I Have A Confession To Make.....

[ricey]

Hi people

I used to wash Hobbes (my staffy/pit bull type dog) once a month; religiously, with Martha Gardners Eucalyptus wool mix .

As Hobbes has very good etiquette, and doesn't roll in putrid stuff, I stopped washing him last spring. I groom him at least once a week with this rubber mitt with bumps on it (it is for grooming horses, but it works a treat on Hobbsie).

He shines, and he doesn't smell (much ). Well, not enough to worry about. He just has a very mild doggy smell .

Anyone else out there who doesn't have to wash their dog?

Peter D

[Koza]

If they don't need washing, why do it? I only wash Stella after beach and once a fortnight in summer, as she gets sweaty and smelly. Otherwise short hair should clean itself perfectly.

[bulldogz4eva]

I try to wash mine about every 6 weeks at least unless they need it sooner,but only because I live on rural land and they always find something to roll in or get dirty.Before that when I was in suburbia I would sometimes go 3 months without washing them,just depends if they need it or not.I too use good old martha gardeners as well as a couple of other ingredients.

[SpikesPuppy]

Caber (now 8 months old) has only ever had 1 bath. And he's a show dog lol.

The one bath he had was 2 days before a show because he rolled in a dead sparrow Not really supposed to bath wire-haired dogs because it softens their coat and with him being a similar color to dirt he really doesn't need it. the dirt brushes right out. His parents haven't had baths in over 2 years and you wouldn't really know it.

The other dogs gets baths when they need it- which is 3 months for the Newfy, once a month or so for the Shih andoccasionally for the Dobe & the Kelpie.

[dogdayz]

I will swap you Hobbes for Skye at the moment. She has a bad stomach after yesterdays surgery, which on a collie rough is never good, but with 8 inches of stitches I cannot bath her either, put that together with her being confined in the house and it really isnt pleasant.

[melree]

I only bath mine occasionaly. I too live on a property but if they roll in something gross, well.........off to the dam for a big swim

[NorthernStarPits]

My three get a damp shammy rubdown every week,witch cleans the coat without removing the oil from the skin, unless theyve found some wonderful putrid stench to cover themselves in then its bath time, a good tip that i can give is every so often brush in and brush out some bicarb soda,it takes away any of that doggy odor and is really great for the skin and shines up there coats a treat.....

[pebbles]

When I was showing Peb and Sam it was bath time before every show, now, much to their delight, it's only very occasionally. All my different breeds over the years were bathed before shows, used to be up all night when there were 3/4 Affies to get ready. Borders were tubbed as well, if you have the right sort of coat, a bath only makes it clean and shiny, wont affect the harshness at all. I'm sure that while all the dogs loved the days at shows, bath time was never missed when they were retired

Edited April 8, 2005 by pebbles

[Staffyluv]

Ollie (stafford) loves his bath and goes so far as to enter the bathroom and sit at the bath if he has not had one in a couple of weeks...

Jodie

[Mags]

I bath my dogs a couple of times a year helps with getting coat out when they are shedding. Also if they have rolled in something smelly otherwise their coats are in great condition and they do not smell so why bath? Younger one washes herself in her trough at least once on any even moderately warm day so is generally spotless anyway. Have on one occassion had to wash her twice in 24 hours (before she went off for her desexing op) had her all nice and clean let her out to the lou early for a pit stop - caught her rolling in a dead bird so another bath and then off to the vets. Vet laughed at me apparently most people don't bath their dogs before taking them in??????

[Anna H]

My two don't need a bath very often.. ut as they will jump into the bath tub everytime I leave the bathroom door open, I guess they both love it.

So they wind up getting washed every few weeks.

[ElectraWoman]

We used to wash our old dog, Falco, about once a year

Haven't washed Abel in about two months. I only washed him the last time because he had rolled around in cat poo.

[MaxSpots]

As Hobbes has very good etiquette, and doesn't roll in putrid stuff, I stopped washing him last spring. I groom him at least once a week with this rubber mitt with bumps on it (it is for grooming horses, but it works a treat on Hobbsie).

Lucky you Ricey

Molly rolls in every disgusting thing she can find.

Straight out of the bath she'll run to dig up a fetid bone and roll all over it, have a chew and bury again.

[Rusky]

only if they need it which isn't too often, don't bathe the mal much at all, showered them both last week as they had been in something particularly wonderful and stank like a sewer.

[Dogsfevr]

We have showdogs so bathed weekly & pee feathered bathed nightly.

Our wire coat dogs are bathed before every show as no matter what a dog going to a show should be clean when a judge touches them & a good wirey coat doesnt soften bathed correctly,only goes soft if the coat is wrong

[!Kristen!]

Suprisingly toby needs baths more often then Chanel does. And chanel is long haired. We bath all of the dogs together every 4 months with spongebaths in between. However we bath toby every month, and sponge baths in between.

[SpikesPuppy]

Borders were tubbed as well, if you have the right sort of coat, a bath only makes it clean and shiny, wont affect the harshness at all. I'm sure that while all the dogs loved the days at shows, bath time was never missed when they were retired

When I bathed Caber it didn't seem to do anything to his coat; but I don't want to risk it and hey if I don't have to bath him why bother? lol.

He gets combed weekly and brushed with a stiff bristle brush daily so he's very clean & he has only a very slight doggy odour which I actually prefer to the shampoo. It smells natural. As opposed to when the Newf has been too long without a bath- he stinks like anything. Stoopid oily coat.

[mita]

I found out the hard way that weekly washing of dogs that had a tendency to get hotspots, seemed to make the tendency worse. Even when using mild oatmeal shampoo.

So I don't give the tibbie girls a soaking weekly bath anymore.

But I do give them what I call a

'Bloomers & Blouse' wash. With just a little water in a baby bath....& some oatmeal shampoo...I sit them in it & wash their bottom end, shirt-front, & legs.

[Christina77]

Nope my Bella baby never smells

I've always had male animals and found they all smell , cats included

I am so thrilled that my Bella (F) never smells , in fact she smells 'nice'

no doggie breath , no puppy smell .

she swims almost daily in the ocean and I just hose her down , then dry her off with a towel.

If I wash her I use a non soap dog shampoo , most times I just wipe her head with a flannel so we get a clean "kissable" head

[rachiie]

I would like to know more about this bi-carb brush in/ out thing. I think i would like to try it, but i can see myself not being able to brush it out and then ending up having to wash the bugger anyhow. Also it would be useful for the old girl, she gets smelly so often, but i don't think washing her as quickly as she gets smelly is good for her..