The Best In Show routine is designed to bring out the very best in your dog’s coat. This is the preparation for the show ring. It focuses on deep cleaning, targeted conditioning, and precise styling. Every step helps your dog look its best.
Step 1: Deep Cleanse to Start Fresh
Before any show, you need to remove old product and environmental build-up. This opens the coat cuticle. It prepares the coat to absorb treatments. Begin with two lathers of Stripper in warm water. Stripper is a chelating, purifying shampoo. It opens the cuticle and lifts every kind of residue and product build-up. Rinse the coat thoroughly with warm water after each lather.
Step 2: Intensive Mask Treatment
After stripping, blot the coat damp with a Big Size Microfiber Towel. Now it is ready for a mask. This step gives the coat hydration or volume, depending on your goal. Apply the mask in three zones: chest, front legs, neck, and head; back and underside; hips, skirts, tail, and rear legs. Massage the product well into the ends of the coat. You have a choice of masks:
- For maximum nutrition, extraordinary shine, and to seal dry or damaged ends, use Fortaleza Treatment. It is the ‘queen of hydration’ mask. It provides maximum nutrition without changing the coat’s natural volume.
- If you need intensive hydration plus body from a high protein load, choose Greed. Greed offers hydration and volume.
- For expansive volume without drying the coat or sensitising the skin, use Gossip. This is the ‘queen of volume’ conditioner. Leave the mask on for 45 to 60 minutes. For an even deeper treatment, wrap your dog in plastic, then a towel and a warm blanket for 20 to 30 minutes. Never use an absorbent towel directly against the coat during this time. It can pull the product out. Let your dog cool for five minutes, then rinse the coat with plenty of cold water. This helps to seal the cuticle and lock in moisture.
Step 3: Post-Bath Sprays for Finish and Protection
After the cold rinse, blot the coat again with your Big Size Microfiber Towel. Then, apply a spray to support your grooming goal. For professional texture on show days, spray Flattery onto the damp coat. Flattery provides professional texture with a UV barrier. If your goal is hydration, you have three options:
- Jealousy is the most concentrated hydration spray in the line.
- Desire is a keratin leave-in that hydrates and strengthens.
- Fortaleza Spray offers light leave-in hydration and daily conditioning. You can explore the different sprays and find the right one for your dog’s specific needs on our sprays collection page. After spraying, begin drying your dog’s coat.
Step 4: Final Styling and Volume Control
When the coat is nearly dry, it is time for the final styling. Spray Flattery again to reinforce texture. Now, apply Pride to areas where you want hold and volume control. Pride is a structuring pomade. It is very concentrated, so use a small amount. Work it into the neck, tail, and legs. Then, brush it out without using the dryer. A little gives control; more weighs the coat down. Once the coat is completely dry, take a large Professional Combs. Run the comb from root to tip. This is your final check for any hidden knots or tangles.
This routine helps ensure your dog’s coat is ready for the show ring.
What you need
- Stripper: Used as the first step to deep-cleanse and remove coat build-up.
- Big Size Microfiber Towel: For blotting the coat damp before and after mask treatments.
- Fortaleza Treatment: A mask for maximum hydration, shine, and to seal dry ends.
- Greed: A mask for intensive hydration and added body from protein.
- Gossip: A mask for expansive volume without drying the coat.
- Flattery: A show-day styling spray for professional texture and a UV barrier.
- Jealousy: The most concentrated hydration spray, used after rinsing.
- Desire: A keratin leave-in spray for hydration and strengthening.
- Fortaleza Spray: A light leave-in hydration and daily conditioning spray.
- Pride: A structuring pomade for hold and volume control in specific areas.
- Professional Combs: For the final check for knots after drying.
If you want a routine built for your own pet, visit our Grooming Advisor.