# How often do you groom?



## EastBayer

Milo is 11.5 weeks and we haven't done the wet warm towel thing yet. The messiest she has gotten so far was yesterday when we hiked a dusty fire road and splashed in some water. She was on a towel in a crate in the car on the way home and by the time she got out, looked as clean as she did before we left so was never cleaned up. Of course she still has that awesome puppy smell but should I do a weekly or every-other-week type of grooming?

Or do you just groom when they get dirty?

Also, what is your grooming set-up in the car after a hike in the outdoors? We plan to just bring an extra clean towel when we do more hikes for when we take her back in the car. I saw some people say to check for ticks with some sort of gadget before taking them in the car. We do not have a mud room but have a hose by the entry way. I know it's just common sense but wanted to know what you guys do. You wouldn't believe how much advice I've gotten on this forum just from lurking! Hope I can contribute more as time goes by.


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## Oquirrh the V

I give Oquirrh a bath maybe every 4 months, if that. I hike with him several times a week. I usually don't wipe him down after a hike. He will occassionally come home dirty, by the next day, he looks/smells clean. If he starts to get a dirty smell, I bathe him. I have no grooming routine. One thing, be careful with hosing your pup down. I did this once to Oquirrh's paws after getting into some really sticky gunk and he is now afraid of the hose.  As for after hikes, he has his own blanket laid on the back seat of my car, I just pull the blanket out when it needs to be washed. When Oq was younger he did get a rash under his legs from lingering dirt. The rash went away quickly after being washed.


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## R E McCraith

at the end of a hike or hunting day - tall grass & a V running through it - works every time - if you need to wash the pup - a high quality pup shampoo with no scent - a V needs the essential oils they produce to protect their skin and coat - maybe a bath 3-4 times a year - if you need more than that you are not working the pup


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## redbirddog

Only after a skunk attack or a late mud bath during a walk. Otherwise ponds on our walks work just fine. A dog shampoo and rinse takes all of 5 minutes.

Hope to see you on a trail soon. I walk the East Bay hills a lot.

RBD


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## threefsh

We rarely bathe Riley. She loves to swim in the creeks/ponds on our hikes so I count that as a "bath". 

Yesterday, she found a large 1 foot chunk of dead seal on the beach and ROLLED in it.  Bath time!


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## mswhipple

Oh, yuk!! If it was only a one foot chunk, how could you be sure it was from a seal? Anyhow... yeah, definitely bath time!! ;D

I give Willie a bath twice a year, Spring and Fall. My sister helps me. We do it in her driveway, using a garden hose. She has hot and cold running water going to that exterior faucet, so Willie gets a nice, lukewarm bath and thorough rinse. 

Then between his twice-yearly baths, I brush him about once a week with a rubber curry brush. He loves that, and it eliminates most shedding.


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## datacan

I always washed Sam in the laundry tub when he was small. Rinsed his feet after walks and generally rinsed the mud off his coat. He has never had a skin rash or any allergy. Dust, pollen, mud may eventually irritate their delicate skin. If Sam goes for a swim in a lake, he will get washed. 
We allow him to sleep with us (sometimes) since he has been trained enough already ... his companions, the cat, and a nine week old spaniel cross girl are clean by default.


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## threefsh

mswhipple said:


> Oh, yuk!! If it was only a one foot chunk, how could you be sure it was from a seal? Anyhow... yeah, definitely bath time!! ;D


She did the usual shoulder drop on an unidentified object in the sand... as she kept rolling, I noticed a large piece of something was being uncovered that had spotted FUR on it. We looked farther down the beach and saw a large, dead, bloated seal with half of its skin missing....  (Where's the puking emoticon when I need it?)


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## mswhipple

HA-HA-HA-Ha-ha!! OMG!! Don't these dogs give us a lot of laughs?! I mean, really... ;D ;D


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## EastBayer

Re: dead seal: Oh good lord.

Thank you for all the feedback! I look forward to meeting you all in person soon, too!


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## Ozkar

In the last 12 months I have NEVER bathed my dogs. They do not smell and are not dirty (they sleep in bed with me, so i wouldn't put up with smelly or dirty dogs). The reason.... refer to REM's and RBD's posts!!


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## harrigab

I gave Ruby a bath when she was a young pup, maybe 12 weeks old. She didn't like it so she's not had one since. She does get to run around in a lot of tall grass and cornfields though and typically in UK it's usually wet!. I've got an equine grooming brush that I occasionally use to give her a brush but not very often tbh.


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## Darcy1311

We have just come back from a holiday in Scotland and for a week Darcy been running through all the heather on the hills...you should see her coat it is so shiny and smooth with all the heather....saying that I like to brush her once a week with a rubber grooming mit, she comes up a treat..


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## lilyloo

Ruby had a bath almost weekly when she was younger and not holding her pee while in the crate. She'd come out of her crate smelly like no other. 

We have a high quality all natural pup shampoo that works wonderful. http://www.amazon.com/Earthbath-Nat...&qid=1347370193&sr=8-1&keywords=puppy+shampoo

A lot of reviews said they used it for dogs with skin allergies and it helped a lot.
Ruby has never shown any irritation or dryness from it, even when she was getting the weekly baths.


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## hotmischief

I have just done a lot of research into skin allergies and talking to several vets.

One thing that was bought up quite a lot is you should not bath a dog(any dog) too frequently as you remove the natural oils from its coat and this quite frequently causes skin itching. 

The other thing I learnt from my vet is not to use human shampoo on a dog as it is the wrong ph level and can cause itching.

So there you go - I have only bathed my 8 month old once, he is in and out of a nice clean lake daily so I hope this cleans him up. If he gets muddy else where he gets a good towelling. I think it is much more important to keep their bedding clean.


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