Bath time

[PrincessPenelope]

How often can I give my pup a bath? I don't want to dry her skin out, and we have "Puppy shampoo." The only thing is, since she's a shih-tzu down around her wee-wee and bottom, her hair gets pretty matted and icky from pottying. I try and wash that area only, but it really doesn't help.

[zoe08]

Make sure you keep that area trimmed, if they get too much hair it is sometimes hard for them to potty. It is OK to bathe them, just try not to do it very often. No more than once a month, I would suggest maybe once every 6-8 weeks, IF she needs it. You can put her in the bathtub with some warm water, she will be fine...If you think she needs it you can get a conditioner for her.

If you have a petsmart near by, they have a grooming thing, you can usually get them bathed and their nails trimmed and stuff for not too much cost and they use conditioner things on the dogs.

[PrincessPenelope]

Thanks! I'll make sure to do a little trimming for her.

[jem]

Giving your dog a very through brushing/combing between baths will help to keep her coat in good health.

The more you comb or brush out her bottom the easier it will be on her and you. Once it starts to get matted badly you will have to put her through an ordeal to brush it out. This will only make her hate being groomed.

Good luck.

*JEM*

[lassie]

Jem what sort of dogs do you have, ?????

[dlambertz]

try putting a little tea tree oil in the shampoo to help with keeping the skin from not drying out. i have two breeds that need to be shampooed often... the afghan gets a bath every two weeks. the wheaten is about the same... daily brushing is essential to the long haired breeds to keep them from matting.
darla

[ChipsDad]

I about to do my first wash of my 4 month old pupp

I head that baby shampoo is good for them? And also tea tree oil with water works good (although smells strong)

I am wondering what everyone else thinks

good luck

[MrsRottie]

Many years ago I worked with a tribe of show yorkshire terriers - we used baby shampoo on them all the time. Don't know what the US equivalent is, but here it's Johnson's baby shampoo....

Tea tree is great for bathing, it helps keeps fleas and ticks at bay too. I wouldn't personally use the oil in that way, the smell would be horrendous!

You can get tea tree shampoo, I pre mix a squirt in a jug of water and apply to wet dog, it goes a lot further that way and is easier to wash out...

[MaryGrace]

Most dogs should be bathed once every 2 months, or so. I didn't know people used baby shampoo for dogs. :)

[keeks62]

I use Johnson's baby shampoo on mine. Not that the "no tears" makes her enjoy the bath. she HATES it!

[Pauline46]

How often should a rough collie be bathed?

[AnimalHouse]

I also would have to say, Take her to the groomers, and have them do the "Potty cut" which will trim there Butt area and underneath on belly for the boys.. And they look kinda interesting, if done short, But it defently helps. I Have to help a friend with her teacup Pom.. Lol ;)

[KCat]

i think this is a very individual issue. Bayta had allergies and required bathing 2X a week for a while. We were able to get it to once a week. Really, if she wasn't bathed that often her skin would get very red and flakey. For a few days after bathing she got a lot of relief. Used only Nu-Sal-T (from vet). Again, I'd ask your vet what's gentlest and how often you can clean her up.

And what about no shampoo at all? Just washing her with water shouldn't be an issue. I know humans who have to avoid all soaps and shampoos entirely and while at first it may seem a bit ick, the skin adjusts fairly quickly to being cleaned with water only. Truth is, we and our animal friends are probably better off with water only. All these perfumes and detergents are just not that healthy. Another argument in favor of water only - around here it's HOT and many many dogs love their daily swim in their kiddie pools with no ill effects. And consider water dogs who are in the water a lot more often than every few weeks.

Now, of course, all of this is about adult dogs. I know this is a puppy but I would still think plain water would be safe on a daily basis. Just check it out with the vet.

[Pauline46]

Should puppies have a potty cut done too? Or is their fur short enough anyway?

[Kaos]

Totally agree with KCat - don't think regular bathing with water is a problem (ask my labx who swims daily given the chance). The main issue with shampoo is it strips the oil out of the coat, and of course can cause allergies and skin irritations. Most domestic dogs live inside or have good shelter so the loss of oil is probably not a huge issue.

