# Washing your dog....



## gecko-kus (Aug 15, 2007)

just wondering what people do to give their dogs a bit of a clean? and how often?

mine is stuck in the bath and either has a bath or i run the shower over him... he likes both which is pretty good and he gets a full bathing when he's flithy as a towel doesn't do the job that well.


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

mine hates being washed i do it once every 3weeks or so in the bath to wet him bubble him up then rinse him off with the shower he hates it and i end up wetter then him!


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## bosshogg (Nov 19, 2006)

you shouldnt bath your dog to often as takes away oils in the hair that helps keep the coat warm and protected from dir and tangels, once every six months is plenty,


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

bosshogg said:


> you shouldnt bath your dog to often as takes away oils in the hair that helps keep the coat warm and protected from dir and tangels, once every six months is plenty,


 
well im afraid that is not true mine is a staff with a stunning coat however he does become very stinky and has got worse the older he has got washing him once a month is vet recommended


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## adamntitch (Jun 17, 2007)

mine get a proper bath ever 6 months with shampoo but at other times i just rinse them with water as its no diffrent to them being out in the rain or swiming in a pond altho only shampoo every 6 months


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

With a natural coat type in a young healthy dog, bathing frequency is down to personal preference. If you bath often just use a mild baby type shampoo. If you have a dog with a long coat that doesn't moult, they have to be bathed much more often as the coat doesn't clean itself in the same way. 

With an old dog, the skin, like any other organ might not function as well as it once did therefore more frequent bathing helps remove flaking skin and odour causing bacteria. 

Many clipped breeds are bathed as often as every 2 weeks in some cases. 

My dogs only ever have a bath if the have rolled in something 'orrid or if they have fleas. 

If a dog lives outside, then the less frequently the dog is bathed the better, as the oils in the coat keep them waterproof and warm like the man said.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

bosshogg said:


> you shouldnt bath your dog to often as takes away oils in the hair that helps keep the coat warm and protected from dir and tangels, once every six months is plenty,


God help all the show dogs, who normally are bathed for every show then!

There are non-detergent shampoos on the market which will clean a dog without stripping any of the natural oils out of the coat.

It's a common sense thing really, isn't it?


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

I had a white standard poodle and when she was clipped very short (pipe cleaner style), she didn't have many baths, but when she was in full long coat, she needed a bath every 2 - 3 weeks.


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## GazEmm (Jul 11, 2006)

My dog just gets washed whenever he smells...really not sure how often this is, at a guess its probably once every few months. Although he does get chased around the garden with a hose if hes muddy more often.

He absolutely hates it mind, needs to be practically pinned down in the shower...maybe the Herbal Essences is a bit girly for him :lol2:


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## Tomcat (Jul 29, 2007)

No, its a proven fact Zippy that washing your dog too often causing damage to their fur. It doesnt stop it looking good, it just washes away their natural oils and stops the fur being as protective. 

Anymore then a bath every 3 months is bad. I do mine every 5 months as she starts to get smelly, but you dont need to wash a dog every month. You can do things to stop them smelling you know. A change in the diet will change the smell. A better dog shampoo would work for longer aswel.


But it it true that a bath too often causes damage to the coat. 


However, you can wash your dog with jsut water which will help agaisnt the smell, or there are some shampoos that dont strip the coat of the oils. You need to look into which ones if you wash your dog every month as if you dont use the shampoos that dont strip the oils, your causing damage to your dog.

So mabey just wash him with only water, and use a shampoo every 3-4 months mabey? 6 months being better.


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## Rain (Oct 9, 2007)

We wash our 3 once every 3 months or so. Or if they get REALLY dirty outside playing in mud.

Luna the GSD used to be bathed every week by her old owners, so she is used to it, and sits happily in the bath, so long as you spray her face every now and then so she can drink the water.

Gaia is ok with water in the bath, but isn't too keen on being shampoo'd. However, in the summer she loves nothing more than playing with water, she jumps in the pond, she dives into the hose as you water plants... she's manic with water.

Stranglely, her sister Sky (who we had at the same time, and has been raised exactly the same way... proof of nature over nurture?) HATES water, in all its kinds (unless its in a bowl)


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

Tomcat said:


> No, its a proven fact Zippy that washing your dog too often causing damage to their fur. It doesnt stop it looking good, it just washes away their natural oils and stops the fur being as protective.
> 
> Anymore then a bath every 3 months is bad. I do mine every 5 months as she starts to get smelly, but you dont need to wash a dog every month. You can do things to stop them smelling you know. A change in the diet will change the smell. A better dog shampoo would work for longer aswel.
> 
> ...


 
i have a vet prescribe shampoo i ahve to wash him every month and his diet has never ever change he has been on iams since puppy he is just really smelly really bad bo and if he is hot its 100times worse


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## Tomcat (Jul 29, 2007)

If its vet prescribed it will be a special shampoo then, not a normal one.
You didnt state that you had a vet prescribed one.


