Bathing

[wolfsoul]

How often do you bathe your dogs, and with what shampoo? Do you do it yourself or take your dog to a groomer? :)

I bath Visa once a week, every Saturday. :) This week she missed her bath because she went to an agility seminar on Friday and didn't come back until today -- the agility seminar was in a barn, and boy is she ever smelly and dirty. :p So this week her bath will be on Tuesday.

Normally I bathe her in Lavenderm by Nature's Specialties. :) It's a very high quality shampoo and smells so nice, especially after she goes swimming. But I bought her some Black On Black, by Kelco. Another very high quality shampoo. I haven't used it yet, but I can't wait to. It's supposed to make black dogs look even blacker. I also use Moisture Mist Conditioner by Veterinarian's Best. I add some to the bathwater and I also spray it on her every day. She hasn't had any dandruff or itching since I started using it. But the other day I bought her some Ultra Moisturizer by Kelco so that I don't have to waste so much Moisture Mist conditoner (dang expensive!). I use Filthy Animal shampoo by Kelco on her ears, and Berry Gentle shampoo by Nature's Specialities on her face and head. Oh, and I add a bit of Oatmeal shampoo by Nature's Specialties incase she has any dandruff. After her bath she gets blowdried with the high power dryer so that I can get rid of alot of undercoat and be able to see any skin conditions, parasites, etc. I also bathe her with a Bathing Beauty, this really cool bathing system that gives the dog a massage while it sprays. I've bathed dogs that have physical problems and then have the owners say that the dog was pain-free and moving well the next day.

I have to say that even though I bathe, dry, and groom several dogs every day, I enjoy it ten times better when it's Visa. It's so nice to see her afterward, all happy and fluffy and smelling so good and looking so shiny.

[Flatcoatluver]

i try to give everybody a bath every friday, but t.j's will have to wait for awhile since he has tons of open sores.

[Jessika]

With my current living situation, I can only bathe my dogs if the weather outside is warm enough. Otherwise we don't have a tub and our shower is only like, 3x3 feet so there is no way we're going to give them a bath in there without getting water EVERYWHERE.

But I bathe them myself. Charlie has been to the groomer once before though while I was working at PetCo the grooming manager gave him a free bath and brush for his birthday ;)

[buckner]

Honestly, I bathe Daisy whenever she starts "smelling like a dog". You know that smell, when she smells like everything else in the house does. Usually, it's once every 2-3 weeks. It's usually on a Saturday because that's when I'm the most free, but it doesn't matter. Whenever it smells of 'DOG' when she walks into the room, I take her upstairs and draw her a bath. :P

I use 3 different shampoos. Two of them are prescriptions from the vets that are medicated, and one is an over the counter shampoo.

The one I use for her body is called Dermal-Soothe. It's an anti-itch shampoo that's supposed to soothe the entire body. I always do a quick lather of this on her feet and such. The other one is called ChlorhexiDerm (the active ingredient is Chlorhexidine Gluconate). I apply this to her paws, between her toes, on her privates, and on her belly. I let both shampoos sit for about 10 minutes total. Each foot has to stay out of the water for a good 2-3 minutes. The over the counter shampoo is changes. Just anything that is tear-free (as the two medicated ones are not allowed near her face) and that is a good brand, imo. I can't remember the brand I'm using right now, but it smells WONDERFUL.

[cyber-sibes]

I bathe them myself, just a couple times a year. I use a nice herbal dog shampoo. Their last bath was at the new dog wash in the pet store - very nice!!!! They have a hydro-jet that works fantastically on the huskies' double coats, and the dryer really gets the undercoat blown out-- plus, THEY do the cleanup - Ya can't beat that! I think we'll do that again.

[tricollie4me]

I voted "take my dog to the groomer's" but recently began trying to bathe Bijou myself. She doesn't much lke it, but because I know her so well, it works out okay. She tries her best to please me even when she's unhappy (she doesn't much like the washing part, but the drying and brushing is even harder on her, poor little dear!). I do want to purchase some high quality doggie shampoo, so this thread is really helpful to me! I saw some "doggie spray" whilst shopping that will help pups smell yummy in between baths, which seems nice to use on occasion!

