How often do you wash your dog?

[Perry]

Or have him/her groomed? What breed is it?

 

Thanks!

[Impish]

Depends.

 

Bazinga seems to adore mud. Yee haw. She's been hosed down several times (or coaxed through the sprinkler, or into the kiddie pool) but a proper, actual bath? Hasn't happened yet.

 

She's a Bordeaux.

[Mrs Mungo]

We have a Cocker Spaniel.

 

Editing because I asked the kids, and I was initially wrong, lol.

 

He goes to the groomer about once a month, and the kids usually bathe him once between grooming appointments.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Mrs Mungo

[Cassy]

We have a Labradoodle who has very curly 'poodle' fleece. She needs to be bathed and groomed about every six weeks.

 

In the past we had smooth haired dogs that shed and we bathed them much less often, probably two or three times a year.

[shanvan]

I don't even like to think about it!

 

Border Collie - honestly gets a bath once or twice a year, but is brushed often.

 

Cocker Spaniel- bathed and groomed about once a month, but longer intervals in b/t during winter.

 

English Springer Spaniel- bathed and groomed about 2X a month b/c Dd is showing him, otherwise his schedule would be more like the Cocker's. His bathing isn't as often in winter either.

 

Cocker does agility so his grooming isn't as much of an issue as the Springer's.

 

If Dc weren't involved in 4H I would probably do it less.

[melissad2]

Daisy is a beagle/bassett mix and she lives outside so I hose her down when I can't stand her to be within 3 feet of me. Now that all depends on whether she's been to the local cow pasture or been irritating a skunk. When I had a shih-tzu they got groomed every 6-8wks.

[KungFuPanda]

I'm supposed to WASH him?

 

Next you'll tell me I have to clip his nails!

[dirty ethel rackham]

Bear, the labradoodle, gets a once a month bath - usually about 3 days after he has had his flea-tick treatment. He smells so bad after that. If he gets into something, we may give him one after that, but it is rare that we can't just wipe him down.

 

As far as grooming, I take him to a groomer about every 6 months for a trim. He has some areas that grow and other areas that shed. I try to keep up in between with the fur between the paw pads, nails, and a little face trim so we can see his eyes, and beard to keep it from getting too much food in there. We brush him once or twice a week. I wish I could figure out how to take care of the hair in his ears, though. Groomers aren't willing to give up trade secrets, ya know:). The only way we can get him to sit still for any type of grooming (including brushing) is to put some peanut butter in a small kong and hold it where we want his head to be (he looks like he is drinking from a bottle:).)

[Pawz4me]

Our Brittany gets a bath about four times a year.

 

Our Shih Tzu gets a bath about every ten days, and he gets clipped at every other bath.

 

I do both of them myself.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Pawz4me

[Shellers]

My Shih Tzu and Yorkie get groomed every five weeks. Our Rat Terrier's only get a bath after they roll in something.

[The Girls' Mom]

We have a JRT. I try not to bathe her too often because she has sensitive skin. HOWEVER, she is a nosey little rascal and we live on a farm. At least once a week or so she manages to find something smelly to roll in, or mud to trounce through, or a hole to dive into. So, it probably averages to about once a week.

[Pawz4me]

I wish I could figure out how to take care of the hair in his ears, though. Groomers aren't willing to give up trade secrets, ya know:).

 

I'm not a groomer (or at least not a professional one), but I can tell you how to pluck ear hair. It's really easy, although getting the dog to hold still for it may not be!

 

Go to a pet store and buy some ear powder. Something like this. Sprinkle just a tiny bit in and around the dog's ear canal. It will make the hair kind of dry and tacky, and make it easy to grasp with your fingers or a hemostat. Pluck just a few hairs at a time, and only the ones in the ear canal. It shouldn't hurt, but if you try to pluck too many at a time, or hair that's on the outside of the canal, it will hurt. There are videos on YouTube that demonstrate how to do it. If you can't get the dog to let you pluck the hair, you can take a pair of small round-tipped scissors and just trim it up a bit. There's actually a lot of debate among vets and groomers about whether or not ear hair plucking should be done at all. Some say it does more harm than good, especially on dogs who don't have a history of ear problems.

[*Lulu*]

2 mixed breeds here, one with short fur and the other with almost short fur. They are bathed at least every 3 months. Occasionally they roll in something and get an extra bath, but muddy paw syndrome is treated with damp rags and dry towels only.

 

ETA- we bathe them here at home.

Edited August 29, 2012 by BLA5

[Sarah CB]

Or have him/her groomed? What breed is it?

 

Thanks!

 

Never. We have a Bugg (Boston Terrier crossed with a Pug). She seems to always smell nice so we don't worry about bathing her. Dd has bathed her for fun before, though.

