Grooming - no shampoo

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Both breeder and vet have said that dogs don't need baths. They might need mud and stuff washed off but just to use water.

She's off for a puppy visit to the dog groomer soon to get her used to it - can I ask them just to use water - not shampoo?

new confused dog owner. There was no such thing as dog shampoo last time I had a dog...

What breed? Mine is a short coat breed and is 1 1/2 years old, never had a bath. We brush mud off and towel dry. I don't bath mine because it's bad for their skin and would ruin the natural waterproof quality of her coat.

But I understand some breeds do need grooming and maybe bathing.

cockerpoo - don't flame me!

We have a border terrier. She normally just gets water, rarely, or a swim followed by a shower under the hose.

On the rare occasion she has had a mucky bum, I just use a squirt of our shampoo in a bucket and wash her down.

She has no opportunity to roll in anything untoward so doesn’t need regular washing.

We've had billypup 2 years now, she's been bathed with shampoo 3 times, all needed usually after rolling in cow/fox poo.

The groomer will be absolutely fine with not using shampoo I'm sure you won't be the first.

With high grooming dogs like cockapoos it is great you're taking yours to get used to the experience at a young age. Unfortunately I can't offer advice re shampoo as I'm used to short haired breeds that only need the occasional brush.

If it's a high quality shampoo formulated especially for dogs, it shouldn't be a problem. You could just wash with water, but I wouldn't recommend it for a high-maintenance haired dog like a cockapoo.

I have cocker spaniels and I find their fur mats up more easily if I just use water, compared to shampoo and conditioner. Their fur is much softer and shinier with the right products. They do get quite stinky (especially if they have rolled in fox poo or jumped in the mud!) but they smell lovely after a proper bath, just washing with water doesn't give them as much as a deep clean from my experience. I only really wash them when they're really dirty/smelly, never had any issues using shampoos.

Whether you do end up using shampoos or just water, it is so important that you dry them properly after a wash, right down to the skin. I'd recommend a high velocity pet dryer for thick coated dogs, as human hairdryers often don't penetrate that deep coat properly. Not drying properly is when you'll run into skin problems like hot spots and other skin infections. Cockapoos should not be left to air dry, as the hair will mat up - they often have a fleece-textured coat that is very prone to matting.

If you want to keep your cockapoo long (the trademark look of doodle dogs - shaggy and fluffy!) you will need to stick to a regular grooming routine at home, brushing down to the skin and making sure there are no mats. As well as trips to the groomer every 5-8 weeks for clipping, unless you learn how to do that yourself at home. Products (shampoos, conditioners, detangling sprays) definitely make the job easier when you have a breed with a demanding coat. You can have them shaved short for ease (and sometimes this is the only option when matting is too severe)

I have miniature labradoodles. One has a poodle coat. Neither shed. They go to the groomers about every three months. They use special shampoo that doesn't dry out the skin. They come back with a bounce in their step as they seem to enjoy the lack of hair! The groomers give them a nice massage and deal with their ears and nails if needed too.

My dog is long haired and I could probably count on the fingers of on hand the number of baths she's had in her nearly 9 years of life, and those have only been when she's got excessively muddy or rolled in fox poo, which she doesn't do often.

She doesn't need baths. I wipe the mud off her paws and undercarriage, which is low to the ground, or rinse with water if necessary and once any mud is dry I brush her. Although, I appreciate different coats need different types of maintenance.

I think a lot of groomers like to use shampoo and conditioners as it makes it easier to cut the coat. Can't think just using water would have quite the same effect somehow, especially on a cockapoo's coat.

I used to take my dog to a groomers to get the hair between her toes clipped and the hair on her back legs and bum trimmed, without washing, but found they weren't doing it any better than I do.

When I tried a different groomers they refused to do it unless they could shampoo her as they said cutting the hair dry, blunted their scissors; also, I suspect part of it was that they didn't want to be bothered with such a small job, but that's a different issue.

Mine has had just a few shampoos in his life and generally to do with stinky fox poo. He hates baths

That’s what all the cockapoos I know look like at the end of walks... would that come off with just water?

Oh my god that dog looks as if it's had such a great time

I don’t know that cockapoo btw, he was for illustration purposes, lol

But whoever he is does look happy.

He looks super happy!

I heard the same re washing dogs, but I have a cocker spaniel and he gets so smelly if he isn’t washed properly. I do mostly rinse him off with water after a walk, but he does need a shampoo every month I would say. The mud doesn’t come off him that easily. The other day he got really muddy and I rinsed him with the hose, but I wasn’t convinced it was all gone so I popped him in the bath and showered him and did a little bit of shampoo on his legs and tummy and the amount of mud that came off was astonishing. I don’t wash his entire body that often but his legs and tummy need a good wash every now and again.

Mine is short haired and has form for coming home muddy - I'm not house proud but no one needs that spread up the sofa! DDog just gets chucked in the shower and hosed down with warm water. He only gets shampooed if he has rolled in something horrendous. I have a bottle of dog shampoo (400ml perhaps?) that I bought over 2 years ago and it's still half full.

I've a poodle cross that jumps in the bath with my kids at least once a week. They use very mild shampoo on him.