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## linda.t (Sep 28, 2007)

mine only get a bath if they are smelly,lab loves it but labs do love water,my collie x well anyone would think i was killing him he makes so much noise and i look like i've had the bath not him.


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## Emmaj (Dec 3, 2007)

I bath the pups and meg when they stink so thats alot lol the boys i wipe down with damp towels or dog wipes and throw water over boys in yard and shampoo them there they are too big for my bathroom lol:lol2:


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## Kylie (Mar 12, 2006)

Tomcat said:


> If its vet prescribed it will be a special shampoo then, not a normal one.
> You didnt state that you had a vet prescribed one.


 
what does it matter anyway humans have oils and minerals that are washed away everytime you was which for me is every day once a month will not kill a dog if it needs washing then wash it i didnt realise when i responded to this thread there would be such a problem


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## Tomcat (Jul 29, 2007)

Dogs need it for better reasons than we do. Dogs need to be waterproof, we dont. We have umbrellas, hats, hoods ect ect


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

Dogs can also have hats, coats etc............ although they'd probably rather not...


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## Shell195 (May 31, 2007)

I have 13 dogs, I only ever bath the smal ones that sleep in bed. My 2 oldest a mongrel 15 years and 13 year old GSD have NEVER had a bath. I find that extra grooming gets rid of any nasty niffs unless theyve been swimming in a local pond


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## gecko-kus (Aug 15, 2007)

i think alot depends on what type of dog it is.... as mine is small and loves to run through muddy fields its hard to keep him clean just by grooming him alone and he needs a bath to get rid of the really yucky smelly mud...

plus i think alot depends on your house to... our's is a house share so he can't smell and it's got mainly light coloured carpets so he has to have he feet washed regularly after digging up the gravel:lol2:.


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## markhill (Sep 22, 2006)

I just had to bath my new Staffy puppy

Took her for a walk and she fell in the canal:lol2:

Quite funny now, she was running along and came to the canal tried stopping but just slld and plopped off the edge into the water.
Shit myself at the time as I only got her 3 days ago and I didn't know how good of a swimmer she is, turns out she's not that good.:bash:

Just about made it to the edge where I grabbed her collar to lift her out.

Anyways, she was good as gold in the bath, just sat there while I washed her then ran down stairs and straight on the sofa sopping wet.:whip:


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Tomcat said:


> or there are some shampoos that dont strip the coat of the oils. You need to look into which ones if you wash your dog every month as if you dont use the shampoos that dont strip the oils, your causing damage to your dog.er.


I bought the Verbac range of shampoos to bath my cats before shows, because they are detergent free. 

There's a range of different ones - I started off using Sebocalm, but moved onto a different one which had oatmeal in it. You can buy them from your vet or through a veterinary website.



Tomcat said:


> Dogs need it for better reasons than we do. Dogs need to be waterproof, we dont. We have umbrellas, hats, hoods ect ect


Even if dogs aren't waterproof they should be dried off with a towel when they come in from a wet walk and allowed to dry off properly in a reasonably warm room - so I'm sorry I don't know what the fuss is about people bathing their dogs if that's what they choose to do!

Surely everything is relative??


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## butterfingersbimbo (Jan 26, 2008)

i'm bathing one of my dogs in Vosene as the vet has recomended it for his dermatitis. I'm not going to do it often tho.


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

I'm surprised your vet didn't suggest you use Sebocalm or one of the Verbac range because skin problems is actually what they are for!


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## gwinni (Oct 8, 2007)

I cant mind when jack last got a bath and bailey has only had 1 bath since i got him and hes almost 2 and a half!When i do hav to bath them i use washing up liquid on the body to just behind their ears then baby shampoo on their faces as thats how we got told how to do it when i worked at a boarding kennels/groomers a few years ago!Also got told told if your using medicated/conditioning/flea shampoo then if you use washing up liquid first it strips the oils out the coat and helps the shampoo your using penetrate the coat properly and it helps it work better!I used to bath my dogs once a year when i took them to the local horse trials!


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## feorag (Jul 31, 2007)

Now Fairy Liquid *will* strip all the natural oils out of the dog's coat - even I wouldn't use that - sorry!

I suspect your boarding kennels/grooming parlour used F.Liquid cos it was nice and cheap to keep the profits up!


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## Evie (Jan 28, 2008)

The best way to make sure shampoo penetrates the coat well is to dilute it and shampoo the dog twice. It also makes rinsing much easier.


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## Andy (Jul 27, 2005)

I wash mine all the time he gets filthy every walk digging in mud and running through every puddle. If i washed him every 6 months he would just be a big smelly muddy mess by now.: victory:


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## Fixx (May 6, 2006)

My dog gets regular baths in the sea and local rivers or streams, never have a problem with him whiffing.


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## bromley (Jan 17, 2007)

mine has a bath once a month but more if nesasary which is a pain cos she just lies in the bath so its hard to wash her underside or it turns into a two man team


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