[bobbeym]

Abby, our pit bull, gets a bath about once a week. She stays outside during the day, inside after dinner and at night, and I can't stand the dog funk. She has a short, smooth coat though so it's a quick and easy task.

[dirty ethel rackham]

I'm not a groomer (or at least not a professional one), but I can tell you how to pluck ear hair. It's really easy, although getting the dog to hold still for it may not be!

 

Go to a pet store and buy some ear powder. Something like this. Sprinkle just a tiny bit in and around the dog's ear canal. It will make the hair kind of dry and tacky, and make it easy to grasp with your fingers or a hemostat. Pluck just a few hairs at a time, and only the ones in the ear canal. It shouldn't hurt, but if you try to pluck too many at a time, or hair that's on the outside of the canal, it will hurt. There are videos on YouTube that demonstrate how to do it. If you can't get the dog to let you pluck the hair, you can take a pair of small round-tipped scissors and just trim it up a bit. There's actually a lot of debate among vets and groomers about whether or not ear hair plucking should be done at all. Some say it does more harm than good, especially on dogs who don't have a history of ear problems.

 

Thanks for the info. I've never seen this product at the pet store. I'll have to check out other stores. Being a floppy eared dog, he is prone to ear problems. We finally got his ears cleared up and I'd like to keep them that way.

[lauracolumbus]

We have two smoothed hair mutts. We usually just bathe them whenever they've rolled in something. Usually2-3 times over the summer. If it were up to the kids it would be every week. If it were up to the dogs, it would be never.

 

Laura

[Ellie]

French bulldog here, which means major indoor dog and therefore no need for frequent bathing. We might do it once a year. I wrangle his 28lb body into the bathtub and scrub him down, and then, because I don't want him dripping through the house until he dries, and because it's good for his coat to be brushed occasionally, I blow him dry while brushing him (and then I have to vacuum up all the little black hairs, lol).

 

I take him to PetSmart for his nails. Most of his toenails are black and I'm skeered of cutting the quick; I'd rather have a stranger do that than I, lol.

 

ETA: When I had a show-quality cocker spaniel, I learned that I totally bombed being the owner of a long-hair breed. Those guys need to be groomed daily, because a well-bred cocker has almost as much coat as a poodle, and they need to be bathed monthly. It is why I now have a frenchie, and once, a greyhound, who mainly has skin, lol.

Edited August 29, 2012 by Ellie

[staysee34]

We have a Pitbull Mix. From May until October he's bathed once a month prior to putting on his flea treatment. From October to May, it's every other month. We live in the city and other than walks, he's mostly inside. Otherwise, it he's need bathed more often.

[hillfarm]

We have a pug and the shedding is horrendous! However, we recently bought Perfect Coat Shed Control Shampoo at Tractor Supply Co. and I am absolutely amazed at how much that seems to help. We are currently experimenting to see how long one application will last, but I am hoping for a week to 10 days.

[tvaleri]

Would love to take her to a groomer, but we just don't have the funds. So, dd and I do it all. We bathe our Yorkie about every other week, unless she gets into something and smells horrible.

 

FYI, the last time I bathed her, I used flea and tick shampoo. She had a bad reaction =/

 

Smiles,

Teresa

[kroe1]

Never.

 

She is a Klee Kai. They lick themselves like cats and never have an odor.

[justamouse]

In the summer? Weekly.

 

Doberman.

 

Meaning the kids and I are out there with a hose and shampoo. He loves it, though.

[Pamela H in Texas]

I have a lhasa I keep cut very short (except tail and ears), grooming every 3-4 months, once I can't call it short anymore.

[somo_chickenlady]

Our Australian Shepherd is an outdoor working dog (we live in the country), and she is a PITA to bathe, a combination of her behavior and her thick fur, so I only do so if I absolutely have to. Once or twice a year, maybe?

 

We also have a Toy Poodle/Miniature Pincher mix, and he is bathed every week b/c he has human like hair and it gets greasy. He is a lap dog, and I couldn't have a filthy, stinky dog sit in my lap all the time. :ack2: I also trim the fur on his body and legs (leave the fur on his head long) every 6 weeks or so, and I do that myself.

Edited August 29, 2012 by somo_chickenlady

[Plucky]

Pug - dh washes her when he feels like it. It's been over a year.

 

Husky mix - 1x this year. She got into the mud.

 

My dh likes to complain that the dogs need more baths because they smell like dogs and not flowers. He's a cat person.

[Dory]

The cockers here get brushed twice a week. They get bathed once a month, but they play in the river with the kids all summer. They get their faces trimmed up once a month and lately I shave their bodies down short every 3 months (approximately). The pit bull gets bathed every few months and ears cleaned once a week. The great dane will be the same as the pit bull but she's only 4 months old yet so for now she gets bathed every couple weeks.

