Hi,

Just so I give you all the correct information to make your oppinion. I have a little Patterdale Terrier.
He is in the middle of wire hair and short hair (if that makes sense) lol :)

As you know, Terriers like to run around into bushes, roll around in the mud (which is easily brushed out) and jump into any puddle that is around. I always towel dry him off when we get home and give him a good brush, but he tends to get that Dog smell quite regularly. At the moment I bath him about every 3 or 4 weeks. Is this too often?

I dont want to be overdoing it with him, any help would be grand! :D

Oh, incase anyone was wondering, I bathe him in Johnsons baby shampoo. The vet reccomended it as it would be gentler than ordinary shampoo, and dog shampoo. Is this correct? :)

Don't know how old your dog is, Gonzo - but have you thought about just giving a wipe over with baby wipes?   Unless s/he is revoltingly dirty, wouldn't bath too often.

Margot

Hi, Gonzo is 1 year old. I have though about that, but he rolls in poo, and he wee's over his front legs at times, whether this is normal or not I dont know. How often is too often though?

Anyone help with this at all? :)

I bath my shih-tzu's once a week,like your dog they both like rolling in gross things and love to play in the mud.
Your vet needs his fingers slapped.Do not use baby shampoo or any other human shampoo or conditioner,humans have a different skin p.h than dogs and using the baby shampoo will quickly dry your dogs coat out.Find yourself a good puppy shampoo and if you are going to bath frequently use a conditioner aswell.
The bottom line is you can bath your dog as often as he needs it but make sure to use a decent conditioner,you can also dilute the conditioner in a spray bottle and use this inbetween baths whilst brushing.

If you need anymore info dont hesitate to ask.

christine(australia)

Bath only when you have to, I think you are bathing far to often for a wire haired/course coated dog, only use dog shampoo. Wipe or brush off dirt, legs and feet can be washed in a bowl without the chemicals used in shampoo, just water should do the job. The more you wash a dogs coat the more it will become easier to get soiled, the coat should be allowed to develop it's natural protection, when it does you will be able to wipe it clean with a damp cloth or brush the mud away. Give it a try let the coat do what it is designed to do, protect the dog from wet and dirt. If nothing else over bathing can cause the skin to become attacked by fungi and then you are into a circle of washing because the dogs skin smells and the washing increases the fungal attack. You also need to keep the coat well groomed of course.

I've never had a problem following this routine,it's a neccesity if you have long haired dogs and still want to let them be dogs.

christine

Thanks very much for your views on this. :D

But Christine the posters dog is a terrier with a semi wire hair, I did not and was not talking about long hair in my post but will now and say IMO every 3 weeks is probably too often for the dogs well being, when a rub down and groom would do in most cases. You may live in a particularly dirty area, where as I do not recall when I last bathed my dogs and they are neither dirty to touch nor do they smell, they do not scratch or have any skin troubles. Everyone will do as is needed but this poster is not showing the dog and asked for advice and in general I would not recommend bathing at such frequent intervals.

Hi Jackie :)

No, im not showing him, cant even if I wanted to :( lol

I dont know why, but he does get quite smelly. Most of the time when he goes for a wee, he carry's on weeing as he's walking, its highly embarrasing ;) I think it may be because he is little, and picks up for grime from the road as were a larger dog would not.

Thanks for the advice on the shampoo, I shall be having a word with my vet, he has given me some bad information in the past, and this is now the last straw.

Ben (and smelly Gonzo :D)
:D

I may be because he is young, my pup does the same thing but you can just rinse the pups legs and belly with warm water and that should stop any smell. If the smell is that bad I think he may have an infection, perhaps you should take a sample into your vet, or your new vet :)

The reason I think your dogs urin should not smell is that my males are inclined to cock their legs on the bitch and although it stains it does not smell, it just runs of the coat and because the coat is waterproof, just a sponge will remove it from the surface. Just give it a try because I think you will find that once his coat has had a chance to build up a proper and natural dressing anything on the coat will just brush off. Water will not remove the natural oils, shampoo will.

Jackie,

Mayeb I am going over the top about the smell. It's not that bad for me to think there is an infection. It is just a wet dog kind of smell if you like. It rains alot here, so he gets wet quite often, maybe thats why he smells?

Thanks for your advice though, I will be trying this in future!

Regards

Ben :)

My 9 month old double coated pup has had one bath in her life, and that was before her first show at 6 months as she had got rather clay stained throughout the winter wet walks.

Her Mum had a bath a few weeks ago hoping to shift a dying coat (in fact it sisn't work and it is all coming out now)  Prior to that she was last bathed last year about this time, and she had a litter in September.

The more a dog is bathed the more it needs it.  In my breed in the US people bath their dogs before every show, but the dogs do not then exhibit th3e correct coat texture,a dn ti stands off rather than being close and thick and weather resistant, they also trim, and one really ahs to adjust ones eye when looking at photographs to imagine them looking natural.

