Dog swimming

[AtlasPine]

We are gradually moving towards potential dog ownership. Hampstead Heath is near us and there are a couple of lovely dog swimming points in ponds there. I’d love my future dog to be able to swim there if it likes that. But my guess is it is fairly smelly pond water.

Does it harm a dog to be showered or bathed and shampooed regularly? Our house isn’t huge and I’m a bit worried about eau de pond-dog. Would a quick bathing on arriving home a couple of times a week be ok?

I’m probably overthinking this.

I spray down with a hose unless he's actually rolled in something. Too much shampoo and product isn't great for their skin or fur.

I agree, you don't want to strip the natural oils from a dogs coat by using shampoos to often. Rinsing with plain water shouid be OK though

Depends on what kind of dog you get a little as well.

Retrievers and that kind of dog that love water and have smooth coats should rinse off easily. Don’t fo for a poodle cross- getting water and pond debris out of that will be impossible.

How is your home set up? Can you get a big wet smelly dog in and rinsed without tracking dirt and pond water through your house? Outside tap at least?

Same for drying, how would you dry it off without bring wet dog into the house?

I have a small dog that rinses off really easily under the kitchen tap, but it would never voluntarily get even a bit damp 😂.

We have a small bathroom near the back door which should help! I could hose down without products outside too. Thanks all.

We just use water on our cocker spaniel and only when really muddy/smelly. After swimming in the sea the next day he smelled of dead fish 😳 water was enough though. Shampoos aren’t advised for cockers and their smooth coat means they clean up well with just water

I just hose down with water. Mine loves boggy smelly water holes and a good rinse always does the trick.

I only shampoo if I see him rolling around on something on the floor. The last time was his rubbing his neck on a decaying rodent on a forest walk

If the bathing is going to be fairly regular, I'd go with a gentle, as natural as possible shampoo (oatmeal ones tend to be less taxing on their skin) but as other people have said, just a rinsing down with water could suffice. Will probably have to get used to the smell of wet dog though!

Another thing to consider, dogs can be prone to ear infections after swimming and depending on how clean the water is, can introduce bacteria into their ear canal. Drying the external parts of the ear and then applying an ear cleaner solution in the ear canal can help avoid infections.

Oh, to add, you can buy doggy drying coats which are awesome for wet dogs. Wash him, dry him off with a towel the pop him in his coat until he's dry.

Mine used to swim in those same ponds before we moved. It was never an issue.

What was much more of an issue was him coming home covered in mud every day, unless it hadn't rained for a few days. It never struck me as being especially muddy there, but we've moved a long way away (still UK) and he doesn't get half as muddy here.

Basically he had a lot of baths / showers in plain warm water. Actual shampoo only comes into play when he's rolled in something fecal or dead. I bought the current bottle almost 4 years ago and it's still half full - he is little and short haired though.

I’ve got a cavvie who is a “ real dog” at heart not the cute lap dog you’d think. I mean he is 100% cute Velcro lap dog at home but on a walk he’s tummy deep in wet undergrowth , drinking from stony muddy ponds etc

And on really dry days he gets horribly dusty😂

So he has a lot of baths / rinses - probably a full shampoo and conditioner weekly. So far so good with gentle shampoos.

One of our local ponds has a problem with broken bottles in it -- can harm the dogs who would like to go in. Ask local dog people for that kind of gossip.

Get a mud daddy!

These are good, and can be very useful

bootbuddy.com/pages/paw-buddy

I have a water and mud loving golden retriever. She has a drying towel which is brilliant. Once all of the moisture has been absorbed, quick brush off and that's it. I don't have time to wash a 30kg+ ball of fluff every day, especially in the winter, and as others have said, it isn't good for them anyway.

Honestly like other posters said, it's not the swimming that requires a proper bath but the rolled in something disgusting, wrsetled in a swamp business. Beach trips and normal lake swimming might get hosed off, but even that is largely to remove sand/pondweed.

My dog is coming up for two and has been shampooed twice; fox poo rollover. A good rinse does the trick and a towel dry. Lab so a lover of water and mud.

Also, make sure you brush them regularly (get them used to this at a young age with a soft brush) this definitely helps keep them smelling fresh.

We have a golden retriever who spends the winter wallowing in mud, and the summer swimming in the sea or any puddle he can find. We probably resort to shampoo 4 times a year max. Most days he just gets a good hosing down followed by a towelling.

I have dogs who love mud and live on the edge of 5000 acres of common land. I have a mud daddy to wash then off when they get home and Ruff and Tumble coats to dry them.

Sorry to be so long coming back to the thread. And thanks for all the advice.