A poll about doggie baths......

[Marty]

How often.....who does them etc...you or a groomer...

I usually put my dogs in the tub, and I have a pull down rinser thingy. When my back went down, I had DH take them to PM, and was not happy with the resullts. So this week, I decided it was bath time. The Bassets weren't bad, but Java, the chow mix.....I spent hours trimming her coat before putting her in the tub. She looks cute now, though. Just wondering what you all do ....

[JMM]

I bathe and groom them all myself. At home I lean over the bath tub and kill my back. If I am smart and do them at work we have an elevated dog tub. Mikey takes about 2 hours to bathe and dry.

[davet]

opinion only, but i think people have a tendency to overbathe their dogs....Sassie gets one mayabe once a month but usually longer...i think you can accomplish the same effect by a good brushing and combing once a week and they sure like that better than a bath...a good combing and brushing feels much better that standing is a tub

[JMM]

I bathe the Malts once a week. They have a single coat and Mikey's is to the floor (though I keep trimming it up so it doesn't drag).

[ShelbysMom]

In the summer months, I give a once a month bath where the dog gets lathered up and soaking wet and I do this outside on the deck.
During winter, I give a wipedown every 2 weeks with watered down shampoo on a washcloth followed by lots of rinsing and wiping. I finish with a Listerine/water spray and brushing.
But, this is what I've been doing for Dobermans.....they're very easy to groom and most of mine have stayed very clean.
Until Crystal that is. Crystal is not the clean freak that my other dogs have been.
In addition, Crystal has allergies and her paws have to be washed every few days in a bucket of warm water or they will get itchy.

[Marty]

JMM, I can see why you'd want to bathe them often. My Bassets don't seem to get dirty, so I don't do it often at all. I almost think they clean themselves by rolling around on the grass... Java is a different story, with her thick chow-like hair. I really should do her more often...

[MicksMom]

I do Mick myself. During the summer, I tie Mick to the trailer hitch on the truck and bathe him outside. The hose has enough pressure that it only takes about 20 minutes from start to finish (great Mick- he doesn't have to stand long). Another nice thing about doing it that way is that everything I need is much handier in the back of the truck than in our small bathroom. If Mick needs a bath in the cooler months, I do him in the downstairs bathroom. We used to have a hand held shower head that made it real easy, but it bit the dust when we moved here. So now I have one of those dumb things that slide on the tub spout. You can't turn the water on enough to get decent pressure without blowing it off, so inside baths take a bit longer, which is kind of hard on the old guy. Luckily, Mick doesn't really need more than 3 or 4 baths a year, if that. Then again, maybe that's because, when I do his weekly grooming for his therapy visits, I use a waterless shampoo on him.

[JMM]

Rinseless shampoo is a lifesaver here, too. I do Mikey's belly every day as he tends to get a little urine stain on him.

[Marty]

Shelby's Mom.....what is the Listerine rinse for?

[k9Karen]

I shower with mine! I have a large shower stall in the master bath which also has a hand-held Shower Massage. I put the dog the shower, sit down on the floor, and wash them. With Angel and Foxy, I use about a bottle of shampoo each. Allie is easier - very little undercoat, and a much smaller dog. After I finish with them, I wash the shower stall, and then wash me. Fortunately, we have a 50 gallon hot water heater! I used to lean over the bathtub, but the knees gave out about the time I hit 40 and that's when I came up with the way I do it now.