[Mom22ns]

I have a standard poodle. I cut her hair every couple of months depending on weather. She only gets a couple of baths/year though, unless she gets excessively muddy or rolls in something horrid.:ack2:

[Mom22ns]

Besides, the sheep would think they smelled funny.

 

:lol::lol:

[Jpoy85]

I wash the 4 dogs 1x a month. Only 1 dog gets her hair trimmed 1x a month.

 

~shepherd, lab, golden retriever mix (needs hair trimmed behind ears and near tail)

~black lab

~lab, husky, wire haired pointer mix

~beagle

[Laura Corin]

She's an Australian Labradoodle with a fleece coat. I brush her once a week (sometimes once a fortnight). I wash her once every six weeks and clip her myself.

 

Laura

[nukeswife]

I have a pug and a sharpei mix. They both only get bathed about 2-3 times a year because they are prone to dry skin (especially the shar-pei) unless they get into a mud pit or something.

[3 Only Children]

2 Golden Retrievers - get washed about every other month. Unless they have been chasing skunks then right away! I keep a gallon of vinegar on hand for when that happens. The dog washing is the boys job. We do it outside in the warm weather or in the basement shower when its cold out.

[Jean in Newcastle]

I'm supposed to WASH him?

 

Next you'll tell me I have to clip his nails!

 

:iagree::D

[Jann in TX]

Both of my dogs are solid white. When (not if) they get dirty they will be clean as soon as they are dry-- in other words they only get dirty when water is involved. Once dry the dirt flies off of them... unfortunately that means my floor catches it!

 

Once the puppy got really muddy-- we hosed him off then because he needed to come into the house for the night.

 

Shepherds do need to be brushed during shedding season (although it is pretty much year round and futile!).

[Mom-ninja.]

Never.

 

I have a Lab. He just doesn't ever smell. His coat looks good but not show worthy or anything.

 

I will sweep him off or even vacuum him if he's really covered in dirt. :) Yes, I vacuum my dog. He tolerates it.

 

He swims in a pool about once every two months or so except in winter.

[Lara in Colo]

It was funny to watch folks that came to look at the puppies and pick them up and snuggle and then realize that they smelled like sheep manure... I think Lara bathed hers right off the bat. :D

 

Yes. I. Did.

 

I have a Harvest Gold tub, it takes a lot to make the water look more yellow.

That puppy made the water look like I had put food coloring in it.

 

He went from smelly and yellow to white and cuddly within 15 minutes of being in his new home.

 

He gets one about once a month now. (depends on what he got into).

He is VERY good in the tub and it make me realize how big he has gotten.

 

 

Lara

[labst60]

Maltese - about once a week - maybe every 7-10 days (think the old janitors mop when he is too long w/out a bath)

 

To the groomers once every 6 weeks. That's the part of him I hate- $60 at the groomer and I haven't got my hair cut since February! But then again, if I don't get my hair cut, I don't end up with poop stuck "back there" like he does - so I happily spend the time/money to keep him neat and tidy!

[kitten18]

Golden Retriever - I would say 4-6x/year. Only when he gets in something dirty/stinky.

 

Chihuahua - Almost never, maybe 1x/year.

[Frances]

Golden lab here - maybe 2 or 3 times a year, only when she starts to smell bad as she doesn't like it. But we brush her at least once a week as she sheds like crazy. She's never been to a groomer, but the vet takes care of her nails at check-ups.

[DarlaS]

Siberian Husky and German Shepherd. They are both due for a grooming right about now. Actually, the Sibe needs it more than the GSD. She's older and doesn't clean herself as well as she could when she was younger and more flexible.

 

Neither one has doggy odor as they're just not typically smelly breeds. They also both get pretty good kibble and that really helps.

[kalanamak]

I had a biggish GS/Ridgeback cross who lived in the house. I washed her every 2 weeks, and had floors, not carpet, for the most part. People often remarked they didn't smell the pets in my house. Kitty had a flap and "went" outdoors, and I groomed her daily.

[Lara in Colo]

Knowing how big his brothers are, I can't IMAGINE putting them in a tub!

 

Not together!!! LOL

[QueenCat]

Australian shepherd, bath monthly (mostly to get the feet clean). Goes to the groomer for a trim, nails clipped and thorough cleaning every 4 months.

[wintermom]

Never, the groomer does! :D I have my Wheaton Terriers washed and shaved down twice a year. I used to do the washing and grooming of the "proper" Wheaton look, but with 4 dc and homeschooling, I need a life that doesn't include full-time grooming of my dogs.