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Quite a small cattle and sheep herder, nonetheless, the Swedish Vallhund is known as a big dog in a small body. He has endurance and is a powerful and sturdily built Spitz blended with intelligence and even temper.
Believed to be descended from the Vikings era over 1,000 years ago and down through the centuries kept as a farmer’s dog, he makes a wonderful working dog with his eager to please attitude.
Likened sometimes to the Welsh Corgi whom they say there are many similarities either through the Corgi to Wales or vice versa, The Swedish Vallhund can be born tailless or full curl tail. He has a fairly long body with a tight, medium length, harsh, close and tight topcoat, undercoat abundant, soft, woolly.
Their colour is greyish/brown, greyish/yellow, reddish/yellow, reddish/brown with darker guard hairs on back, neck and sides of body, lighter hair same shade of colour as mentioned above is desirable on muzzle, throat, chest, belly, buttocks, feet and hocks. Instead of these lighter shades, white markings are acceptable, but never in excess of one-third of total colour. Any colour other than the above, including white and blue or any non-standard colour, is highly undesirable.
As with all double coated outdoor working dogs, the quest is to maintain the condition and colour of the coat and, maintain the texture as to present to the harsh elements of weather for a dog well able to do his job.
For those who show this breed, weekly bathing is desirable, and a routine met that doesn’t dehydrate the coat through regular washing and blow drying. The weekly routine outlined allows you to remove all dead hair allowing new growth to come through quickly and keep the dog in coat as long as possible.
To shape the Swedish Vallhund to his best, you ought to use more than one shampoo over the whole body. The topline needs to be flat and the body usually will need some lift being a double coated dog who will fluff out dead hair regularly needing a modicum of lift to the coat without over doing it, plus, the undercoat needs to appear abundant. The coat also must not be softened.
Starting with the head use Plush Puppy Let’s Face It gentle face Shampoo. This is a fragrant-free hypoallergenic, Sulfate-free low foaming shampoo that is perfect for all breeds of dog. Our gentle no tear, no fragrance formula will not sting or irritate the eyes. 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. This 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 the face. Gently massage until it lathers, leave in to protect the eyes. Wash the rest of the dog and then rinse out.
Start with Plush Puppy Natural Body Building Shampoo diluted 1:5 (1 part shampoo to 5 parts water). Work through the coat in all the areas that need some lift. Lightly rinse and then apply Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo diluted also 1:5 on the shorter parts of the coat and the topline. Both of these shampoos are perfectly suited to this breed and neither will effect the coat texture.
Body Building shampoo does have enormous lift and a bodifying effect to the coat without an artificial feel plus it is wonderful for the coat as it is primarily naturally derived and infused with beneficial plant extracts. Use where extra body is needed.
We call All Purpose the ‘Shine’ shampoo as it features natural Henna stalk extracts that impart a beautiful gloss and shine to your dog’s coat. All Purpose Shampoo is primarily derived from organic sources and also features Alpine and Lichen herbs. It is wonderful to use on normal to slightly dehydrated coats.
To maintain hydration and keep the healthy vigour to the coat despite weekly bathing and drying, apply Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil.
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. We cannot stress enough the wonderful attributes of this product. There is nothing quite like it anywhere and an extra bonus is the depth of colour you get from prolonged usage with great retention of natural colour pigment in the coat. It is liquid gold this stuff and nothing works as well as this on the coat and skin to maintain and keep the coat well hydrated and yet maintain texture.
Once a month you should apply some extra treatment, especially during summer, in the form of Plush Puppy Coat Rescue.
This is full of hard working moisturising and hydrating natural extracts and adds that extra special structure to the hair. When hair is damaged or dehydrated, the outer layer of each hair opens up or has gaps in it. Coat Rescue is like applying a filler to the individual hairs.
Mix Coat Rescue with water to a runny slurry in a jug and then applied to the ends of the coat. Work thoroughly with your hands to ensure even application and leave for 10 minutes or as we do sometimes, leave all day, before rinsing off.
Follow with diluted Seabreeze Oil to coat the hairs and seal the outer layer of each hair back down.
Now if you follow this routine religiously, the hard work is mostly done for Show day. The dog is accustomed to standing still on the table while you power blast the dead hair with a blow dryer. Dry from the rear to the head pushing the hair forwards against the growth where you want lift using the nozzle and air of the cool dryer to open the coat and dry right down to the skin. It is the drying of the coat at the base that makes the coat lift for volume when and where needed and helps to shift the dead hair. Don’t be one of the those who dry the ends of the coat and forget the base. It is the base area that needs to be dried well to make the coat look professional and beautifully maintained yet natural enough for this dog to fulfill his function.
If out of coat to some degree, then add 1 tablespoon Plush Puppy Volumising Cream to 2 cups warm water and apply after the Seabreeze Oil and leave in. Or you can mix into the bucket or hydrobath 1 tablespoon of the Volumising Cream to the Seabreeze Oil Mix and apply and leave in.
Volumising Cream will add that extra coating to each hair to maximise what is left! Then blow dry well lifting each hair and drying against the growth. Dry 100% and not just halfway! This is also available in a ready to use formula Plush Puppy Volumising Spray.
For brushing at the show use the Plush Puppy Ultimate Pin Brush and follow up for final finish with the Plush Puppy Ultimate Slicker. Spray lightly as you brush with Plush Puppy OMG Grooming Spray, preferably the concentrate form, diluted for exactness to 1:30 (1 part OMG to 30 parts water). Oh, my goodness, this spray is tailored now just for your dog and cuts static and matts pronto! It also protects the coat during the brushing process.
A light spray of Plush Puppy Shine and Comb to the topline for shine and a slight mist of Plush Puppy Odour Muncher to fully deodorise and freshen the coat after the dog has spent the night and traveled to the Show….And your dog is ready for anything in that Show ring.
I do like to include in my ringside tack box Plush Puppy Wonder Wash to clean dirty feet if needed or Plush Puppy Powder Puff Terrier. Both products are excellent with Wonder Wash applied directly to the feet for example, foamed up with your hands and towel dried off.
Powder Puff is a secret weapon. It comes in both Regular and Harsh finish and both are suitable for a quick, dry clean by tossing onto the dirty area and brushed out. Great for cleaning areas you have spent time blow-drying and don’t want to use a wet product on. The Harsh Coated Breeds Powder Puff also adds TEXTURE!!! Yeah! I do mean lots of texture.
You can sift this on a clean coat anyway just for the texture. Lightly sift a very small amount into the area you wish to harshen and keep brushing and working through with your hands – you can blow dry any excess off if you need to. Bingo! Texture you would not believe. Remember you don’t need much to get that texture so don’t go overboard and waste it.
Your Swedish Vallhund is quite the little character. His alert personality coupled with intelligence and his will to please, makes him a great Show dog. He is a natural and just needs you to bring out his finer qualities of movement and grooming. Give this athletic little dog his due and he will repay you with performance and heart. Just because he is not a traditional hairdo dog, should never lessen the time you spend to groom and finesse his coat. Prepare him for stardom and he will do his job with all the energy and determination inherent to his breed. He will know he looks terrific – he is one smart dog anyway!
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