How Often do you Bathe your dogs??
- Thread starter MavRyder
- Start date
Thank you for the feedback.
I have different regimes for each dog. As Revel has aged, he has developed a greasier coat which is particuarly noticable when he is moulting. I would probably do him between 4-6 times a year. If he is being shown at a major show (rarely now) he gets a bath a week to 10 days before which allows the coat to 'recover' but not (hopefully) get dirty. After bathing for a few days the hair is soft and silky and not the correct texture for a sheltie which should be harsher - hence the recovery period. Always before a show I wash the white areas, legs, chest and tummy etc and I have a special 'blue' shampoo for whites which I save for Crufts as it is rather pricey! It always sounds like I'm doing the laundry when I say I'm going to "wash the whites!"
Epic, the younger tri boy is a dirt magnet! I'm sure he was born to be a working dog as he is forever plastered in mud and where the other shelties will skirt round a puddle, Epic ploughs straight through! However, because he is younger he doesn't have the greasy coat issues that Revel has so generally I just clean the dirt off as best I can with a bowl of water for feet and cloth and let the rest drop or get brushed off when dry.
Now I am going to horrify everyone and admit that Yogi has probably only had about five baths in his entire life!
He last was bathed after his operation about March 2011! 
He has the same feet and whites cleaning as the others but he has the most amazing coat which never seems to get dirty. When I did bath him, it was the first time in about two years and the water came off almost clean! He has amazing skin and no doggy smell and when in coat, it is massive. His coat always feels clean to touch as well. I guess he is just one of those natural dogs. He has what I would describe as a dry coat where as the tris are more oily.
Of shelties in general, I've noticed that sables seem to shed more hair than tris for some reason - either that or the tri-colour hair is less noticable...
Because we live in a rural area they mostly only encounter 'clean' dirt which probably helps as does natural washing when they go out in the rain. They are brushed usually once a week which is a 'deep brushing' and takes about an hour per dog. They lay on their sides on the grooming table so often fall asleep - apart from Epic who hasn't mastered that yet. Trimming is generally when necessary, always a week to 10 days before a show but for maintainance when I notice it needs doing and I hate shaggy feet so tend to keep quite on top of this. Epic and Revel hardly ever need their back feet nails cutting and not much off the front ones either but Yogi has always had long quicks which makes keeping his feet looking decent difficult as he has naturally long nails.
I have heard that frequent bathing can actually make shelties shed more and factors like central heating etc can make it worse. Some foods I think can also be a contributory factor. I have used a product called Yumega (for Revel) which seems to help with a healthy coat but I don't know whether it is sold in the States. Cod liver oil/fish oil products might help reduce excessive shedding too.
Epic, the younger tri boy is a dirt magnet! I'm sure he was born to be a working dog as he is forever plastered in mud and where the other shelties will skirt round a puddle, Epic ploughs straight through! However, because he is younger he doesn't have the greasy coat issues that Revel has so generally I just clean the dirt off as best I can with a bowl of water for feet and cloth and let the rest drop or get brushed off when dry.
Now I am going to horrify everyone and admit that Yogi has probably only had about five baths in his entire life!
He last was bathed after his operation about March 2011! He has the same feet and whites cleaning as the others but he has the most amazing coat which never seems to get dirty. When I did bath him, it was the first time in about two years and the water came off almost clean! He has amazing skin and no doggy smell and when in coat, it is massive. His coat always feels clean to touch as well. I guess he is just one of those natural dogs. He has what I would describe as a dry coat where as the tris are more oily.Of shelties in general, I've noticed that sables seem to shed more hair than tris for some reason - either that or the tri-colour hair is less noticable...
Because we live in a rural area they mostly only encounter 'clean' dirt which probably helps as does natural washing when they go out in the rain. They are brushed usually once a week which is a 'deep brushing' and takes about an hour per dog. They lay on their sides on the grooming table so often fall asleep - apart from Epic who hasn't mastered that yet. Trimming is generally when necessary, always a week to 10 days before a show but for maintainance when I notice it needs doing and I hate shaggy feet so tend to keep quite on top of this. Epic and Revel hardly ever need their back feet nails cutting and not much off the front ones either but Yogi has always had long quicks which makes keeping his feet looking decent difficult as he has naturally long nails.
