I am a non dog owner taking care of a dog for a friend

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

a black lab. Smelly and shedding everywhere, dandruffy and rather itchy. (This is an emergency look after.) I have brushed him and brushed him and bought new collar (old one was very tight) and walked him across fields which he loved. But he is not used to walks, just let out into yard. So: 1. How far can I walk him without making him worn out? 2. Can I wash him, and if so, with what? Would water on its own make him worse? (Owner has worries enough at the moment- can't bother them). Thanks.

[oreocrumbs]

You can buy a dog shampoo in most shops, or if you have some in the house baby shampoo will do fine. If you live near the sea a splash in the waves will clean him well.

The dandruff sounds like its from lack of grooming with the other info.

Keep brushing him, everyday.

Do you know if he is flea treated? If not you should do that.

As for walks, I would offer around an hours walk. Give him the chance to wander off lead if you can. If he is struggling he will not do much and just wander around beside you. If he still has loads of energy he will bomb around.

Take some treats and work on recall and walking to heel if he is not used to walking.

[MadAboutHotChoc]

How kind of you to take him in.

I would use some baby shampoo or a mild washing up liquid if he really is smelly - and get some medicated dog shampoo when you next go shopping.

A good daily brushing will help until he is no longer shedding as much.

Lots of walks will do him good - might be best to start with frequent short walks if he is very unfit.

[oreocrumbs]

P.s water on its own will probably make him smell a bit worse!

[MadAboutHotChoc]

cross posted with oreo

I wouldn't treat him with flea treatment - I only do this if I do find evidence of fleas as the treatment is quite toxic and can make any skin conditions he may have worse.

[ExitPursuedByABear]

How lovely of you to care so much.

My dog stinks. HTH

Walks depend on his age and fitness, but in general dogs just love to walk.

[quoteunquote]

How old is he?

If you keep building the walks up, lots of 30 min, decreasing to fewer but longer ones,

do you have some calm clean water nearby, that you could throw sticks into, water is a great way to build up stamina,

has the dog been de flea, up to date with front line or stronghold?

best comb, will take out under hair

borrow one of these, brush out,you will get loads out, give a bath, to avoid shaking wash head last,

I use ecover washing up liquid, it's so mild and harmless, works very well, doesn't irritate,

treat for fleas, keep dog dry for 48 hr after treating,

happy dog,

you sound like a good friend, I bet the dog won't want to go back to the boring life, good luck.

[MadAboutHotChoc]

I second the recommendation for the furminator.

Flea treatment is unnecessary - I never use it on my dogs as a prevention, it works best as a cure.

[oreocrumbs]

Labs like to be stimulated and can will be naughty if left too long so I recomend getting something he can chew and play with. You can buy big bones from pet shops and places like home bargains often have them.

If you have a butcher a big raw beef bone is a great treat!

Play games with balls. Obviously fetch is a good one and they love that, but a bit of basic training to stay while you hide a ball and get them to find it is good mental stimulation.

Are his nails long? If he is only on yard excersise they are probably fine but do check them and clip them if not.

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

Thank you!
He is six.
Will send someone shopping for ecover (are you absolutely sure about that- don't want to increase the itching?).
Would not dare to attempt the nails at the moment.
His ears feel warm. Do their ears feel warm naturally because of the weather- heat dispersal- like elephants?
Have bought chew things. Daren't let him off in fields because he is absolutely awful with other dogs, I discovered this morning. Also not at all sure he would come back.
He is very very big and wants me to hold his paw all the time which is not practical but I can see he means well.
His old collar was ground into his neck and absolutely tight and thick with grease. It just snapped when I tried to loosen it. The new one is much looser. I am worried that he will slip it. Also that the owner will be offended if I attempt too much home improvement.
No sea (I wish!). Lots of fields.
Now I thought I had heard labs had bad hips and couldn't walk far. Or did I just dream that?

[MadAboutHotChoc]

do you have tea tree oil? put some in the shampoo to sooth the itchiness.

When brushing him put a piece of white paper or kitchen towel and check it for black particles which could be fleas dropping.

[MadAboutHotChoc]

The pawing is a sign of wanting attention. You do not have to give him attention all the time so its ok to ignore the pawing.

Not surprised if he is not good with other dogs if he is not being walked or socialised.

Can you make extra holes in the collar to tighten it?

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

Thanks, Madabout and the rest.
Yes, can make extra holes in collar, but how tight? The old one wore away a ring of fur. (I know how ignorant I sound here but I really don't know.)
The hip thing? Anyone know? The ears?
Is it okay to leave him for an hour or two alone if he has been walked and fed and chatted to- can't give him the run of the whole house- only the bits with washable floors.
I think he is a good dog- he has put up with a lot of amateur handling but he is very strong. Is it okay to wash him in the garden with a bucket of warm water? Is it unkind to rinse off with a hosepipe?
WOuld you be offended if you were his owner?

[MadAboutHotChoc]

You need to be able to put a finger under the collar so that's how tight it needs to be for walks and you can loosen it a bit at home.

