The Bullmastiff is an English breed of dog of mastiff type and large size, with a solid build and a short muzzle. It was developed as a guard dog in the nineteenth century by cross-breeding the English Mastiff with the now-extinct Old English Bulldog. A truly impressive breed their coat is short and hard, weather resistant, lying flat to body. Long, silky or woolly coats highly undesirable.
Their colours are any shade of brindle, fawn or red; colour to be pure and clear. A slight white marking on chest permissible. Other white markings undesirable. Black muzzle essential, toning off towards eyes, with dark markings around eyes contributing to expression.
It’s important to present this powerhouse of a breed to it’s best advantage.
Start with the Bullmastiffs face. This is a brachy type head so eye and wrinkle care is extremely important. For this use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It. This is a fragrant-free hypoallergenic, Sulfate-free low foaming shampoo which is perfect for this breed of dog. Our gentle no tear, no fragrance formula will not sting or irritate the eyes. It is formulated with natural ingredients including Blue Cypress extracts with anti-inflammatory benefits that are particularly effective on Brachycephalic breeds where wrinkles can get infected and sore. Plus Panthenol, Pro-Vitamin B5 to add moisture, aid healing and offer anti-inflammatory benefits.
Let’s Face It can also be used as a gentle ear cleaner. Use before you start the complete body shampoo, pump a golf ball-sized amounts into hands, apply to dogs face. Gently massage until it lathers, leave in to protect the eyes. Wash the rest of the dog and then rinse out.
Now for the body. For this use Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo with Henna. While your breed standard does not state shiny, it is totally reasonable to say a healthy short and hard coat would have a natural sheen to it.
We call All Purpose 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). All Plush Puppy shampoos are quite concentrated so require diluting. This also allows for ease of dispersion across the coat. This shampoo is perfect for both fawn or red and brindle coats and really brings up the coat colour and shine.
This is a weather resistant coat that lays flat to body and the standard also states the coat must not be silky or woolly.
Using a traditional conditioner is not suited for this breed. Hydration is key to a healthy coat, so use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil as a rinse after shampooing. This will not effect 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 and 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.
Because of their size and bulk, the Bullmastiff can develop callus marks on elbows and hocks. For this you can also apply Seabreeze Oil undiluted directly to the area. It will hydrate and soften the skin and applied regularly will stimulate hair regrowth.
The standard asks for coats to be colour, to be pure and clear. To maintain a coat use a force dryer to blast the dog dry. Sounds crazy I know to dry a short coated breed, but a weather resistant coat requires undercoat.
Undercoat is generally a slightly lighter colour than the outer guard coat. Blasting a dog dry removes the old coat and allows for even regeneration of the new coat and this maintains a pure and even colour.
Show Day and time to refresh the coat.
Make sure you pack the Plush Puppy Wonder Wash for the feet and legs if they got dirty or dusty. This is a no rinse wet instant shampoo for last-minute emergencies that will clean up anything, pronto. Just spray and foam in with the fingers and towel off.
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.
Now you have presented your Bullmastiff to their very best. This is an impressive dog and always a competitive breed.
