly to the coat and wait a couple of seconds to
allow it dry and then keep reapplying as before, until the level of
harshness is achieved. This is not a sticky obvious product and one
that is very popular for this purpose. Coats tend to go through
various stages- especially trying for those of us who own double
coated breeds where the coat is ever changing as it graduates from
just perfect to the about to blow situation - then we go through the
naked stages and then not enough to show stages to start the cycle
yet again. How frustrating when that all important show is looming.
Its those times I envy those with the shorter coated breeds or
those that just dont shed that all important undercoat. Thus the
need to be versatile and adjust your grooming techniques to suit the
situation. For extra boost to a less than abundant coat or when out
of coat is to switch to Plush
Puppy Body Building Shampoo diluted 3 parts water to one
part shampoo for maximum body and a 5 to one dilution for a less
needy situation. You can use the Puffy Dog , Ruffy Tuffy and
Volumising Cream also on show day for that extra bit of texture and
lift too. Sometimes when its borderline to going or staying home
as the coat is not quite grown back enough, you need to lift the
coat back up after the dog has slept on it all night and flattened
out what looked like a spectacular blow dry the night before. Just
spritz the 1tbspn to 1 cup Volumising Cream mix over the whole of
the coat, add a touch more Puffy Dog to the ruff and blow dry
quickly to fluff the hair back up. Finish with the light spray of
Ruffy Tuffy and a light last minute spray of Plush
Puppy Shine & Comb to the topline area, the pants
and the front of the dog. The Shine & Comb gives just that extra
bit of good natural looking sheen to the coat without weighing down
the hair. Hold at least 12 inches/30 cms away from the coat when
applying. I dont mind a pleasant smelling dog either without
being too artificial and smelling like a room deodorant. Plush
Puppy Odour Muncher is a clean smelling deodoriser with
a light fragrance. It minimises odours and gets rid of that slept in
a crate all night smell. I do believe judges use not just sense when
judging but a lot of their senses including their olfactory senses
and love a clean nice smelling dog. The other thing to keep in mind
with a double coated breed is to blow dry using a pin brush such as
the Plush
Puppy Pin Brush which has secure pins, without knobs
that tend to rip the coat to bits, and is one of the best I have
used. Blow dry everything up and forwards towards the head till
7/8ths dry and then use just the air of the dryer to finish off with
the coat coming back into its natural fall. This method also assists
in reducing unwanted wave. A good wide toothed Poodle comb is
beneficial also to be able to work the coat through from root to end
to avoid any chance of matting or felting as the coat ages. I often
see coats that have only been half dried and/or not worked through
from the skin to ends. Maximise everything you have with these
coats. These wonderfully confident natured dogs have a lot of grace
and power. They have the ability to work with great skill in a
pretty full on job yet remain calm. Your dog not only watches out
for the flock but also is protective of and devoted to his master.
These are dogs ready to go and work at an instant. I love the subtly
hidden energy they reflect when at ease. I like the way they take in
all that is happening yet dont lose focus and I admire the
relationship they have with their owners. Just because you have a
working dog never diminishes his right to look glamorous or well
presented with as much devotion as the more labour intensive coated
breeds. It is wrong to dismiss these coats as being natural and
therefore assume you dont naturally have to do a thing to them.
Imagine a gorgeously proportioned dog with a beautifully presented
coat routine and I will show you a winner every time.
CHERYL LECOURT
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