I know it is winter now and my choccie lab has just got his new coat. In the summer it was so hot that I washed him with the hose and he dried within about 40 minutes. Now it has come to winter I have decided I will bath him but because it is quite cold outside I am not sure what to do with him. He isnt fond at all of the hairdryer and It is quite hard to towell dry him. Please could someone give some advice about how I should bath him and how I should dry him . Many Thanks, Claire.

With my short coated dog I bath him, put him outside to shake, then puts lots of layers of towels in his bed in a warm room.

i'm a soft touch-mine go in our en-suite shower whether its 26 or 6 degrees ! 

i can't imagine hosing will be a problem though-its the drying part.

luckily mine don't mind being dried. They've both been water babies since puppyhood, so they're used to being towel dried. I used to have to hold them by the collar with one hand, and rub them down with the other, but they just stand patiently now, waiting for their biccy. I've tried a hairdryer, but they're not having any of it.

i'd make a habit of towelling down now and then, and rewarding him so he gets used to it, then he might not be so antsy about it when you need to do it after a bath / downpour. Why not try towelling him while he's eating? If hes like mine, nothing will discourage him from food-he's a lab afterall!

I'm sticking Molly under the hose, it's only underneath and her armpits that get covered in mud, then she has a good shake and rub down with her towel and off to bed by the radiator!!

If it's bathing for a show, I put them in the bath and blow dry them on the table. If it's a question of them rolling in something, they get the hosepipe in the back garden!! At this time of year I obviously towel them off thoroughly afterwards though! :-)

My aunts dog died of phaumona (sp) after having the outside hose on him.  The vet said it was because the water from the outside tap was far colder than that of the inside tap and with it being colder outside as well. 
My lot have a lovely warm shower with lots of fluffy towels afterwards. :-)

I always bath my dogs in the bath!  The one's who don't like being blow dried have a dressing gown on that keeps them warm and comes off when they are dry! :)  They have it on more to stop the house from getting wet rather then keeping them warm :)

Id definately bath him rather than hose. A normal haridryer would take ages to dry a labrador coat and if your dog doesnt like it then i wouldnt use one. One idea is to wait for a nice day then you can put your dog outside after his bath or take them for a walk. Or use a towel  but make it sound fun and exciting! My dogs all love a towel dry because we give them lots of fuss! Its alot easier if you can get someone to help you bath your dog at home. Another idea would be to take your dog to a dog grooming salon and let someone else do the hard work for you! We get lots of Labradors at my salon who come in for not only a bath and dry but also de-shedding, nails and ears! Most groomers are used to nervous dogs who dont like dryers and will use various tactics to get around the problem. Hope thats helped.

I worked out the hose was as good as anything after watching mine break through the ice on a cattle trough on a cold and icy morning.  They love cold water.  Just because it's January and there's snow on the ground, that doesn't stop them jumping in the river on their walk.

Admittedly, they aren't so keen on being hosed with it, but their kennel is dry and there is plenty of bedding to roll in!  My springer loves to be towel dried and is always first in the queue for the hose because he knows what comes next.

molly is only under the hose for 10 - 15 seconds, it's just to get the mud of her as she wallows in it when we are out, i agree that if she can go in very cold water when she is out then a short spell under the hose won't hurt,and she is dried efficiently with towels, HOWEVER, if i was bathing her properly, shampoo & set stuff, then i have a friend who has a shower in her utility area just for her dogs and we do use this as it's much warmer for a longer proper wash.

Neither a bath or a hose.  best thing is a big watering can and then you can fill to a nice temperature inside and use it outside.  is great with a good rose head on - like a deluxe outside shower.  My golden loves it.  Then a quick shake dry and and a nice lie down in front of the fire.

Hose everytime for my chocolate girls :D

Especially like yesterday when Dudley decided to roll in a fresh cow pat

They shake off then go onto their vet bed next to the radiator ;)

Lucy
xx

I'd be interested to know how often people bath their dogs too. Only I've never been a great believer in too many baths although since I've got a short-coated JRT his bathing needs are less than some other breeds anyway. I also don't show him!

I don't bath my dog as a rule, last time was in March when she was moulting really badly and it just helped get rid of the last loose hairs. I have to hose/wipe her down every day as she's a great dog for mud and bogs and it doesn't look good on the walls! I don't show my dog either.

>I'd be interested to know how often people bath their dogs too

As infrequently as possible!! Two big hairy lumps means bathtime is far from fun and I inevitably end up at least as wet as the dogs :rolleyes: and I am now familiar with the taste of a variety of doggy shampoos....

Although, as the boy lists rolling in anything icky among his hobbies, bathtime can often be several times a week

One of my dals, now 6 years old, had his first (and only) bath when he was 4. He's the only one who's never been shown, so never had to be 'sparkling' clean!

Bathing, when done proberly should affect the dogs coat/skin I was once told.  However saying that our setters are bathed for every champ show/club show and open shows if they are dirty!  The old boy now only shown 2-3 times a year has a bath every 2 months.  he is getting old and starting to smell quicker and dosn't have the bath's the other's do.  Because his not shown it does take less time as he can dry fully in his dressing gown and doesn't need to go on the grooming table at all :)

I enquired to get Blue bathed (thats it) by the same lady who does our Goldie (he gets bathed and clipped for 25 quid) which isnt bad considering his very hairy and takes ages to dry! But she quoted me 20 quid for my Blue and his not even fully grown yet!! Now he dont take 5 mins to rub down and dry so i thought stuff that, il do it myself!! lol
So with a little help from my mum, i take him out the back and mix up some warm water in a big bucket and use a measuring jug to wet him down (i use johnsons baby shampoo) then rinse, bring him in, get him to lay down on a towel, rub him down and thats that! Takes about 15 mins max! (and saves me 20 quid) :D

I bath mine about every six weeks on average.  Am I mad?  She gets so muddy underneath, we do hose her down but it's only after a bath that she looks sparkly and the white fur really comes up white.

I bath Blue about every 6 - 8 weeks, when he starts to smell a bit smeggy! :)

In answer to Roz, I have a border terrier (no show) and he gets one bath a year under protest and he sulks for the rest of the year until the next one :D

CG

PS sometimes the groomer does it if he's particularly pongy, but he doesn't roll in stuff and he only really smells of "dog".

Ours get the hose too, they are gun dogs and bred to seim in icy water. However I do give them a good rub with a towel and keep them warm whilst they dry off. If Im out and about I have found the best method if they are really muddy is to let them dry out in the back of the car and then just brush (at least that way it is confined to one place :rolleyes: ). I never use shampoo on them it tends to break down the natural oils and stop them being so water proof and easy to clean, anyway who wants a fluffy lab?