Hi just wondered if any one can help with a bit of bathing temperature advice?

How hot is too hot and how cold is too cold? not sure what to do?

Expect it depends on the breed and how hardy they are.  Groomers will probably be along soon to advise you.  I know with my dog she absolutely hates baths which is a pity as she is a muck magnet :rolleyes:.  However, she seems to tolerate them better if they are tepid rather than warm.  It occurred to me that it wouldn't do her any harm to have a virtually cold bath as she enjoys jumping into freezing cold ponds etc

Sometimes she just gets the garden hose or as yesterday a bucket of water thrown over.

>It occurred to me that it wouldn't do her any harm to have a virtually cold bath as she enjoys jumping into freezing cold ponds etc

Good theory Cheryl :) but I can assure you that despite enjoying a swim in something she has broken the ice to get into my dog shivers like I am murdering her under a hand hot shower.  I do tend to keep it pretty cool though, too hot and she will be panting for ages after.  I think the main thing is to keep them in a nice warm room until they are thorough dry as bathing with shampoo does get right down to the skin whereas swimming, for a properly coated dog, doesn't drench them.

Yes, I agree about keeping them warm after.  The coat takes an age to dry and my dog doesn't have a long coat or thick coat like a Lab either.

My boy hated baths but was OK in the shower cubicle with me. I make sure the water is lukewarm. Of course after a few treats in an empty bath tub and splashing the water around to make a game of it I can't take a bath alone anymore. I always seem to end up with a 75 lb Goldie sitting in one end. He gets the taps though.

I got one of these towelling coats http://www.waggers.co.uk/WaggersSite/product/Exercise+%26+Outdoor+Fun%5FCoats+%26+Harnesses/5/063.htm. They sell them all over the place. It's great, he likes it and is warm and dry in a couple of hours.

hi there when you bath it should be luke warm water

Mine shiver if water is only luke warm.

Thanks for the advice she is only a puppy with a single coat. She absolutely hates baths. I've tried the me in the bath trick, not a great success! she seems to shiver but I'm concerned about heating the water too much.

Are you sure she's not shaking because she hates the bath rather than shivering because she is cold?  My dog shakes when we say "bath" before she's even got in.  She slinks away to hide and she continues to shake which I used to think was shivering.  However, once out of the bath, she shakes herself and her tail wags happily and she stops shaking.  I would expect her to start shivering but usually she doesn't.

My advice would be luke warm (test with wrist) then just make bath as quick as possible

Edit: just seen JG's post. I didn't mention it but I do towel dry my dog as best I can before she leaves the bathroom and also lay towels on the floor as she likes to rub herself along the floor.

My dogs have short, single coats, so I use tepid water when I bath them. Afterwards I rub them thoroughly with several towels (you can never have too many!) and keep them in the warm for a few hours till they're completely dry. The shivering is more likely to be caused by stress than cold.

Treat the dog like you were bathing a baby.

Use warm water, not too hot, not too cold.  Wet the dog all over, then wash using as little
shampoo as possible.  Thoroughly rinse off all shampoo, leaving the head till last.  That way you don't get an early bath as well.
To have Groomed the dog before this will also help the end product.
                                                                                              J.P.:rolleyes:

She continues to shiver for a while after, I wrap her in a towel, then use the hairdryer on cool. to dry her off. I think she may just hate the baths and the grooming. she hates being brushed through its a real struggle. Shes a toy dog with longish white fur!  Although we dont do her too regularly, So far about once every 4-6 weeks, its really horrible for me also as I feel so bad for her. I feel like I'm a bad person torturing her, bless the little thing.