Bathing/washing the dog, top tips?

[MrsJoeHart]

Until a month ago I used to take my dog to my friends house after a walk and hose them down as she had a hot/warm tap in her garden, but she's moved and we can't do this any more.

I'm planning to get a tap installed, but haven't got the money just yet, so I need to find another way. My two dogs are smelly after a Christmas of muddy walks and I'm not sure how to do it.

They're both short haired, one is medium and the other large. Im wondering what other people do?

[ClaimedByMe]

We put our dog in the bath and wash her with the shower and dog shampoo, she's a dirt phobic, water phobic short haired dog, she only gets showered 4 times a year.

[CMOTDibbler]

We just put ours in the bath. He doesn't mind greatly

[mistlethrush]

Ours goes in the bath too - she's quite heavy to get in... and its quite interesting getting her to walk downstairs and out into the garden without shaking (towel under tummy helps a bit) but its quite doable.

[curlew]

In the bath. After practically every walk at the moment! The person who lets her get muddy has to clean her up. Just water though, we only use shampoo when she starts to get a bit smelly.

[TrinityIsAReindeer]

I put our crazy, bouncy boxer in the shower. she does make a mess when she shakes but she likes the shower

[chipsandpeas]

mine goes in my bath, i stick a towel down in the bath so he doesnt scratch it
hes not that happy about it but hey its either that or he had to go to the groomers

[MrsJoeHart]

Oh God, big dog won't like it he'll trembled like he did when I took him to have his nails clipped. I'm going to have to do it though, they're both smelly and the smaller one is was white.

[mistlethrush]

So what if they don't like it - its a short period of uncomfortableness to make them more acceptable as pets again - and they'll get a nice treat after they do zoomies round the garden to get dry... Mistlehound has her claws clipped at home - much less stressful - but then I also regularly look over her paws and feel in the pads etc so she is used to having her feet examined.

[curlew]

It's either bath or live outside. I'm not absolutely sure she gets the connection- but I think she does.........!

[CMOTDibbler]

I get round the shaking by a towel straight on, and then his fleece jumper.

Being clean is part of the living with us deal - if I had a hairier dog then I might pay out for a groomer or dial a dog wash, but cmotdog is very fine coated so being plonked in 6" of water and a good going over with the noodle mitt is pretty easy.

[mistlethrush]

Mistlehound is rough on the top - so quite a bit of hair although its not too long, but its still easily manageable. We use the shower attachment on her so effectively give her a shower.

[thwinka]

Another one here who opts for the bath. He doesn't like it but accepts it as an every day part of his walk at the moment due to the weather!! I only use water though and just shower his legs/under body. He gets shampooed 3 times a year roughly

[ILikeToClean]

My pup has been bathed regularly since the day we brought him home, he is 11 months now and quite big (labradoodle) but he willingly gets in the bath and I shower him, he stands there looking all pathetic and thin and creates a bit of a wet mess when he gets out and shakes water all over the bathroom but as CMOT said, being clean is part of the deal! I have one of those microfibre towels to dry him quickly in the bathroom as much as I can and he then runs round the house like a loon drying off! He has been to the groomers once as he got quite shaggy and needed a good trim up of matted fur and claws and will probably go there a couple of times a year but I quite enjoy bathing him with this as it smells gorgeous! www.amazon.co.uk/Groom-Professional-Baby-Fresh-Shampoo/dp/B005JJADYU/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1388759477&sr=8-5&keywords=dog%20shampoo&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[Floralnomad]

My dog goes to the groomers every 6 weeks for a bath and hair cut and in between we just put him in his dog bag when he's wet and /or muddy ,it wicks away the mud and he comes out all shiny and clean ,then you just shake the bag outside and it dries out on a radiator for an hour. As a short haired dog he never seems to smell .

[MrsBennetsEldest]

If bathing would be problematic you could try leaving them until they are dry and then brushing the dirt out of their coats.
For spot cleaning you could try a sml amount of baby shampoo in warm water, using a washcloth repeatedly rubbed on dirty area and then rinsed in the shampoo solution.finish with the cloth rinsed in clean water to ensure no trace of shampoo left in coat.
I'm a qualified dog groomer but I rarely bath my dogs. I don't think it's good for their coats. My whippet gets the washcloth treatment if she has rolled in something. My little Jack Russell is rather low to the ground so has to suffer having her tummy sponged and the Lab and Lurcher just have a good brushing. They strongly believe, Real Dogs Do Not Wash....ever. They do not smell and neither does my house.

[poppy77]

I can cope with putting the dog in the bath, but how do you all keep the dog in the bath? Mine is hellbent on escaping the minute she gets in and it's like trying to contain a slippery eel, even with a lead/harness!

[mistlethrush]

With a very slippery dog you need a 2nd person whose only job is to hold onto the collar, not get distracted, and keep the dog in the bath! Luckily our current one is not a bolter - she doesn't appreciate it but puts up with it - but a past one was a slippery expert!

I only bath mistlehound when she really needs it. Mostly things towel off her - but fox poo really does require a better bath to get rid of most of the stench!

[ender]

Neither of my dogs ever get bathed. Both get wet and muddy every day in winter. Lab has an amazing self cleaning coat, just needs a rub down with a towel to get the worst off and a snooze in the utility room and emerges completely clean (layer of dusty mud on floor which is easily vac'd).
GSD gets undercarriage and legs washed as mud stays stuck to his fur otherwise, I wash him in the garden, hose in the summer and bucket of warm water and flannel in winter, just wash the dirty bits. He seems to enjoy it and stands still, helpfully lifting his legs to let me get to the nooks and crannies

[MrsBennetsEldest]

Ender, that's cos you has real dogs.....:)

[ErrolTheDragon]

Our dog has his own bathroom .... none of us like the bath in the en-suite, so we wash the dog in that (after removing canoe and wetsuits etc which are stored in it)

The last dog hated baths, required a holder and a washer - this one only objects when his face is washed. So best to do the body first, and head last. Lots of towels and mind the tail-whip as the shake propagates along the body!

[HomeHypno]

Mine is happy to have a bath in the garden, we also have a baby bath to use if garden is not an option - he is way too heavy to drag into our bath, and shower cubicle is too small.

He hates the beginning of the bath but seems to quite like nice body temperature water poured over him from a watering can (takes 3-4 lots) and quite happily sits still. Make sure you get a proper shampoo (DermOpt is very good) because dog skin is surprisingly delicate and they can get itchy like mad. We dry with old towels, encourage him to run around a bit to shake the rest off and then he naps on some towels. He doesn't mind a blow dry on lowest heat setting.

[MrsJoeHart]

We now have two lovely clean dogs, a washing machine full of dog towels and a sore back, all worth it though.

Big dog did tremble, but was so good and didn't attempt to jump out of the bath, unlike his smaller friend. I put a towel in the bath to stop them slipping. I need that warm tap in the garden.

[RunSantaRunQuiteFast]

I get in the shower with ours, large jug with dilute dog shampoo, five mins later clean dog!

[PrincessWellington]

All my dogs get a wash in a big rubber bucket on the patio. Because its wide, deep and rubber it doesn't move

[PrincessWellington]

All my dogs get a wash in a big rubber bucket on the patio. Because its wide, deep and rubber it doesn't move