I have heard that frequent bathing can actually make shelties shed more and factors like central heating etc can make it worse. Some foods I think can also be a contributory factor. I have used a product called Yumega (for Revel) which seems to help with a healthy coat but I don't know whether it is sold in the States. Cod liver oil/fish oil products might help reduce excessive shedding too.
I have different regimes for each dog. As Revel has aged, he has developed a greasier coat which is particuarly noticable when he is moulting. I would probably do him between 4-6 times a year. If he is being shown at a major show (rarely now) he gets a bath a week to 10 days before which allows the coat to 'recover' but not (hopefully) get dirty. After bathing for a few days the hair is soft and silky and not the correct texture for a sheltie which should be harsher - hence the recovery period. Always before a show I wash the white areas, legs, chest and tummy etc and I have a special 'blue' shampoo for whites which I save for Crufts as it is rather pricey! It always sounds like I'm doing the laundry when I say I'm going to "wash the whites!"
Epic, the younger tri boy is a dirt magnet! I'm sure he was born to be a working dog as he is forever plastered in mud and where the other shelties will skirt round a puddle, Epic ploughs straight through! However, because he is younger he doesn't have the greasy coat issues that Revel has so generally I just clean the dirt off as best I can with a bowl of water for feet and cloth and let the rest drop or get brushed off when dry.
Now I am going to horrify everyone and admit that Yogi has probably only had about five baths in his entire life!
Of shelties in general, I've noticed that sables seem to shed more hair than tris for some reason - either that or the tri-colour hair is less noticable...
Because we live in a rural area they mostly only encounter 'clean' dirt which probably helps as does natural washing when they go out in the rain. They are brushed usually once a week which is a 'deep brushing' and takes about an hour per dog. They lay on their sides on the grooming table so often fall asleep - apart from Epic who hasn't mastered that yet. Trimming is generally when necessary, always a week to 10 days before a show but for maintainance when I notice it needs doing and I hate shaggy feet so tend to keep quite on top of this. Epic and Revel hardly ever need their back feet nails cutting and not much off the front ones either but Yogi has always had long quicks which makes keeping his feet looking decent difficult as he has naturally long nails.
I have heard that frequent bathing can actually make shelties shed more and factors like central heating etc can make it worse. Some foods I think can also be a contributory factor. I have used a product called Yumega (for Revel) which seems to help with a healthy coat but I don't know whether it is sold in the States. Cod liver oil/fish oil products might help reduce excessive shedding too.
OK maybe that is my problem. I only brush each dog for 10 minutes. Ryder has a beautiful thick shiny coat with long hair. Mavericks coat is thin and the texture is very different than Ryder s. Mavericks hair grows much shorter and kind of sticks up. Maverick could be mixed with border collie so maybe that is why his hair is so different. He sheds more and gets knots easier.
I don't have a backyard, so, Mr Beau doesn't get all that dirty so maybe once every three months. I do brush him daily, and I make sure to get his nails and paw pads done every month.
This boy gets more pawdiclaws and haircuts more than I do.
I know mine too.
Shelby's mom
Forums Enthusiast
We also have an all terrain pup. And our yard becomes a swamp when it rains, oh yeah she also loves to chase the trains when they go by so you can only imagine what she looks like after chasing the trains in the rain
I bought this item called the paw plunger. It looks like a big coffee cup with an insert that has brushes on it. I fill it with some water and a little shampoo. Put her feet in it and move it up and down so the brushes clean ber feet. It works great and because it is so big it covers a lot of her leg. Towl her off and we are done.
I bathe her every month or two. She is brushed once or twice a week. One of those is a thorough deep brushing. I always give her a good brushing before visiting the nursing home. I just have her lay across my lap to brush her. It is great bonding time and it also allows me to really check her out. Shelby has a beautiful coat and I compliments all the time. Our vet even asked where I took her to be groomed and they were shocked when I said I did it.
