# Products and grooming advice



## Alacey (Oct 28, 2014)

Hello,

I will be gettin my Vizsla puppy next Friday and have been shopping to prepare. I live in South Florida and plan to take him to the ocean often. This is my first puppy so I appreciate any advice on brands and products, as well as frequency of use, to keep him a clean and healthy pup.


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## R E McCraith (Nov 24, 2011)

Al - a run thru tall grass keeps the pup clean - with dew on the grass even better - 4 teeth hard treats - ears - check them often & clean - nails - keep them trimed - V's are low maintance - IF U WORK THEM !!!!


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## texasred (Jan 29, 2012)

Most of the time I just rinse mine off with clean water. They may get a bath 2 or 3 times a year, and I just use a detergent free dog shampoo.


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## mswhipple (Mar 7, 2011)

The same for Willie... 2 or 3 actual baths per year. I use a "no more tears" puppy shampoo on him, and always rinse very thoroughly. In between baths, I brush him with a rubber curry brush to keep shedding to a minimum. Also do touch-ups with just a damp microfiber cloth. This breed is pretty easy to groom! To get the ocean salt water off your pup, just rinse him with clean, clear fresh water.  Toe nail trim is done monthly.
At each visit, have the Vet check his ears. Ask about ear cleaning solution you can use at home. The ears are not self-cleaning.


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## MilesMom (Jun 21, 2012)

I'm going to be a little out of the norm here I think.... 

We live at the ocean and our dogs can get irritated after a swim because the ocean by our place meets up with a lagoon, so when the tide is going out I think the pollens are in the water and the dogs can get hives. Thus, we bathe the dogs weekly. 

We use Earth Bath Shampoo weekly (Tea Tree/ Aloe or Oatmeal formula), and also have Earth Bath Wipes for during the week if they get dirty. 

I know that a weekly bath may seem excessive to some, but they are in our bed so I like a clean pup. We have had zero issue with irritated skin or dryness from over bathing. Come to think of it, Chase got 2 baths this week. He jumped into the lagoon after a deer this weekend and looked like a swamp creature, so double bath weekend for him.


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## Bob Engelhardt (Feb 14, 2012)

Like T-red & msW, we use a clean water rinse far more often than a bath. In their 16 years each, our previous 2 may have had 10 baths each, but that seems high. Unless it's something like rotten meat that they've rolled in, a rinse does work. Their hair seems to shed dirt - they are naturally clean.

Recently Daisy jumped into a ditch, thinking it was solid when it was actually just covered with floating scum. She went in over her head and came out covered over every inch of herself with black muck! She only needed a rinse.

For nails, I use the Dremel sanding drum. For me it's far easier to avoid hurting them than it is with clippers. Be very careful about how you approach the nail trimming. Many dogs are frightened by a bad (painful) experience with trimming and require a huge effort to bring them to accept it.

Bob


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## charliecoyot (Nov 26, 2012)

Completely agree w/ Bob on taking your time with getting your V used to nail trimming.

Thought I did well by playing with Roothee's paws, etc... as a pup - anyone can grab her toes, check between them, etc....

I was using a regular dog nail clipper and doing fine, she was fine - then one day, she got wiggly and I clipped a bit into the 'quick'.

Since then, 'Princess' requires someone feeding her a treat or two while another uses the Dremel. With this process she loves getting her nails done now - but does require 2 people.

Same as others on baths here - very rare and then w/ baby shampoo and thorough rinse.

Check ears and clean after hunts, swimming a bunch, etc...


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## Spy Car (Sep 3, 2014)

Chester (my 6.5 month old) takes very well to a plain water shower which we always do after a beach day and frequently do after dog park days as my guy loves to play and wrestle and often gets saturated in dog slobber.

Vislas are almost stink-free, unless they are covered in dog slobber. The good news is they towel dry so quickly that a quick plain water shower is almost no effort. 

I'm with Bob on the Dremel for the toe-nails. I keep them short (as the evidence stacks up that it is more important than most people realize) and gently introducing a Dremel is a great way to avoid "trauma," while getting the job done.

Best wishes!

Bill


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