The American Staffordshire Terrier standard calls for his coat to be short, close, stiff to the touch, and glossy. Their colours are any colour, solid, parti, or patched is permissible, but all white, more than 80% white, black and tan, and liver not to be encouraged.
For maintenance of the American Staffordshire Terrier coat, we recommend using Plush Puppy Reviva Coat. This is a brilliant leave in moisturising foam that rehydrates the hair and skin and deeply moisturises. You can’t slather too much of this product on. It never gets greasy and is great for your breed.
This keeps the moisture content up and prevents sun burning and brittle dry coats. By keeping the condition in this coat, you will also help to retain colour and stop any dander. Absolutely wonderful for reds and black coats. Use a handful of Reviva Coat moisturising foam through his coat.
For any staining of white areas use Plush Puppy Wonder Blok. It helps to maintain a white stain free coat. It is not a bleach and contains no harmful chemicals but high amounts of naturally sourced vegetable surfactants and glycerin. This product is designed to remove gently unwanted warm or red tones to the coat. Best used on a damp or wet coat. Gently rub into the areas required allowing 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.
Now, which shampoo to use? Firstly evaluate your coat colour and the state of the coat. And note that all Plush Puppy shampoos are quite concentrated, hence the dilution rates we recommend. This also allows for easy dispersion over the entire coat when shampooing.
For coats in good condition use Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo with Henna. We call this dog shampoo the ‘Shine’ shampoo as it features natural Henna stalk extracts that impart a beautiful gloss and shine to your dog’s coat. Natural All Purpose Shampoo is primarily derived from organic sources and features Alpine and Lichen herbs. This is a great all round shampoo for this breed and perfect for use on normal to slightly dehydrated coats. Use at a ratio of 1:5 (1 part shampoo to 5 parts water, up to 1:10 for maintenance).
This shampoo is perfect for most coats and most situations and really brings up the coat colour and shine.
Should the coat be white based, black or blue and exhibiting colour fade, I would use Plush Puppy Herbal Whitening Shampoo. This is primarily derived from organic sources with Ginseng extracts, protein, and a violet tone combined in a rich formula that works brilliantly to whiten whites and intensify darker colours.
It DOES NOT lighten or bleach but instead tones with optical brighteners. It reduces yellowing or warm tones in white coats or white areas of the coat and will negate unwanted tones from sun fading or reddening in the coat.
Similarly for darker colours, it will reduce any warm tones to intensify the depth of colour by revitalising any lost cool tones. Herbal Whitening Shampoo makes white coats gleam and sparkle with a pearly sheen.
All coat colours are made of the full spectrum of the colours of the rainbow and first tones to fade are always the blues and purples leaving a reddish, orange overtone to the coat. This is a quick and effective way to give depth back to your blacks and reds without damaging the coat or using any artificial coat colourings. Use at a dilution of 1 part shampoo to 5-10 parts water.
The head and expression is very important for the American Staffordshire. Always use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It on the faces.
This is a hypoallergenic sulfate free low foaming shampoo designed just for faces. It’s no tear formula features the highest quality Blue Cypress Extracts, Panthenol with Pro Vitamin B and SugaNate. These special ingredients clean, soothe, add moisture, aid healing and have anti-inflammatory benefits. A small golf ball sized amounts directly to the face and eye area allows you to thoroughly clean without causing irritation. It can also be used in and around the ears with the same benefits. Its low foaming design allows ease of rinsing, yet complete cleaning.
This is not a breed to use a conditioner as it will just fluff the coat. It is recommended you keep the focus of shine in mind and use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil as a rinse after shampooing. This will not soften but retains the correct coat texture. Seabreeze Oil is excellent for maintaining the healthy vigour to the skin and coat and is all plant sourced from Evening Primrose and Calendula Oils. It is non greasy and totally water soluble making it easy to apply and remove each time without build-up.
Dilute 1 tablespoon in 4 Litres of water, mix well, then work well through the coat with a large sponge. LEAVE IN. DO NOT RINSE. It gives incredible sheen and finish to the hair. This also helps keep any scurf at bay and leaves the coat smelling delightful. We cannot stress enough the wonderful attributes of this product.
You can spray the Seabreeze Oil onto the coats during the week for extra protection. You can dilute this or use undiluted – just revert to the above after-bathing mix recipe when preparing for a Show.
Blow dry if possible, for the best finish. Why blow dry a short coat? By drying using a force drier it helps remove old coat and keeps the coat sitting perfectly.
The fun part is the grooming and you can even use makeup on your dog. Plush Puppy makes a terrific product for white areas called Plush Puppy Coverup Cream.
This is a white paste that is applied with a damp sponge. Just dab onto the area that needs to be covered such as an unevenly pigmented muzzle area. Then add some Plush Puppy Fairy Frost Powder, an ultra-white powder that is amazing.
You can even mix a small amount of Plush Puppy Pixie Dust. You can also add a small sprinkle of the Pixie Dust along the dog’s topline. Brush into the coat well. This really adds some gleam and picks up all the sunlight or indoor lights. Works well even on black dogs as long as you don’t overdo it – we don’t need to turn them into the glitter fairy!
For the final flourish spray with Plush Puppy Shine and Comb, a magical spray that is non greasy and water soluble. A light burst onto the coat or onto your hands and smoothed over the top and flanks just works like a charm. Try spraying just one side first and see the difference. It’s amazing. Your dog especially will just glisten with glowing good health.
Don’t ignore the olfactory senses of your judge. Nothing pleases more than a good smelling dog. It tells your judge that you care about your dog and have made the effort to groom and present. No matter how much you bath some dogs they still smell doggy especially if you have to travel to get to the show. Use Plush Puppy Odour Muncher. It literally munches the odour and works well for smelly problems such as emergencies in transit. It leaves a light fragrance, certainly not too much and definitely not too little.
Stacked up on the three quarter stance in the show line-up, the impressive American Staffordshire Terrier has character and class. Groomed and presented properly he is a formidable opponent to any breed exuding his courageous, real dog personality with all the glitz and showiness required to win the most prestigious of Shows.
