Fox Terrier (Wire)
Grooming Article:
The Terrier people are often viewed as being a purist lot with old values ingrained as to what constitutes the right and wrong way to go about the presentation of their Terrier breeds. There is much to be learned from them as their quest is to maintain and show a harsh textured coat whereas many breeds seek just the opposite.
The problems they do have is that much of what we all do with softer coated breeds is just so wrong for a Terrier and especially the Wire Foxie. Therein lays the quest, to wash and blow-dry a Foxie usually has a disastrous effect immediately softening the coat and causing it to look fluffy. Many a Wire exhibitor either has to wash the dog days ahead. That’s certainly one way to keep texture or to build a harsh texture. However, things are a bit more progressive in the grooming world these days and the proliferation of products and techniques available lend themselves to allowing the exhibitor much more latitude.
This is a breed that requires texture or added texture use Plush Puppy Texture + Shampoo is another product. Formulated using the latest technology to retain and improve coat texture. Recommended to thoroughly yet gently cleanse and deodorize the coat of Terriers and other wire, harsh or coarse coated breeds without softening or compromising texture. It’s ideal for boosting body and coarseness in coats of all colors and coat types. Formulated to be pH controlled, creates/ maintains texture, easy to rinse out and low irritant with a subtle apple fragrance. Incorporates Gentian Root Extract, Juniper Fruit Extract, St John’s Wort Leaf Extract, Norway Spruce Leaf Extract, Hayflower Extract, Lemon Balm Leaf Extract, Arnica Flower Extract. Use at 1:10 or apply undiluted directly to areas requiring extra cleansing. Rinse thoroughly.
Plush Puppy Herbal Whitening Shampoo is great for the white areas and the Plush Puppy Deep Cleansing Shampoo brilliant for more intense cleansing or to remove unwanted build-up of products. Use all shampoos at a ratio of 5 parts water to one part shampoo.
The Herbal Whitening Shampoo is a toning shampoo so it is effective for minimizing unwanted warm tones in the coat e.g. yellow, rusty tones and to generally cool down reddening on a black coat.
Plush Puppy Wonder Blok – this product is one of our proudest achievements in helping to maintain a white stain free coat. It’s not a bleach and contains no harmful chemicals but with the use of modern technology and high amounts of naturally sourced vegetable surfactants and glycerin. This product is designed to gently remove unwanted warm/red tones to the coat. Best used on a damp/wet coat. Gently rub into the areas required to allow time (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. For maximum effect try applying the day prior to bath day. Apply and simply leave on.
With this head type and eye use, Plush Puppy Let’s Face It Shampoo – what the dog showing world has needed for way too long. Another one of the famous Plush Puppy products that with the latest technology and the highest amounts of naturally sourced ingredients has developed into a product that is a must! This is a hypoallergenic sulfate free low foaming shampoo designed for faces. It’s a nil fragrance, no tear formula with the highest quality Blue Cypress Extracts, Panthenol with Pro-Vitamin B and SugaNate. These special ingredients clean, soothe, add moisture, aids healing and has anti-inflammatory benefits. A small golf ball sized amounts directly to the face and eye area allows you to thoroughly clean without causing irritation. Can be used in and around ears also with the same benefits. Its low foaming design allows easy rinsing yet complete cleaning.
Plush Puppy Powder Puff Terrier. This is another texture maker. It does clean and it does deodorize, and it does leave the coat like barbed wire. You will have texture like no harsh texture you have ever seen before. If as your standard states that you want a wiry coat like coconut matting, then this is the stuff to use. It has a faint odor of mandarin & ginger without being flowery or artificial or obvious and is applied by sprinkling onto the coat or applied with a brush or hands and worked in well. It’s that easy. Just keep brushing or better still, blow dry to remove excess and you have a clean dog with a coat you could scrub the pots with.
You may choose to oil your coats if you want some hydration through your coats are being stripped either by hand or knife on a regular basis lessening the need to do too much. For those who do, then use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil 1 teaspoon to a 2 L (1/2 gallon) of water, apply liberally and work through the coat and leave in. This is a water-soluble oil and is not greasy – it just adds all the goodness of Evening Primrose Oil, Calendula Oil, etc. that sometimes is required to bring the coat up to a healthy vigor for the discerning show person.
Use Plush Puppy Reviva Coat mid-week on the legs, face to protect. This is a great moisturizer to use without overly softening the coat. Hard to find things that will do just that. It is the perfect product for after-show bathing out of the furnishings to protect and moisturize.
For a spray texture adder use Plush Puppy Ruffy Tuffy Coat Spray which is applied layer upon layer – in other words, spray lightly and let a few seconds pass and then keep reapplying the same way till that level of harshness is achieved once more.
For those that require some extra hold use Plush Puppy HOLD is a strong sculpting spray scientifically formulated for shaping all types of coats on Show Dogs. The quick-drying formulation won’t become sticky and will not build-up. HOLD can be removed with ease by simply shampooing the coat. Contains Pro-Vitamin B5 to improve elasticity, moisture retention, and flexibility in their coat hair. We recommend using and storing at normal room temperature for a perfect mist spray. Optimum spray distance is approximately 30cm (12 inches).
On show day apply Plush Puppy Cover Up Cream is a great cover for stains or discoloration. Excellent on “red” area on worn elbows and to the white on the muzzle. When you really need to cover stains your whites or intensify white areas. Apply with a barely damp sponge using a small amount. Build up coverage as required layer by layer. Then use powder or chalk as required whilst cream is drying. Brush off excess when dry. Add a tiny bit of Plush Puppy Chalkestral with your fingertips to the white legs to assist holding the white powder you apply. You need something to help grip and to protect the coat from abrasion. Best of all is Plush Puppy Fairy Frost, a better & innovative approach to the usual methods of white chalking/adding powder to coats. Clings well and doesn’t clump. Adds a crisp white tone and cover to all coats without creating harshness. The whitest, brightest powder around. Clings – all day. Fine & Easy to use. A little goes a long way. Naturally sourced – no chalk or talc. Use instead of chalk. Can mix with your usual white powder. Best for glamorous perfect whites. Never gets clumpy, even when wet. Apply with the Plush Puppy Ultimate Powder Application Brush. Work well into the area where required for enhancing whites and cover.
Plush Puppy Wonder Wash for “those show day” last-minute emergencies too as this will clean up the whites, pronto. Just spray foam with the fingers and towel off.
You want the illusion of putting air into it for fullness and height, allowing you to see that lovely foxy eye and expression. You can further hold in place by applying Plush Puppy Sit N Stay, just a touch to the fingertips, warmed through by rubbing together till tacky and then applying at the roots by grabbing down into the coat and clenching the fingers and dragging up to the mid-lengths
When it comes to dog showing, that a good Terrier is going to be the one to trip up if the rest of us want to win. They seem to be, with the Gundogs people in that particular section of the dog world that is kind of true and no fuss – no messing about. These are not hairdo breeds. I have focused here on the texture of this coat which is the big issue with the Terrier fraternity rather than the shaping and sculpting of the silhouette.
Your Wire Foxie cuts a fine picture with his lively and cocksure attitude. His keen expression and his readiness to stand on tiptoes when challenged all make for a feisty and engaging picture in the ring. His alertness, his liveliness, and his friendly yet fearless temperament make for an eye-catching entry and I note with the eye of the outsider not owning a Terrier anymore myself, the number of high profile handlers who just happen to have one on the end of their leash. It is a standout breed.
Article courtesy of Plush Puppy Australia
