If you have a big dog, how often do you bath it?

[mrsflowerpot]

And how do you do it?

We have a large lab, who hates the bath (although is surprisingly keen on rivers, large puddles, any stagnant water he can find ). We take him upstairs to the bath and wash him up there, but it's such a nightmare from start to finish that it doesn't get done as often as it should. I've tried with the hose outside, but he doesn't seem to get properly clean with cold water.

He's so lovely when he's clean. But it doesn't last long, he's a really mucky diggy, rolly, swimmy dog.

We don't shampoo ours unless they've rolled in something icky - and if we do, we use a special dark coat shampoo that doesn't harm their coats (labs have an oily waterproof coating which normal shampoo can strip, leaving them looking a bit fluffy and flaky). Baby shampoo is also supposed to be good. They do swim in the sea every week though, which leaves them squeaky clean and smelling lovely - ocean fresh! We just towel dry them and then brush the salt out once they're fully dry.

They hate the bath, but we've got it down to a fine art so they're in and out in less than five minutes - rubber mat in the bottom of the bath, shower on, shampoo, rinse, done!

I too have a water loving, stinky, muck rolling lab!!

Despite loving water she hates having a bath! I wash her outside with buckets of warm water every couple of months or whenever she rolls in fox poo! In the Summer I use the hose.

Why do they love smelly stuff so much!

I used to wash our lab outside with watering cans of warm water and baby shampoo. I think I did her every 2 months or so, plus whenever she rolled in fox poo, half rotted roadkill etc.

lol at fox poo, ours loves that too. Can always tell when he's spotted it, races across the field to roll madly about.

That makes me feel better - we average about once every 6-8 weeks for a 'proper' warm water bath, hose off in between when muddy/river stinky.

V jealous of the ocean-fresh dogs, MrsL123!

Twice a year - if that?

You are all making me feel much better! We have a lab too and she has had about 2 baths so far. I have a huge thing about bathing her in 'our' bath. Ain't happenin'!

When she goes on 'holiday' to the girl who looks after her when we are away I sometimes ask her to take her to be 'groomed' as she has a friend that does it.

goes to the groomers once a month. But as he is such a hairy mary he has to go that often to be clipped. So we just get him washed as part of the routine

Our dog (breed comes from the arctic wastes of Siberia) cries if we wash him with cold water.
So now we attach a hose to the shower inside and feed it through the window and shower him in the garden.
I am daft.

I've got a 13 year old lab that has never been bathed!!! If they are healthy and on a good diet and groomed they should not need complete bathing at all. However yes she does roll in fox poo and then she is just sponged down in that area.

I have a hot and cold outside tap and use that to hose down the offending area.

Have to admit do have a goldiecollie x who loves rolling in puddles but again leave to dry outside and then brush off and she has a lovely gleaming coat!

I hose off the undercarridge after muddy walks, even in the winter. If they can happily dive into icy cold rivers and ditches I don't think it's unreasonable.
Although when my last dog started to get older I used a watering can of warm water.

I only do shampooing etc about once or twice a year and usually do it in the downstairs shower room.

yy to kennels that give baths. We just switched kennel because he was coming home so unbelievably revoltingly dirty, and the new one does baths on the day they leave. He even had a blow-dry.

just get one of these!!

I've got a sort of 'dog-fresh' spray that I spritz on mine and give him a rub down then a brush when he's dry. Looks alright to me! There's no way he's going in our bath, but I might hose him when the weather warms up.

LOl! We have a large lab who i ecactly the same. He will jumo in rivers, becks and find the dirtiest puddle in a huge field and merrily go and splash around in it, but get the hose out when we get home and he minces around like we are trying to torture him!

We only bathed him once in our bath and that was when we first brought him home from kenels he is a rescue dog and he smelt really livery. The water was black and he hated every minute of it. Because of the grime involved I said I would never do it again at home. Instead every other month or so we book him into our local boarding kennels as a day boarder for the day and they bath him for an extra fiver - worth it imo as he comes back clean and fluffy and its cheaper than one of those grooming salons.

Doncha just love labs?

i have a big pointer and i only bath him if he rolls in fox poo . i call him upstairs and he wanders into the bathroom ,i shut the door and heave him into the bath ,hold collar with one hand and then shower /shampoo with other .once finished i shout down to family to open patio doors and let him go ,he hurtles down and out into the garden for a good shake and sulk

Car wash. Really, it's the only way to go. Not the automated one, but there are usually hoses and we bring shampoo.

Take lots of towels though