[PeppersPop]

Hello,

I am wondering if someone can tell me how often I should be bathing my dog... he's a year old bichon/terrier mix. His coat is cream color, his hair is pretty short... when we adopted him, he had long clumply, matted hair, and after much searching, we were able to find a groomer who would cut his hair without giving him a bath (and let us watch).

Our goal is to bathe, clip nails, and groom him at home. After his hair cut, we gave him a bath, clipped his nails, and used the scissors to work on a couple areas the groomer seems to have missed.

I am wondering how often I ought to be bathing him. The shampoo we bought (Hartz Oatmeal Shampoo) says that it is gentle enough to be used everyday, but I can't imagine anyone bathing their dog daily, unless there was some kind of health issue.

We wipe the dogs feet when he comes in from outside and soak/wipe the crusties and tear stains from his face each night (vet said to do this).

The day after Pepper's bath, his head had a very strong (tho not gross or stinky) "dog" type smell... it isn't as strong anymore or I don't notice it as much. I read that this is caused by scent glands (or something like that) and is not related to being dirty. Is there anything I can do to eliminate or decrease this smell?

The vet told us that we should not use Hartz products because they are poor quality and at times dangerous (she also said they won't recall anything until after its killed animals and they are forced to remove it from the market). Luckily, she had very expensive shampoo to sell us, although we opted not to purchase it and have since changed vets (there were some other issues).

We did use the Hartz oatmeal shampoo and the dog hasn't died yet... I'm just wondering how often its reasonable to bathe him and whether or not there is anything I can do to improve his smelly head.

Thanks in advance!
Sid and Pepper

[Love's_Sophie]

Originally Posted by PeppersPop

Hello,

I am wondering if someone can tell me how often I should be bathing my dog... he's a year old bichon/terrier mix. His coat is cream color, his hair is pretty short... when we adopted him, he had long clumply, matted hair, and after much searching, we were able to find a groomer who would cut his hair without giving him a bath (and let us watch).

Our goal is to bathe, clip nails, and groom him at home. After his hair cut, we gave him a bath, clipped his nails, and used the scissors to work on a couple areas the groomer seems to have missed.

I am wondering how often I ought to be bathing him. The shampoo we bought (Hartz Oatmeal Shampoo) says that it is gentle enough to be used everyday, but I can't imagine anyone bathing their dog daily, unless there was some kind of health issue.

The day after Pepper's bath, his head had a very strong (tho not gross or stinky) "dog" type smell... it isn't as strong anymore or I don't notice it as much. I read that this is caused by scent glands (or something like that) and is not related to being dirty. Is there anything I can do to eliminate or decrease this smell?

Thanks in advance!
Sid and Pepper

I prefer higher end products than Hartz...although I don't think they would kill my dogs, I just prefer better quality, with less nasty chemicals. Some of these include Therapet, Biogroom, and Groomer's Edge. While it's not necessary to get a quality shampoo from your vet, I think you could get rid of that doggy smell by investing in some form of higher quality, less chemical enhanced, and more biodegradable shampoo; Alot of people on the forum enjoy the results they see from Earth Bath products, and you can get these at any Petco or Petsmart. I order Therapet shampoos\condit online at www.groomers.com

As a groomer, I can explain to you why it always appears that the groomer misses spots; We groomers usually strip the dog down (or brush it out), before giving it a bath...we then finish the cut, when the coat is nice and clean, and easy to refluff and even up with the clipper, or scissors.

Bathing weekly is what I do with mine...I have allergies so keeping my dogs clean is essential to being able to keep my beloved pets. They get into various allergins on our explorations outdoors, so it's not just their dander that I would be dealing with, if I didn't keep them clean. I don't bathe more than once a week; although the Therapet products I use are safe to use daily...

If you are going to groom your own dog, invest in a decent pair of clippers and shears to help you in the process...you will be much happier with equipment that works properly and holds up to more than one grooming!!! I love Andis for clippers, and Gator and Scorpion for shears; I have some more expensive shears, but for your use, Gator or Scorpion would be a great choice...these hold up and maintain proper sharpness for a long time before needing sharpening\readjusting.

[Willowy]

The Hartz products that have been fatal so far are mostly the flea killing products. The non-flea shampoos are reasonably innocuous. There are higher-quality grooming products you can buy, of course, but that shampoo should not hurt your dog (as long as it's not a flea-killing product---they do have a flea shampoo with oatmeal).

[PeppersPop]

thanks for the advice. i hope i didn't give the impression that i was displeased with the groomer because she was wonderful. we called a number of groomers and she was the only one who would let us watch. she was very patient and gentle with the dog, she showed us how to clip his nails and even had us try. she was also willing to cut him without giving him a bath.

i cut my girlfriend's hair and for the most part she sits still... so i totally understand why there were a couple of uneven spots.

thanks,
Sid

[quote=Love's_Sophie;274292]

As a groomer, I can explain to you why it always appears that the groomer misses spots; We groomers usually strip the dog down (or brush it out), before giving it a bath...we then finish the cut, when the coat is nice and clean, and easy to refluff and even up with the clipper, or scissors.

This is my first dog so I am looking everything up and doing my research because I want the best for this little guy. I bought some of the Hartz flea and tick stuff and brought it home with me so that I could compare it to Frontline, Advantage, and other flea and tick products available. I found an EPA memo from 2004 saying that the ingredients in the Hartz flea and tick products could cause serious canine health problems... I was very surprised to find that the stuff I bought had the same ingredients in the same proportions. I am definitely going to return it!!!!

The shampoo we got is oatmeal shampoo for sensitive skin... no flea killing stuff. It seemed ok when we used it but I think I'm going to find something different for his next bath.

Thanks for the advice.
Sid

Originally Posted by Willowy

The Hartz products that have been fatal so far are mostly the flea killing products. The non-flea shampoos are reasonably innocuous. There are higher-quality grooming products you can buy, of course, but that shampoo should not hurt your dog (as long as it's not a flea-killing product---they do have a flea shampoo with oatmeal).