[.sarah]

I bathe my dogs myself, and only every 2-3 months or whenever they're dirty. Labs aren't supposed to be bathed more than that or you ruin the oils in their coat. Mandy just doesn't get dirty, so I don't have do bathe her much. She's pretty much an inside dog, but she may dig once in a while and even then I just rinse her off.

[Love4BCs]

Mickey's coat is always nice and bright and shiny. From my knowledge, he's only had 3 baths in his life.

One after he was rescued from the pound by the rescue, one in March 2005 we sent him to the groomers before we took him on holiday with us, and one in August 2005 because you could see his coat starting to get a red tint to it, aka dirty.

He gets mini baths throughout the springs for mucky paws by us.

I accidently used extra whitening shampoo for dogs on him in August and his black had a blue tint to it in lighted areas..... lmao :D

[AllAmericanPUP]

i bath mine myself....they usually get a bath once every 2-3 months or whenever i feel that they are dirty and need one..

[Tollers-n-Dobes]

I really enjoy grooming dogs so I do them myself. They usually get a bath about once every 3-4 weeks on average, I can't stand for them to go any longer than that. I find their fur feels disgusting if it's been over 4 weeks. I use EarthBath shampoos and conditioner on my dogs, but if I run out of that I have some Lambert Kay Fresh & Clean aswell which I also like, but I prefer the EarthBath.

[CagneyDog]

use Filthy Animal shampoo by Kelco on her ears, and Berry Gentle shampoo by Nature's Specialities on her face and head.

Cagney goes to a groomer.


Just curious, Why do you use different shampoos for her body/head/ears etc? :)

[Bigyummydog]

MAXIMUS gets a shower when he starts to "smell like a dog" too. I usually get my shower for the day, either with or right after he does, whether or not I've already had one. He puts up a small fuss, but I think he secretly likes it. It's gotta be the shower head that I make real hard on his favorite spot. You know, right above his tail on his butt. THE spot of all spots.

[wolfsoul]

Just curious, Why do you use different shampoos for her body/head/ears etc? :)
The Filthy Animal is used on the ears because it's the best at getting rid of grease, and the ears are the greasiest place. :) The Berry Gentle is safer for the eyes and it smells yummy like berries. Alot of times I'll use Berry on a dog's whole body just because I think they should smell like berries lol.

[areias]

I usually do my dogs myself, every month or two. I usually use...ah I forget what its called, but its a Flea&Tick preventative that also smells like baby powder. When I worked at the kennel I would bring my dogs in..I loved bringing Casey, and using this Down and Dirty stuff. I would blow her out all pretty, and clean her up, do her ears and nails, and use some doggie deodorant. And then she would know she was gorgeous and would prance around. :D Its funny how they know how good they look.

[wolf_Q]

I bathe Nebo myself, but I work at a grooming salon too, so I do it there. I have washed him at home once and I do wash his feet and stuff at home but I prefer to do it there. He gets a bath once a month, his coat never smells and it always looks clean but I love that freshly bathed feel...plus it helps with the shedding. I use Tomlyn shampoos because that's what we have at work and I like them too (can't beat free shampoo). I use the milk shampoo on his body, tearless puppy shampoo on his face/ears, and whitening shampoo on everything else that's white, then I use the cream rinse (brush with that on, it really releases the loose hair) and also we have an espree remoisterizer I use sometimes as well. I love the milk shampoo, it makes him so soft plus the smell lingers for weeks. If he gets wet at all I smell milk shampoo again lol it reminds me of vanilla ice cream. I use the force dryer on him which works wonders for shedding dogs like huskies! After he's dry I spray "The Stuff" coat conditioner on him it makes his coat very smooth. I agree, though I bathe several dogs every day it's fun to give Nebo a bath! :)

I only take Reggie and Sydney to work for a bath when they also need a haircut. Nebo is excellent at work, he's so quiet, just sleeps...very good boy. Reggie and Sydney, well, they like to make a pain out of themselves (nonstop barking) so I don't like to take them much. I don't like stinky dogs either so I bathe them at home in between haircuts. I have some Tomlyn tearless puppy shampoo I use on them, usually they get a bath every 2-4 weeks.

