My labrador hates having a bath.  She adores the water but she will not allow me to shampoo her.  She has come back from the pet sitter who apparently does not smoke but when I picked her up everything smelt of smoke including my lovely dog.  I am nervous to shampoo her as I don't like to do this to often in fact not more than once or twice a year if it can be helped or if she has rolled in something really smelly!!!! but is there such a thing as a dry shampoo, something I can lather into her fur and then rinse off outside naturally or is there something non irritant that can be rubbed into her fur to take the awful smell of smoke away and clean her up?????
Any help would be really appreciated.
Thanks

I find the Plush Puppy Odour Muncher good getting rid of pongs on my dogs.

You will find it on http://www.plushpuppy.co.uk You can order by phone or online.

They also do non bath shampoo's but I haven't tried those.

Sandra

Its perfectly acceptable to  bath your dog more frequently than you do......and if your dog "wont allow" you, then you need to be a bit more assertive with your dog! :D  I wouldnt go for a dry bath....they are ok for cleaning spots of dirt, but not good for the whole dog. Bite the bullet and shampoo your dog! It does them no harm...( I have 2 afghans that get weekly baths)

I think it is fair to let your dog dictate what she will and will not allow you to do.........

when she pays the bills....... :D

:D

Labradors love water on their terms but not when the water and shampoo is there to clean ! :D

Just be firm with her and she will be fine ! :)

My girls love the out door hose ( thats what I keep telling them ! :) ) and occasional a shampoo if they are really filthy and stinky !

Lucy
xx

QVC do a metal disc thing called a zilo smell killer that works the same way as the 'metal' bars of soap that neutralise smells with no chemicals that are designed to get smell of fish, onions and garlic off your hands.  they are great and you can put them in house to absorb smells (great for smoke) and can hold it in your hand and wipe it over the dog.  cant do links but qvc address is www.qvcuk.com and you'l find it if you type in zilo.  They cost approx £15 inc p&p but last forever. HTH

It is not that she dictates to me whether she will or won't have a bath it is more the difficulty of trying to catch her when she knows she is going to have one and then also as she is really heavy it is really hard for me to lift her up and put her in the bath.  The last time I tried this I got her in and I got in with her fully clothed and she just kept on trying to jump out.  I tried tying the lead around the taps but she jumped out and nearly hung herself which totally freaked me out.  I think I am going to try taking her to my parents and using the out door hose as we don't have one she might be happier that way but I really also thought that you won't supposed to wash dogs more than once or twice a year unless really necessary as it strips the natural oils from the coat, is this not true then? 
I am going to check out the plush pets site and the qvc one also as these sound interesting although knowing desi she would probably eat the metal bar from qvc!

Hello! I would have similar probs with Leon if I tried to get him into the bath (cant lift him) but as he comes back from most walks with muddy legs if im lucky and having rolled in something stinky if im not, I have had to perfect the technique!! So as we dont have an outside tap I get a bucket of warm water with a squirt of doggy shampoo in it so it lathers up but hopefully doesnt ruin his coat, then stand out in the garden with his lead between my knees and pour it over him with a plastic jug. He used to get very stroppy about this but I have perservered and he now stands still and lets me get on with it, will even pick up his feet to have them dunked!! Might this work for you?

Thick cotton effect baby wipes do the job very well.  The perfumed ones leave a very faint scent as well.  All dogs love being rubbed and massaged with them.  Alternatively, you can buy dog wipes which are the same, but bigger and about 200% more expensive!  I took my pup to a show last week, and just before we left she came in from the garden filthy from a digging session.  In 5 minutes she was clean and sweet smelling.

but I really also thought that you won't supposed to wash dogs more than once or twice a year unless really necessary as it strips the natural oils from the coat, is this not true then?

Long haired show dogs get bathed at least once a week,sometimes twice!So i dont think your statement is quite correct :)

I used to have long haired dogs and i used to bath them once every one to two weeks,only because they loved rolling in things and swimming in the river.I never had a problem with their skin or coats.It's always a good idea to use a top quality "moisturising" shampoo.

Also it is advisable to bath some "allergy" dogs once weekly with whatever medicated shampoo is reccomended :)

>Long haired show dogs get bathed at least once a week,sometimes twice!So i dont think your statement is quite correct<

Really Frodo   Perhaps in your breed but certainly not in mine nor several other coated breeds .....  Soft, fly away coats lacking natural weather proofing are a HUGE no-no for many "long haired show dogs" ;)

Regards, Teri

My dog was exactly the same. Although I found some "bath wipes". Basically they're wipes in a packet and takes the dirt and smells off dogs great! I bought them from Wilkinsons but I'm sure you can buy them off the net. Hope this helps!

I used to bath my first dog outside using a basin full of water. Although she didn't like it at first she soon got used to the idea. Clean water came out of a bucket! Poured over her, but making sure I ran very fast immediately after :D All my other dogs are now done in the bath. Chance will even jump into the bath before I've got the shower set for him! ;)