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Swedish Vallhund

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 double coat, harsh in texture and marked in a sable pattern from grey through to red.

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The Swedish Vallhund

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 double coat, harsh in texture and marked in a sable pattern from grey through to red.

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 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.

Start with Plush Puppy Body Building Shampoo diluted 1:5 (1 part shampoo to 5 parts water). This is perfect for all the areas that need some lift. This 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.

Rinse the Body Building Shampoo and then apply Plush Puppy All Purpose Shampoo also 1:5 on the shorter parts of the coat and the topline. We call this 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, use Plush Puppy Seabreeze Oil. 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 (1 Gal) of water and work well through the coat with a large sponge, ensuring it saturates well enough to get right to the skin. LEAVE IN. DO NOT RINSE. It gives incredible sheen and finish to the hair. We cannot stress enough the wonderful attributes of this product.

Once a month you should apply some extra treatment, especially during summer, in the form of Plush Puppy Coat Rescue. Dilute 2 tablespoons of Coat Rescue into a squeeze bottle with 500ml of water. 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.  This is full of moisturising and hydrating natural extracts including Kaolin, Almond Oil, Cinnamon Bark, Castor Oil, Soya Protein, Seaweed Extract, and other naturally sourced ingredients that add 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.  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 for your  Swedish Vallhund religiously, the hard work is mostly done for show day.  The dog is accustomed to standing still on the table whilst you power blast the dead hair out and 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 fulfil his function.

So all hard work done well before the show, with the coat looking in prime condition, you just need to follow the shampoo and oil routine and blow dry.  If out of coat to some degree, then add 1 tablespoon of Plush Puppy Volumising Cream to 2 cups of warm water and apply after the oil and leave in.  Alternatively you can mix 1 tablespoon of Volumising Cream into the Seabreeze Oil mix, 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!

Plush Puppy Volumising Spray is a ‘Ready to Use’ spray for quicker, easier and fuller coat results. Perfect either before blow drying or used to ‘fluff’ up the coat at the show. Apply a light even spray and brush in until dry or use a dryer. This is a hair thickener to add volume, not a hair stiffener and not easily detectable.  It leaves the coat with a natural fuller look and feel.

For brushing at the show use the Plush Puppy Ultimate Pin Brush and follow up for final finish with the Plush Puppy Ultimate Slicker Brush. 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.

OMG is the perfect product for this coat type when used correctly. A light spray of OMG and brushing in allows this product to refresh the coat leaving it feeling wonderful.  It separates the coat and leaves the most amazing finish. OMG never builds up and never goes stringy. A product that took years to develop using amazing technology for maximum effects. A true necessity for the tool kit.

Finish with a Plush Puppy Professional Grooming Comb, built for absolute ergonomic comfort in various sizes. The lightweight oval shaped spine combining fine and coarse pins made of hardened stainless steel with anodic oxide finish that reduces drag and static to the coat. Perfect for use for this breed of dog.

For a final boost of shine and lustre, spray a light mist of Plush Puppy Shine and Comb to the topline.  Spray from 30cm above the coat and let the mist fall.

A slight mist of Plush Puppy Odour Muncher to fully deodorise and freshen the coat after the dog has spent the night and travelled to the show after bathing, 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 these 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. 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 to the area you wish to harshen and keep brushing and working through with your hands.  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!