[.sarah]

I bathe Nebo myself, but I work at a grooming salon too, so I do it there. I have washed him at home once and I do wash his feet and stuff at home but I prefer to do it there. He gets a bath once a month, his coat never smells and it always looks clean but I love that freshly bathed feel...plus it helps with the shedding. I use Tomlyn shampoos because that's what we have at work and I like them too (can't beat free shampoo). I use the milk shampoo on his body, tearless puppy shampoo on his face/ears, and whitening shampoo on everything else that's white, then I use the cream rinse (brush with that on, it really releases the loose hair) and also we have an espree remoisterizer I use sometimes as well. I love the milk shampoo, it makes him so soft plus the smell lingers for weeks. If he gets wet at all I smell milk shampoo again lol it reminds me of vanilla ice cream. I use the force dryer on him which works wonders for shedding dogs like huskies! After he's dry I spray "The Stuff" coat conditioner on him it makes his coat very smooth. I agree, though I bathe several dogs every day it's fun to give Nebo a bath! :)

I only take Reggie and Sydney to work for a bath when they also need a haircut. Nebo is excellent at work, he's so quiet, just sleeps...very good boy. Reggie and Sydney, well, they like to make a pain out of themselves (nonstop barking) so I don't like to take them much. I don't like stinky dogs either so I bathe them at home in between haircuts. I have some Tomlyn tearless puppy shampoo I use on them, usually they get a bath every 2-4 weeks.
Just curious, how do you like working at a grooming salon? I may be quitting my job sometime next year because my boss is a pain in the butt, but I've always thought about working at another vet because I hope to a technician one day. But my favorite job working in the kennel, besides playing with the dogs, is bathing and grooming them.

[wolf_Q]

Just curious, how do you like working at a grooming salon? I may be quitting my job sometime next year because my boss is a pain in the butt, but I've always thought about working at another vet because I hope to a technician one day. But my favorite job working in the kennel, besides playing with the dogs, is bathing and grooming them.

It has its ups and downs (my problems, mostly are with people though...like the store management) but I do enjoy my job. I've worked there for over 3 years now. I think I've become good at what I do, I have many customers who are just wonderful to me and they always request me. I've become the go-to person for brushing out longhaired dogs lol. I enjoy working with animals and making them beautiful...learning new things, seeing all different breeds of dogs. :) I'm sure you have already experienced some of the bad sides while working at a vet....such as dogs biting/being difficult, rude customers, cleaning up nasty messes, etc. While I know some groomers make excellent money, I don't make enough money really to even live on my own and working on commission can be frustrating. It's funny you ask when you work at a vet, because that's something I've thought of doing instead of grooming. ;)

p.s. It requires a LOT of patience!

[.sarah]

It has its ups and downs (my problems, mostly are with people though...like the store management) but I do enjoy my job. I've worked there for over 3 years now. I think I've become good at what I do, I have many customers who are just wonderful to me and they always request me. I've become the go-to person for brushing out longhaired dogs lol. I enjoy working with animals and making them beautiful...learning new things, seeing all different breeds of dogs. :) I'm sure you have already experienced some of the bad sides while working at a vet....such as dogs biting/being difficult, rude customers, cleaning up nasty messes, etc. While I know some groomers make excellent money, I don't make enough money really to even live on my own and working on commission can be frustrating. It's funny you ask when you work at a vet, because that's something I've thought of doing instead of grooming. ;)
Well of course there's the animals you hate to see but then there's always the ones who come in a lot and are just a joy to be around. They "drown out" the bad animals IMO. Thanks for the info :) That's definetly something for me to consider.