Nails grow quick. I trim them every week or two, and they still are longer than I like. Feet get trimmed whenever they look lime mops.
I bought this item called the paw plunger. It looks like a big coffee cup with an insert that has brushes on it. I fill it with some water and a little shampoo. Put her feet in it and move it up and down so the brushes clean ber feet. It works great and because it is so big it covers a lot of her leg. Towl her off and we are done.I bathe her every month or two. She is brushed once or twice a week. One of those is a thorough deep brushing. I always give her a good brushing before visiting the nursing home. I just have her lay across my lap to brush her. It is great bonding time and it also allows me to really check her out. Shelby has a beautiful coat and I compliments all the time. Our vet even asked where I took her to be groomed and they were shocked when I said I did it.
Nails grow quick. I trim them every week or two, and they still are longer than I like. Feet get trimmed whenever they look lime mops.
We also have an all terrain pup. And our yard becomes a swamp when it rains, oh yeah she also loves to chase the trains when they go by so you can only imagine what she looks like after chasing the trains in the rain
I bathe her every month or two. She is brushed once or twice a week. One of those is a thorough deep brushing. I always give her a good brushing before visiting the nursing home. I just have her lay across my lap to brush her. It is great bonding time and it also allows me to really check her out. Shelby has a beautiful coat and I compliments all the time. Our vet even asked where I took her to be groomed and they were shocked when I said I did it.
Nails grow quick. I trim them every week or two, and they still are longer than I like. Feet get trimmed whenever they look lime mops.
The groomer just does such a better job than me. I dont do nails too nervous! Maverick used to let hubby do it. We did it a lot when he was a puppy so he would be used to it. All of a sudden at two he took a fit! so we leave it to groomer, every 5 weeks. Ryder lets hubby do his nails.
Mally's Mom
Forums Enthusiast
Ryder was like that with the brush too until I got a grooming table two years back. Best investment I ever made and much easier on my back. Now he jumps up on the table after Maverick is done waiting his turn.They know they are going to get treats when they are both done. Last night was the first time I used a blow dryer on him and I was shocked at how well behaved he was.
Yes, shelties do know when the treats are coming!
They know the order of things, don't they?
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
I can go anywhere from 2 to 4 months between baths. Lately its been more often (well, duh, I have a groomer who works for me!). They really don't need more than that, if you are brushing them out properly between baths. Personally, I've sworn off most leave-in products for my dogs, except for a super highly diluted Ice on Ice or Naked Care (I really like this one, btw) Anything more and it just creates build up and therefore more bathing.
A good warm bath though is a good way to blow thick pants, but again, you really shouldn't neeed that more than a few times per year.
Nails really should be done every 2 to 4 weeks, regardless of your bathing schedule.
Also regular brush outs really do make the dogs coats shinier and healthier without the need for baths. All you are doing is distributing their natural oils. So before you fill up the tub or rush to the groomer, try a brush out instead, spritzing the coat with either plain water or a super diluted conditioner.
Even a dirty dog, I've discovered does not need a bath. Just a place to dry out with destroying your furniture. Everytime my boys have gotten into mud at the cottage, if I just let it dry out, it flakes off my itself. No bath required!
My tuppence worth
A good warm bath though is a good way to blow thick pants, but again, you really shouldn't neeed that more than a few times per year.
Nails really should be done every 2 to 4 weeks, regardless of your bathing schedule.
Also regular brush outs really do make the dogs coats shinier and healthier without the need for baths. All you are doing is distributing their natural oils. So before you fill up the tub or rush to the groomer, try a brush out instead, spritzing the coat with either plain water or a super diluted conditioner.
Even a dirty dog, I've discovered does not need a bath. Just a place to dry out with destroying your furniture. Everytime my boys have gotten into mud at the cottage, if I just let it dry out, it flakes off my itself. No bath required!
My tuppence worth