Hi all, a friend has informed me that my Dobermann is, well a bit smelly. I don't really like washing him to much as I suspect those natural oils on his coat are there for a good reason. Generally put him under the shower once every three months...any thought on if this is enough.

thanks

aldousjohn@hotmail.com

Do you groom your dog regularly?  Coats, even the sleekest and shortest of them, still require grooming to keep the skin healthy and coat clean and if both skin and coat are clean then there shouldn't be an obviously bad smell :)

Does your friend have a dog/s?  Perhaps if not then even the aroma of clean dog is offensive!

Sounds like enough washing to me. I would give his coat a good grooming once a week, one of the brushes with rubber bristles are good for smooth coats and they massage the skin too.

I'm assuming his food agrees with him and he is in good general condition? Sometimes dogs can get smelly breath, you could check his teeth to see if his gums are OK or there is any build up of tartar.

Does he 'scoot' after a poo? Blocked anal glands can be quite smelly too.
Otherwise, he's probably OK - unless he likes rolling in something disgusting of course :-)

> I would give his coat a good grooming once a week, one of the brushes with rubber bristles are good for smooth coats and they massage the skin too.

Oooo yes I thought the grooming mitts got a lot of hair off my boxer...until I got a Zoom Groom!!  Boy does that get a load of hair out and he seems to enjoy the 'massage' that comes with it.  I would recommend one to anyone with a short coated breed

Hi,

I think it's probably the case of an over sensitive nose on the part of my friend!

He does get groomed regularly but I use a nylon bristle brush that seems to work well. To put it another way the minute I pick it up he dashes over to me to be brushed: )

Thanks for your thoughts on this matter, J

aldousjohn@hotmail.com

My old cat loved the zoom groom aswell :-)

> grooming mitts

I used to have one of these too, thought they were good aswell,

> Zoom Groom!!

where can I buy this? I have not heard of it before have a Rotti and Mastiff x Boxer, would be ideal for their grooming needs.
Thanks
Diane

Diane, I use a zoom groom on my staffy (similar coat to boxer or a mastiff) but don't find it much good on my rottie.  On him I use a furminater to get out the dead undercoat and use a rubber slicker on the top coat.  the rubber slicker is similar to the zoom groom (i.e. rubber nodules) but seems to get more hair out than the zoom groom.

The zoom groom can be bought from PAH for about £5 if I remember correctly.  I have had mine for years and just wash it under the tap every so often.

I use Listerine diluted in water to clean the trousers of the giants...try that and a good groom with the zoom!