[cali]

I bathe them when needed(BCs have teflon coats so thats not often) and I use a shampoo make I made myself, basicly a mix of dish soap, any pro-V conditioner, rasberry bath milk, a little human shampoo, diluted in water. it works great, the pro-v conditioner fixes any damaged hair plus makes the coat easy to brush, and the dogs come out smelling like rasberrys ;) my moms dogs get around 2 baths a year, my girls are a little more adventurous so they need a little more, basicly if they roll is something stinky, or go swimming in the creek they get a bath, mud is no reason for a bath for a BC, if its sunny I just tie them out of the deck(to keep them out of more mud) and let the sun dry up the mud, when the mud is dry it will just fall off and the gals will look like they just came home from a groomers lol if its not sunny, I just crate them till the mud dries.

[Muddy4paws]

My jack russell gets bathed at home because shes too noisy when she comes into work with me! My lab meg, she comes in to work with me because shes too heavy to lift into my bath and we have a huge hydro bath for the bigger dogs that come in for a bath, shes is a perfect dog in the bath she does exactly what shes told! She loves it when she gets dried with the blaster at work and she sheds soo much for a lab it helps ALOT! I normally just use the shampoo's we use at work because they smell gorgeous and they get the dogs really clean and shiny!

Does anyone else use oil on their dogs coats?

[Ginger's Mom]

I bathe Ginger myself every 3-4 weeks, plus she goes to the groomers three times a year for a trim, ear cleaning, teeth cleaning all of that kind of thing.

[anna_66]

My three get taken to the groomers (a few times a years) unless they happen to get terribly filthy. They have been bathed here at home...most recently by Amy (wolf_q) and Kay (kfamr) :p What a fun time that was eh girls;)
So needless to say I do have shampoo and conditioner here (Lambert Kay Oatmeal And Baking Soda).

[lv4dogs]

Just this morning on my way to the computer I was thinking of doing a poll to see how often people bath their dogs. I guess I still can, even though this thread is similiar the poll is not about how often you bath your dogs. ;)

I bath my dogs myself... most of the time.
Nanook has been to the groomers a few times over the years. Most of the time I brought him to BOCES (a Technical and Career Center) sort of like a college but not quite, mainly for high schoolers and people with limited finances. They have an animal care class. You get the works for $12, how could I pass that up AND I Nanook gets to help train people too! He has also been to a "real" groomer 3-4 times in his life. When I didn't have half a day to devote to washing/drying him. Now that he's older he needs a bath more often that he used to but his health makes it so that he can't have a bath as often as he used to. So I'm constantly brushing him, using powder shampoos & deoderizing sprays.

Raustyk has never been to the groomers. I'd LOVE for her to go to help get her more socialized but I'm afraid they *may* have to muzzle her and possibly make her fear aggression worse. So to be on the safe side she gets groomed at home. She gets a bath when she starts to smell or gets insanely dirty, I'd say it averages out to be about 3-4 times a year.

Kaige has only had 1.5 baths so far by me (the breeder btahed him a few times to help socialize him to different experiences). He got one a week or so after I got him, mainly to keep him used to being bathed. Then he got a butt wash a few weeks ago when he got some poop stuck to his butt.

They are all due for their last bath of the year. I give them one weather they need it or not at the begining of winter (usually they are due though). I don't think Nanook will get one though, just the other 2. Maybe I'll take some pics, I've never tooken pics of bath time before.
OK I'm done rambling. lol

[elizabethann]

Both. About every 3-4 months, Fenway goes to a groomer. And in between, when he stinks (like yesterday when he rolled all over a dead animal), he gets a bath in the kitchen sink.

[Chica]

I bathe Chica maybe 2-3 times a year. My chihuahua book says that chi's do not need to be bathed unless they are dirty. So it recommends fewer baths. Brushing their coat is cleaning the little chi also. Chihuahuas never smell bad. They don't have any smell. They are very clean animals, especially if they are indoor pets.I bathe her myself and trim her nails myself. ;)Oh, I forgot to mention that she is a short hair, the long hair chis need more grooming. ;)

[sammy101]

Mine get bathed at home about every 2-3 weeks,depends how dirty they are

[DogLover9501]

I bathe the pups myself once a month :)