Our two pulik are opposite when it comes to their reaction to rain. Bojtár will stand on the deck and refuse to go pee in the morning if it is raining. I’m not sure if this is just him, or whether we inadvertently trained him to be like that. It is likely a personality trait, given how much he hates baths. For Bojtár, indoor play with tug and squeaky balls, as well as training, is much preferred than a walk in the rain.
Mojo on the other hand, seems oblivious to rain. He will stand in the middle of the driveway in a storm giving you a “Aren’t you coming to play?” look. In many cases, Mojo’s attitude towards rain is quite handy. It means he is happy to play and work in the rain. I don’t have to worry about him shutting down in the middle of a trial because he is unhappy about being wet, or being that dog that is trying to scootch under a table or tent edge during a down stay.
A wet puli is a smelly puli. A wet puli means a wet couch, a wet bed, and wet chairs. So what do we do to keep our boys dry?
Don’t take them for a walk in the rain. This may seem lazy, but we stick to indoor play/training if it’s wet out.
Keep their feet trimmed. This is essential for any time of year. When the ground is wet or snowy their feet will collect moisture, so the less hair the better. This also helps keep (some) sand from being tracked into the house.
Bojtár napping on mom’s Thermarest.
Put a rain suit or coat on them. I know, the puli coat is weather resistant, so why do my boys have rain gear? For the times that you have to be out in the rain – be it training, camping, or getting from the car to a conformation venue. A raincoat can go a long way to keeping our boys clean when the sheep pen is muddy in the spring. When we are camping, the boys sleep in the tent with us, and are mat/pillow hogs, and no one likes a wet sleeping bag.
Keep towels everywhere. We have a towel at the back door, on the couch, in the car, lining both their car and house crates, etc.
It’s not raining anymore, do I have to wear this?
Bojtar has a little raincoat, to which we have added extra hook-side Velcro to cover up excess hook portions. It is easy to put on, and is highly visible. When mud is involved, we will pair his coat with leg covers, which are also useful in preventing snowballs in the winter.
Mojo looking poofy with all his cords tucked in.
Mojo has a Neopaws body suit. Although I can’t see the size anymore, I’m pretty sure it is a medium. The suit fit very well when he was younger, but it is getting harder and harder to do up as his cords get longer. It offers better coverage than just a coat, but is a little more awkward for a puli with long cords. We’ve also found that the noise the legs make (think slush pants) tends to spook sheep at first.