DOn't worry about hips yet - see how he gets on with his short walks.

The warm ears sound ok - have you looked inside these?

Yes, do leave him at home for a few hours - the sooner the better so that he gets used to it.

I use a hosepipe so it should be ok but if he looks scared a bucket of clean water will do. Don't worry about offending owner.

[MadAboutHotChoc]

when leaving him alone make sure you leave something for him to play with.

[ditavonteesed]

you should be able to slip 2 fingers under a collar that fits rght, hth, 0ok to leave for a couple of hours, I would leave hm for 5 mins when you are in earshot first just to check he doesnt howl the place down or wreck stuff.
If I were his owner I would be really grateful, poor thing sounds like he has been rather negleted. how long are you likely to have him for? could you educate his owner a bit.

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

Thanks! Shampoo has just arrived. Not sure how long he is here for- owner bereaved and beset and needs only kindness for now but I know what you mean.
Going to have a go with bathing. Doesn't like ears being touched.

[ditavonteesed]

I woudlnt wash ears or near anyway, you dont want to get water in ears. lots of pampering, :( sorry about youe friend your are obviously a good friend to look after the dog. anything else there are plenty of really knowledgable people here who are more than happy to help (not claiming to be one of them but I am a dog owner so know the basics) :)

[jubilucket]

He might have earmites? Do you know if he's insured for vet visits?

Labs have a tendency to be stinky

The hip thing... a lot of labs suffer from weak hip joints and for that reason exercise should be limited when they are very young. But at six he should be capable of an hours walk no prob.

[daisydotandgertie]

For bathing, dilute the shampoo in water before you put it on his skin. It will reduce the irritation he obviously has. Obv make sure it is well rinsed afterwards.

Hoping I catch you before you start the bath. Will post more in a second.

[May09Bump]

If I'm right he is out of condition as not walked - just exercised in garden / yard. In this case build his walks up slowly - dogs are like humans in a way, if your a couch potato you don't just get up and do a marathon. Also, you can judge when he is slowing down on the walk, then turn around and walk home. You can increase this by 5/10 minutes each day.

Ears - can get warm, dogs normally have a good scratch if ear mites etc. Probably dirty inside - but won't harm him atm. If he won't let you near them, don't try as you don't know his temperament yet and even a good dog can snap if in pain.

Not sure where you are bathing him - but sometimes better done outside in the garden if they are not use to it. Space makes them less focused on being washed.

If in doubt - go to a local vets, explain your situation. Sometimes they give free initial advice and the vet nurses seem to always be willing to point you in the right direction.

Nice of you to help!

[daisydotandgertie]

And more from a Labrador 'knower' ...

Nails - ignore for now.

Collar - as long as you can only slip a couple of fingers between the collar and the dog, all is good.

Ears - I expect there is an ear mite infection. Sore, irritating and smelly - there's probably a lot of black waxy build up. He will let you look at them I expect. Tonight use something like warm olive oil and drip a drop or two into his ear, leave it for a while or so then start to gently wipe out with cotton wool. There'll be a lot of black gunk, I expect. If you have tea tree and lavender essential oils, add a drop of each to the oil and use to clear out the ears. This is what vets usually sell to fix the problem.

Hips - if he is walking with a limp, he probably has sore hips. Apart from that these dogs are bred to run and run and run. Having said that, he sounds desperately unfit, so take it easy to start and allow him to build up his stamina.

Fleas etc - don't try and treat with shampoo or similar, order one of these and follow the instructions. He will need the 20 - 40kg size. It will sort all but the most tenacious fleas and doesn't need a prescription.

Owner - don't worry about offending. It sounds as though he needs a lot of tlc and that for one reason or another he has been quite neglected for a while. You don't get a greasy, cutting in, rotten collar in a few weeks.

The paw - he is trying to charm you. Lovely boy. It is OK to ignore and it'll probably die down a bit as he settles. He can be left on his own and will probably sleep happily.

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

Not insured for vets, jabs not up to date (kennels would not take him).

Think he enjoyed the bath/shower- but sorry daisy I put the shampoo on undiluted and tea tree oil in water. Think earmites- am using cat stuff on him because it says it does for dogs too.

He is lying beside me in a patch of sunshine and smells much better already.

[wildfig]

Nothing to add, just that you sound like a lovely friend, and he sounds like a sweet dog who must be loving this attention. If you leave him on his own, put the radio on so there's some background noise to keep him company/blot out any noise outside that might set him off barking.

[daisydotandgertie]

I think he'll enjoy every second of his time with you - and that he has been more than a bit neglected.

Don't worry about the shampoo, it's done and I expect his smelliness and itchiness are down to his food. Labradors can really honk; but they don't have to. If you want to make him more pleasant to live with, you can happily change his food for the time he's with you with no-one being any the wiser.

Ask if you need help with anything!

[barbarianoftheuniverse]

Thanks, please tell me what food is best then. He is on a basic biscuit supermarket own brand. (But has very much enjoyed risotto tonight.)