Doesn't it make sense with a hulking great dog....

[handlemecarefully]

to buy a very cheapo (the cheapest you can get) bath from B&&, don't plumb it in but keep it in the garage so that you can bathe Fido with relative ease when needed? (fill from housepipe and away you go)

My Bernese (she's a big girlie) needs a bath because she is coming to the end of her season and some of the discharge needs washing off ....

I mentioned my plan to dh and he replied dismissively:

"Well most people put them in the bath...(he meant the plumbed in one in the bathroom)..." ....

"We (he meant his mum and dad and himself as a child) used to do it"

• oh well that's okay then. Even though she can't do stairs at all well, we'll lug her up to the bathroom. Somehow we will lift 6-7 stone of reluctant struggling dog into the bath. We won't mind that all the thrashing about soaks the entire bathroom.....and we'll accept that she has to work across our bedroom and landing carpet whilst dripping wet, and stumbles and slides down the oak staircase in her ungainly big dog fashion [thud]

I could understand his resistance if we had a toy poodle. It would be over kill then....but why is he being bloody minded about this incredibly sensible suggestion?

[handlemecarefully]

Thanks k9

[k9kuts]

handlemecarefully im a dog groomer and the ear infection shouldnt prevent her from getting groomed,just make sure you inform the groomer and they will probably pop some cotton wool in her ears to prevent any water getting in them.you have definatly made the right desision getting the proffesionals in much less stress for you and her!

[handlemecarefully]

I've gone for the 'wuss option' - dh was still putting a veto on a bespoke bath for her, but we settled on getting in a mobile grooming service with their own hydrobath to do the job for us. Sorted!

I might have to defer it though because poor love now seems to have an ear infection (shaking head a lot and red in ear canal) - am taking her to vet tomorrow for some drops or whatever...but I'm thinking that we might have to be careful about avoiding getting water in her ears atm?

[magnolia1]

I would worry about any vet who says to bath a dog every 2 months!! Really no need to bath a dog at all unless they smell awful.

handlemecarefully: What about just giving her a wash in her nether regions?? If not then I would say outside with a hose, all that wet fur being shook dry by a dog that big will be such a sight! If you do it take a photo please xxxx

[LittleB]

I've got an old arthritic collie who hates baths and struggles alot, now she's arthritic she slips around so we haven't bathed her for a couple of years. I do wash her in the garden though. I put warm water in a watering can and wash her using dog tea tree oil shampoo. Could you try this with your dog?

[Chandra]

Now, I figure out that if the dog is a working dog that lives outside, going for a year without a bath will not be that bad.

[Chandra]

Just ask your vet/dog trainner or Google it?

[peegeeweegee]

...and in the case of a muddy dog - leave the mud to dry off, then give dog a thorough brushing, dog will emerge clean smelling with shiny fur, much nicer than any bath could ever achieve

to the OP, yes, I see the logic in your plan!! let your oh wash your dog and deal with the mess afterwards, and he will be running to B&Q to buy a bath for the garage!!!

[peegeeweegee]

No less than every two months?? Which dog - shampoo manufacturer/retailer sold you that line??

If a dog is fed a decent quality food (ie not too many chemicals which it will sweat out through skin) and providing it has not rolled in anything unsavoury (fox poo being a favourite) than a bath once a year is more than sufficient..

Anything more than that will stip natural oils out of the coat (yes, even with expensive dog shampoo), and it is also a case of the more you bath the dog the more it will need bathing as the body will go into overdrive trying to replace lost oils...

[handlemecarefully]

Really?

I'd never heard that (i.e. no less than every 2 months)...interesting (and alarming!)

[Chandra]

As far as I'm aware the recommendation is no more than 3 times per month, no less than once every 2 months. If your dog swims in a river regularly then it is OK to space out the baths.

As longs as you are using a dog shampoo instead of one for humans, the dog's skin should not be affected.

[handlemecarefully]

"11 months it's quite a looooong time to go without a bath"

I don't know about that Chandra - if they get bathed too frequently / unnecessarily it just causes their coats to become too oily. They have pretty good self cleansing abilities and until 2 weeks ago (when her season started) she was odour free

[Chandra]

Not when you have a child who suffers from asthma and eczema. Although, I have to say that bathing the dog in the same bath we use to bath ourselves would be similar in my view to serving food to your pet in the same plates you use for your children. Although for some people that's perfectly acceptable I just find it... yuk! but each to its own.

[NotQuiteCockney]

(I don't really get the "can't bathe dogs in the bath my child goes in" thing, though - your child will poo in his/her bath, surely that's more gross than any dog ...)

[NotQuiteCockney]

My mom used to go to a dogwashing parlour and do it herself there - she'd have to pay a bit to use the premises, but not as much as it would cost to have a pro do it. Quite effective, and they have the little hoses and all that.

No idea if the parlours in the UK let you do that, though.

[Chandra]

11 months it's quite a looooong time to go without a bath. I confess I have also thought of the secondary bath because I can not bear the idea of bathing the dogs in the same bath DS uses (I'm currently using a baby bath but I have small dogs).

The only thing I can think off is that if she goes for that long without a bath perhaps it would be cost effective to ring a dog washing service (they come with a van with all the implements and wash and dry the dog inside the van just outside of your house) and then wash her outside when the weather is warmer.

[WriggleJiggle]

We usually just take ours down to the river for a swim. Tends to work ok. They only get a proper bath when they have rolled in fox poo.

[sullysmum]

Im so glad ive got 'ickle doglets'!

[brimfull]

I just hose my dog down in the garden,rub some soapy stuff in then hose off again.Job done,dog's running around the garden like a loony.Much easier as I tie her to the tap .

[handlemecarefully]

Well neither of us have bathed the dog yet - she's only 11 months old and we've had no cause to prior to this (I'm not a great believer in bathing them - only if you have too due to things like fox poo, or end of being in season etc)...

I think dh just has a common sense gene missing trinity

[Trinityrhino]

does he evr bath the dog?? If he doesn't then he's typically not seeing how much easier your suggestion would be or if he does bath the dog then he's just being silly

[handlemecarefully]

'walk across'


anyway, perhaps I should go downstairs and see what else we can have a pointless disagreement over...