[Plummy16]

hi princess penelope, I totally Sympathise with you, i have a lhasa apso pup, when he was really little he used to get yaky down there i just trimmed his belly hair and washed it every so often, then when he was old enough i got all his hair shaved off he's much more comfortable. but i put him in the bath as little as possible he does get dirty but it gets rid of all their oils, and he's at the clippers every six weeks any way. in fact i cant believe how much your little dog looks like him when he was a baby. 354

[OwnedBySal]

I only bathe when necessary, which is typically once every 3 or 4 months. Sally doesn't get too smelly or dirty, which means less bathing. I don't want to dry out her coat, so I make sure not to bathe too often.

[tulip]

hello everyone , i'm new to this forum but am looking forward to chatting. we have just got a 10week old poodle pup - george! Absolutely loving having a dog again the only thing overwhelming me is the smell! its everywhere! the breeder bathed him before we received him, yet he still pongs to high heaven. any suggestion for my smelly baby
thanks

[LesterJ]

With our hairy beast, we always keep the potty areas trimmed at all times. He gets bathed twice a month, groomed by my husband once a month if possible.

You can bathe that poodle puppy as necessary really, say once a week maybe? Pick a dog shampoo (human shampoo isn't recommended and can irritate more), brush first (always good to get them started young), and always make bathtime as stress-free as possible for the little one. Also try not to get too much water in the ears.

I found out with our terrier that from the first bath she was very frightened, and she slipped a lot, so we used a mat for the basin/tub. That helped, but she's never enjoyed it since. I just talk gently to her and try to keep it as calm as possible.

[Plummy16]

Hi tulip, If you dont want to bathe your pup to often and she smells, you can get like dog deodrant stuff. I use it on my puppy and its specially for puppys it smells like talc n powder and makes their coat shiney, keeps all their natural oils. I'm sure you'll be able to find something similar at your pet shop.
Good luck

[tulip]

thanks very much for the suggestions , i will try a bit of talc on him, whilst i source a puppy deodourant!:)

[Rivsky]

I've also found that pet wipes work well for getting some stinkiness and small amounts of dirt away from my dog in between washes - they are a bit like baby wipes really and I see that people have been using baby shampoo so maybe baby wipes could be used instead of the special dog ones???

[Borzoi mad]

I think I have posted this before in another thread some time ago but for those who missed it.

I have a friend who is a vet and he told me that you should never use human Shampoo BABY or toehrwise on a dog always use dog shampoo.

[tulip]

didn't realise that you could buy special doggy wipes. i have been using baby wipes. Tried some of the doggy deodourant it smells fab, albeit george dosen't like me spraying it he goes mad !!:)

[Kaos]

I only bathe when necessary, which is typically once every 3 or 4 months. Sally doesn't get too smelly or dirty, which means less bathing. I don't want to dry out her coat, so I make sure not to bathe too often.

Yikes, you wouldn't want to live with my two that long without a bath - especially after they have found something semi-decomposed to roll in!

[skipper]

Another hint I just found out about is rubbing a fabric softner sheet over the dogs coat. Something we all have on hand.

[johnson]

Would anyone purchase a product that cleans the dog automatically, an automatic dog washer that you put the dog in and the machine cleans the dog automatically. Something like a smaller scale car wash but for dogs.

[pcleary]

Would anyone purchase a product that cleans the dog automatically, an automatic dog washer that you put the dog in and the machine cleans the dog automatically. Something like a smaller scale car wash but for dogs.


no!
PAM

[musky hunter]

We use pet wipes daily and give Calbee a wash every 4 weeks.

[camel24j]

i got a newfoundland puppy and i know that they shouldnt have bathes to often but he is still a pup so i have bathed him every 2months but i was thinking on mabie once a yr is that ok my other dog have to have a bath once a month they seem to get realy bad. my question is with this breed what the ok amont of bathes? i realy dont want to over do it. the one thing i can say is he loves bathes never had a dog that did but he does.

[Pauline46]

I use baby wipes when he gets muddy paws. Simple cleaning when they get dirty helps keep them clean for months. I use baby wipes, wet cloths and dry towels. :rolleyes: