[the_discowhore]

How do you keep them clean without bathing every week?

Every week, without fail, Elsie finds something disgusting to roll in. So every week since I've had she has had a bath- it can't be good for her skin! She had a bath about 4 days ago after rolling in something dead, today I was silly enough to throw out some stinky water from flowers that had been sitting around too long, 10 seconds later Elsie comes tearing into the house wet and covered in fetid water and plant goop so has had yet another bath... There must be a better way! I have some small animal dry shampoo for the bunnies, but it really doesn't work all that well on puppy covered in duck poop. Are there any really nice, gentle shampoos meant for regular use? I don't mind bathing her often as she is good to bathe, but I don't want to upset her skin. She looks fine at the moment, but I do worry about her too much...

 

[Sam1491]

How do you keep them clean without bathing every week?

Every week, without fail, Elsie finds something disgusting to roll in. So every week since I've had she has had a bath- it can't be good for her skin! She had a bath about 4 days ago after rolling in something dead, today I was silly enough to throw out some stinky water from flowers that had been sitting around too long, 10 seconds later Elsie comes tearing into the house wet and covered in fetid water and plant goop so has had yet another bath... There must be a better way! I have some small animal dry shampoo for the bunnies, but it really doesn't work all that well on puppy covered in duck poop. Are there any really nice, gentle shampoos meant for regular use? I don't mind bathing her often as she is good to bathe, but I don't want to upset her skin. She looks fine at the moment, but I do worry about her too much...

There are some dog dry shampoos which work better than the small animal ones but if its poop, yes from personal experince as well not to well on that.

I would look for an extra mild shampoo that will lessen the chance of drying out her skin and overstripping her hair when used often, or see what you could do with a curry comb style brush or bath mit with the dry shampoo's, if maybe a better scrubbing tool than the usual towel would be.

Good luck!

 

[PatchworkRobot]

I use baby wipes :] The off-brands aren't ridiculously expensive, usually

 

[eegreen]

I love the Miracle Coat spray-on waterless shampoo. It has tea tree oil and it smells wonderful.

 

[o0 sHaDoWoLf 0o]

I use baby wipes and the shampoo I use is so gentle you can rinse them off in a lake if you want and have it not be harmful to other animals. Its called Earth Bath, I use the puppy shampoo. Puppy Shampoo :: earthbath® - totally natural pet care I bought mine from amazon

 

[mmctaq]

I know a lot of folks with itchy, ouchy allergy dogs that have said that this Epi-Soothe Shampoo For Cats, Dogs & Horses: Pet Shampoo - 1800PetMeds can be used every day without causing problems. I just Googled and pulled up any link... I suspect you can hunt and find a better price.

Thanks, Shadowolf, for mentioning the Earth Bath! I bought a bottle of this some years ago, stuck it in the closet and promptly forgot I had it LOL! Maybe I will get around to giving the dog a bath one of these days, and give it a try... provided I don't forget about it again in the meantime.

 

[Hank]

I dunno if she rolls in nasty filth poo you probably dont have much of a choice other than bathing her lol


Baby wipes
heard rubbing the dog with dryer sheets if the dog just stinks
Or just using a drop of shampoo on a wet towel and rubbing the dog with it

Earth Bath is a good shampoo. Petsmart used to carry it, was mad when they stopped.

Right now I am using Double K - Emerald Black
Love Double K but want to try somthing new.

Ones I havent tried but have heard good things about
Envirogroom Hypo Active
Quadruped
Show Season
Green Groom

What type of water you have is a big factor too.

Also diluting the shampoo and not using it straight can help.

 

[Darkevs]

as you know i rarely if ever bath my dogs.

when they get wet, dirty and muddy, I just towell them off and let them finish drying naturally and the dirt/mud just fallsoff and they shine again.

the exception would be Pearl, who like your Elsie seeks out the smellies to roll in.....dead deer carcass......squished slugs, bear poo and the likes.

she occasionally gets an outside bath....buckets of warm water, one mixed with a little old fashioned liquid olive oil soap, Dr. Bronners ( aloe vera or rosemary).....the other with rinse water with a little ACV and a herbal 'tea' of skin friendly herbs added.

 

[stryker2]

Look into this product called Earthbath wipes. They are great.

 

[Herb2relax]

I use baby shampoo. For Kyrah a lot of the time I just rinse her off with no soap. But she isnt stinky just dusty.

 

[mmctaq]

Right before Christmas a couple three years ago, all of Cyberdobes was buying this (and also the human products) for Christmas gifts for dog friends: SlickNShine K-9 Soap. Everybody raved and raved about what amazing products they are... how clean and shiny and beee-utiful it gets dog coats. I did buy a bar, but I haven't used it yet (it's in the same closet with the Earth Bath I haven't used yet, either). Someday, I guess I might want to wash the dog LOL!

 

[the_discowhore]

I did buy a bar, but I haven't used it yet (it's in the same closet with the Earth Bath I haven't used yet, either). Someday, I guess I might want to wash the dog LOL!

Hey, just be thankful you don't have a filthy mutt

Today's effort was a big pile of bird poop... Managed to sponge that off, but she won't be climbing in bed with me tomorrow morning hah..

 

[Amelia_]

You could also try using an air horn when she goes the roll in something, works for me!

 

[mmctaq]

Hey, just be thankful you don't have a filthy mutt

I AM!!! I have owned one dog who had a preference for Eau de Skunk, and would get skunked at every opportunity... that was bad. At the same time, I owned another dog who had a thing for dead rotting fish... and, I lived next door to a guy who fished and cleaned his catch in his back yard and left the gutpile to simmer in the sun and ripen for my dog... the worst part (well, I dunno if it was the worst, 'cause the smell was actually indescribable) was that the fur on his neck would be full of pointy nasty little fish bones, and no matter how careful I was I would get stabbed about a million times while I washed him. My current dog has many shortcomings, but I am very appreciative of the fact that she rolls in nothing!

 

[LindaH]

Eeewww...Discowhore, you poor creature!!! I think I might invest in a shock collar for this habit. Keep coccidiosis in mind if she ever develops really, really loose stools and mention her bird poop fetish to the vet. Sorry, no shampoo suggestion as Parker is a good boy..... and I keep him imprisoned in my back yard.snick snick...

 

[bean]

Ugh... dogs that love to roll are a pain in the butt. Frankie loved to roll in dead things, poop and the like. I never found a great solution other than bathing at least the area she hit hard. She would usually do that neck dive - so it was the front/side of her neck and chest. If I caught her soon enough I wouldn't have to give her a full bath - I'd take her out with the hose and soap (and gloves.)

Once it was a full-on dead sea lion on the beach. (barf) But I think the worst ones, far worse than poop, were the dead fish. *gag* That smell was impossible to get out.

She wouldn't do it on a weekly basis, though. I think you have to work on stopping the behavior, which I think would be really difficult. Maybe more long lead time for awhile?

 

[Toby'shuman]

Both my terriers love to roll in anything smelly, yukky and preferably dead with that stickiness that comes from decay. I have given up for the most part bathing them each and everytime they do so, instead I simply wash the affected area with mild baby shampoo and copious amounts of warm water. I was given a perfume for dogs at Christmas, (god only knows why) and have used it lightly to cover the smell of pig poop a couple of times once they had dried off from their wash down.

 

[the_discowhore]

Ugh... dogs that love to roll are a pain in the butt. Frankie loved to roll in dead things, poop and the like. I never found a great solution other than bathing at least the area she hit hard. She would usually do that neck dive - so it was the front/side of her neck and chest. If I caught her soon enough I wouldn't have to give her a full bath - I'd take her out with the hose and soap (and gloves.)

Once it was a full-on dead sea lion on the beach. (barf) But I think the worst ones, far worse than poop, were the dead fish. *gag* That smell was impossible to get out.

She wouldn't do it on a weekly basis, though. I think you have to work on stopping the behavior, which I think would be really difficult. Maybe more long lead time for awhile?

Eww a dead sea lion! That's so big! Elsie could go diving in that LOL

We didn't find any fish on the beach, but she did try to roll in some jellyfish, maybe I should have let her do it and get stung!

I think we will need more long lead time, or I'll just have to tell her off when she tries to roll... Normally I am pretty accepting of yucky dog behaviour but this is getting ridiculous!

 

[LindaH]

I just have to tell this story about my dog Blue, dobe/weim cross. My heart dog and smartest reasoning dog I have ever known. I had two stepkids and we were spending the weekends out of town where Blue promptly was the hit with two neighborhood dogs, a doberman and english bulldog type. They would come and spend practically the whole weekend with him. One weekend the kids told me Blue had rolled in something, but they bathed him before we left. The next weekend he perfumed himself again. The kids got mad at him and wouldnt bath him. I came home from work and we all piled in the car, tried it with Blue, but didnt make it to the end of the driveway. Tossed him out with food and water and went on. There were some disappointed dogs when they discovered no Blue. Would you believe Blue figured that one out and never rolled in anything prior to us leaving for the rest of the summer. Man, he was so smart! Weep with jealousy, Disco!LOL

 

[triciakoontz]

If baths were bad for dogs my two would be in rough shape! They get weekly or more often baths depending on who rolled in what. I use the Dr. Bronner soaps diluted way down and rinse with water + very small amount of vinegar. They both have healthy shiny coats. When Zen was first diagnosed with hypothyroid disease he had no hair on 1/4 of his body and raging bacterial + fungal infections. He got baths 2 x week with no ill effects.

The trick is not to use soaps that strip the natural oils from the hair. When you have dedicated stink rollers you just have to do what you have to do! It's funny because my 2 will go for days with no rolling in stink piles then one or both will decide to "perfume up" and hit the chicken poop or deer poop or decaying mole they dug up last week. I can't figure out what triggers the sudden desire for eau de stink but it happens.