PRODUCT REVIEW- Plush Puppy OMG Grooming Spray and Wonder Wash, by Mark Whateley
We have the pleasure of sharing our lives with 7 wonderful Bolognese, all of whom we have shown, except for our youngest who isn’t old enough yet. We got our first Bolo back in 2013 and over the years we have tried a lot of different products from many different manufacturers, but it is hard to recommend many of them because what works on one coat, won’t necessarily work on another as every dog will have a slightly different coat. I’ve lost track of just how many different tear stain remedies I’ve heard of, and most of the ones I’ve tried haven’t worked for us.
OMG and Wonder Wash from Plush Puppy are two products that seem to work well on any coat so I would recommend them.
Plush Puppy is an Australian brand and all of their products are made in Australia, and the wide range of products are retailed in the UK by Plush Puppy UK. The range is organic, environmentally friendly, and not tested on laboratory animals. They have a trade stand at most Championship shows where you can chat with them and get really good advice, but for anyone outside the show world they also have an online shop. They will respond to email questions and have lots of breed specific grooming advice on their website. www.plushpuppy.co.uk
O.M.G READY TO USE Multi-Purpose Grooming Spray
Bolo coats have a tendency to dry out and become brittle, especially if they are overgroomed. This dry coat knots and mats easily, forcing you to groom them even more and the brittle coat breaks away and spoils the natural beauty of the breed.
I’ve used a number of different grooming, mat blasting and de-knotting sprays to try and make the process of grooming easier for me and kinder for the dogs, and they all work up to a point but many of them leave the coat feeling either dry and chalky or oily, looking yellow, or simply don’t help much with the grooming process. OMG is different, in that it really does a great job of lubricating the coat allowing a comb to pass through easily and knots come out more easily, but it dries without impacting the natural texture of the coat. It also helps to repel dirt, doesn’t build up, is water soluble and removes hair spray according to the label.
It is available in ready to use (20:1) and concentrate in different sizes. Ready to use in 100ml, 250ml, 500ml and 1 litre currently priced from £6.00-£36.50 and a 500ml concentrate for £59.00. We tried the ready to use first and then bought the concentrate which makes up to 10 litres at 20:1 dilution which saves you money.
You can use it all over as a light spray to make combing easier or concentrate it on specific areas and leave it to work in for a few minutes.
Limitations: Personally, I think this product is great on knots and tangles, but wetting mats before grooming is generally a bad idea as everything tightens up and felts making it more difficult to remove. If you’ve ever washed a dog with mats by the skin you will know how difficult it can be to remove them once wet. We always try to remove mats carefully on a dry coat with a wide toothed comb and a lot of patience. Check areas with your fingertips as combs can glide over them. You should be able to part the coat and see the skin easily. Key areas to check are behind ears, around the neck, armpits and flanks but as you know, Bolos can get knots and mats anywhere so check them all over regularly.
Wonder Wash Self-Rinsing Shampoo
One of the downsides of owning long coated white dogs is that they occasionally get faeces stuck in their coats, and boys especially can get urine stains on their tummies and legs. I remember one such incident on a club meet up in London with Max which was pretty unpleasant. Washing them at home cleans them up and prevents/reduces staining but what if you are away from home, or at a show?
I’ve tried a few waterless and no rinse shampoos over the years. This one by Plush Puppy is great for this kind of emergency use and works well for organic and other dirt on feet, bottoms, faces and legs. It is a cleaner, so won’t generally remove staining from a coat, such as tear staining, but we sometimes use it as a pre-treatment for other stain removal products on faces and paws.
It comes pre-mixed in 250ml, 500ml and 1litre sizes currently priced from £15.00 – £32.00 and we get the bigger size and put it into our own spray bottles. Simply spray onto the affected area, work it in and wipe it away with a microfibre towel or kitchen roll and the coat will be left clean, white and bright.
Limitations: Wonder Wash isn’t a substitute for an all over shampoo so think of it as more of an emergency solution. I also find that if you spray a lot onto the coat, especially longer areas, it can be difficult to remove without a lot of paper towel, or a warm wet towel, so use it sparingly.