I think the point here is that different coat types require different regimes. I own elks the same as Brainless and Jackie H.We bath only when neccessary otherwise the coat texture is spoiled.
If I were you I would not bath him for at least 6 months and see what happens.This will allow the coat to recover its natural oils and harshness and you may be suprised.When you do HAVE to bath then use a dog shampoo specifically for harsh/coarse coated breeds.If the dog rolls in something unpleasant then use a sponge to clean theaffected area instead of bathing the whole dog and if hes still urinating up his legs then stand him in the bath and just wash his legs...after all he can't be weeing on his head or back so don't was them.
Archer

I have to do just that with one of my cavaliers Archer He pees not on his legs but his tummy hair because he doesn't lift his leg high enough :( i wish the next oldest could give him lessons as he has never done this & was cocking his leg from age 11 weeks

I have to say Christine that I too have Shih Tzus (in full show coat) and I also bathe them at least once a week.  If there are shows they are also bathed before each show.  However I do on occasion bathe them in baby shampoo.  I have never found it a problem.  I always use baby shampoo for their faces.  I also use a "human" leave in conditioner that is sprayed on them when they are being blow dried.  They all have fabulous coats that are in very good condition. It works for me.

I have cavaliers & they are always bathed before shows(they wear Drycoats sfterwards) & if they haven't been to a show for a month or so they have a full In between shows they sometimes have their whites & ears washed if they get a bit smelly My 4 year old stays clean for about a day as he just loves digging, but as long as he is happy I don't mind him looking a bit grubby

Their coloured coats are always gleaming tho' even if the whites are slightly grubby I like them to enjoy themselves unlike some cavalier people who never let their dogs out to play for fear of getting them dirty :O

Hi Christine,  I am afraid your point about the different PH between dog and human skins, and "people" shampoos being unsuitable for dogs is a common misconception, probably put about by the dog shampoo manufacturers!  There is a slight difference in thePh levels of the skins, but the only real difference between doggy shampoos and human ones is that a lot of doggy shampoos are made from cheapest ingredients, with very high concentrations of detergent!  We had a whole lot of shampoos analysed ourselves, and the lab said that they were either identical (just repackaged versions, often of bulk buy "hairdresser only" mixes, or cheap detergent with colour and perfumes added.  NOthing special in  any to allow for PH levels etc.  On one of the advanced groomer papers there is a question about this too, and a lot of groomers (especially in the USA) have compiled lists of the different ingredients of both human and animal shampoos.  Using a quality shampoo, dog or human, which suits you dogs coat is fine.  Generally, the trade ones available at shows are much, much better than the pet shop sort.  I always bathe my pups with Johnsons baby, and recomend my puppy buyers to coninue with it for a while.  It is gentle and very easy to rinse out.

I do agree with the posts about frequent washing for long coated breeds, at least once per week is essential (we do our show dogs once every 5 days, possibly every 3 days if parti colours) however, conditoning is essential.  However, with a harsh coated dog this would totally ruin the coat texture, of course. 

Bye Gwen

So using Johnsons baby shampoo is ok then? Good, dont like to think ive been doing something terribly wrong here, lol :)
His coat is lovely, shiney and healthy. I will try the wipes as suggested earlier on in the thread, that sounds much better idea than washing him all the time. He isnt a outside dog, and I dont think I could/would let him go as long as some of you have suggested without a bath, as he sleeps on our bed! :)

Thanks for all you thoughts and oppinions though

Regards

Ben
:D

Forgot to add, I towel dry him, then use a dryer on him and he is still really wet. Is it ok to use a dryer?

Yes a dryer is fine, but as some of us have said with the sort of coat he has he should have a waterproof coat and a rub with a towel will dry him when he comes in from out side. Can put a hose on mine and a good shake and the are dry as the water does not reach the skin or undercoat at all. However the shampoo will remove the ability of the coat to be waterproof and also self cleaning, but it is of course up to you.

I have always used Johnson's baby on Millie's face, after my sister was given that advice by her vet years ago.  I also used to use Head and Shoulders for Millie too which was also on the advice of her vet for her dog but stopped that after getting told off here lol.;-)

I'm interested in the amount of people using conditioner.  I always thought this was a doggy no-no, but (and some people will yawn here at having heard about this so often) Millie has an itchiness problem and has white flakes right through her back from having dry skin (she's a Scottie btw - breed prone to dandruff).

I am currently using Quistel shampoo (and lotion) on her but it hasn't helped her itchiness yet - but this is possibly because I am trying to cut down the amount of baths she has in case that was affecting it.

Non-doggy family members have suggested using conditioner after bathing her due to her obvious dry skin but as I said, I thought it was a doggy no-no so i haven't but I think I shall start.  My question would be though is this a good idea when using Quistel?  In other words, would using conditioner after a Quistel bath be a bonus for her coat, or would it be disadvatageous as I've also heard it told that once you start using Quistel you shouldn't ever stop and use a regular product as it counteracts the effectiveness.

Hmm I think I may try conditioner anyway, probably a human leave-in conditioner as I have lots of bottles that I use.  Here's a thought - what about Loreal Kids tangle tamer - these are light conditioner based products and Millie often gets tangles and is difficult to brush...has anyone used this or a similar product on their dog or am I getting silly now...;-)