[MaddieTheDog]

my dog has been very clean and healthy until recently....she has been rolling in the ground more lately-discovered she can lay in the grass, and when we play ball or frisbee, she really goes to town trying to get to it. Well, as a result, she's pretty dirty-on her skin, not really the fur. Her skin is noticably darker, especially on her stomach and in her ears. We bathed her like we normally do, still there. Next day I decided to scrub at her belly (I didnt notice the ears until after) more. So I did two deep scrubs and rinses....I made it a tiny bit cleaner in some areas, but she's still filthy.
I really need to just get her in the bath again and try those two areas. I dont want to bathe her completely too often, not only is she just wet and crazy afterward, it's not good for her coat. She does not require frequent baths being a lab/pit mix, and her coat is just beautiful.

Any tips?

 

[Love's_Sophie]

Unless you are bathing her with harsh shampoos, you can bathe her weekly if you'd like...

I bathe my pooches on a weekly basis; my poodle puppy sometimes gets more than that. Shampoos, especially high quality ones, like Coat Handler, or Bark 2 Basics, are designed for frequent usage.

The whole 'you can't bathe your dog too often' myth is ancient; show dogs are often bathed daily, depending on their show schedule... shampoos and conditioners have come along ways from the 'old days' when they first came out.

 

[HORSEandHOUND]

Get a thick, short bristled brush like what African American men use on their hair to brush her with. this will lift the dirt off, and stimulate her natural oils to keep her coat healthy.
she may be rolling in the dirt because her skin itches or she's got buggies following her, or she could just like it to be honest.
just to be on the safe side eliminate corn, soy and wheat from her diet and give her a spritz with skin so soft before romping in the field

 

[alphadoginthehouse]

H&H: I'm assuming the Skin so Soft is to ward of biting insects? I've also read that rubbing Bounce dryer sheets on the dog is supposed to help. I keep forgetting to use the ones I bought just for them (I use the cheap ones for me!).

 

[MaddieTheDog]

We use this oatmeal shampoo from Petco and have two brushes-a thick brush and a small metal one that's used to de-shed. She doesnt need much brushing-you can see her fur in the pics.
I'll make more time to bath her on a shorter basis, see if that helps.

 

[Raggs]

Don't use oatmeal shampoo, it does more harm than good..

Try using a grease cutting soap like Dawn or Coat Handler.. Scrub, then rinse, soap up again and let it sit for a few minutes, then rinse..

If it still doesn't go away, then your dog may be having a reaction to the dirt being on the skin or maybe she is rolling around because she has allergies and it's soothing the skin...


I suggest trying to bath like I've stated and if it doesn't work, it's time to see the vet.

 

[Love's_Sophie]

Dawn not only strips out the 'bad' oils from the coat, but also the essential oils she needs to retain a healthy coat, as well as healthy skin. Bathing a dog who is already having issues with 'smell' with something that is going to strip everything from her coat, is going to be counteractive...

There are many types of decent shampoo out there... you just gotta shop around, and maybe even order off line; one good gallon of shampoo (like The Coat Handler, or Bark 2 Basics, or Groomer's Edge) would last your dog probably a lifetime (or atleast a year or two) because you can dilute them quite a bit. Look for shampoos that have no excess chemicals, lanolins, etc...

As a dog groomer, I don't ever use harsh products on the dogs I groom, and I have noticed the difference in the last year of grooming some of these dogs; Everyone else at the shop I work at uses dawn on pretty much any dog, I don't, and dogs who used to come in heavily matted, had greasy, stinky, or scaley coats all the time, no longer have those issues, simply because I have eliminated that one factor from their grooming regimine. I know it's harsh on my own hands, so I know it's got to have the same harshness on alot of the dogs too. The only time I really ever use Dawn now, is when I have a skunked dog come in, and then I use the dawn\baking soda\peroxide mixture, and always follow up with a moisturizing bath, and good conditioning.

 

[Raggs]

I love Dawn... I use it on cockers ears... There's a reason that the animals affected by oil spills get washed in Dawn.. Because it's gentle and mild, not harsh.

 

[Love's_Sophie]

I love Dawn... I use it on cockers ears... There's a reason that the animals affected by oil spills get washed in Dawn.. Because it's gentle and mild, not harsh.

Just because it's used on wild animals (who would otherwise die, if not cleaned up) DOES NOT mean it's necessarily good for clients pets; the birds and other animals are washed once, not continually throughout the year(s). To each his own though...I don't use it, but that doesn't mean other people can't. I just know that the quality of the skin and coats of many of my clients have improved drastically over the last year of me working at my current shop; I let results speak for themselves. There are lots of products available now, that aren't nearly as hard on the skin and coat, and degrease just as well...without stripping the necessary oils from the coat.

 

[robotcrankit]

Dawn is a dish washing detergent designed to degrease and cleanse dirty, bacteria filled dishes and it should never be used on an animal for regular grooming. In extraordinary circumstances, I wouldn't think twice about using Dawn (i.e. dog getting in to some kind of chemical or getting sprayed with a skunk), but other than that it is BAD NEWS. Try washing your hair with dish washing soap one morning and see how that feels.

But as for the original question, have you tried a rubber curry brush while bathing your dog? I have one by Kong called the Zoom Groom, and it works really well lifting dirt and dead skin from my dog's skin and coat when I'm bathing her. She loves to roll in the dirt, too. There is a noticeable difference when I don't bathe her with her Zoom Groom now from when I do. They can usually be found at Petco or Petsmart.

 

[Raggs]

I completely spaced something...

Is your dog scratching or biting at her feet... Black spots are usually caused by yeast... The skin is an organ and if the body is producing to much yeast it shows up on all the organs as black spots..

 

[RuckSack]

could it be sunburn? if your dog is spending more time doing these outside activities, is she spending more time outside in general? there is an eskimo that lives next to me who had his coat cut too close. under the texas sun, just with regular exposure like daily walks, his skin was burned so bad his hair fell out. Sad because he is otherwise a very friendly and beautiful dog. could your dog's skin be sunburned instead of dirty? I would think a thorough shampoo should remove dirt from both her coat and skin alike.

 

[MaddieTheDog]

I completely spaced something...

Is your dog scratching or biting at her feet... Black spots are usually caused by yeast... The skin is an organ and if the body is producing to much yeast it shows up on all the organs as black spots..

She always has, since we got her-putting her feet in her mouth, cleaning her nails, that sort of thing. Doesnt have black spots-except her nipples.
Who knows, her skin could just be darkening from sun exposure....

 

[Raggs]

If she's chewing on her feet and licking them it's a sign of allergy.. The dark skin is a later symptom... This is mostly caused by contact allergies.. Could be anything from the shampoo to a simple air freshener...

Here go to http://greatdanelady.com/articles/systemic_yeast_mini_course.htm


See if your dog matches any of those symptoms...

It takes time over a little while to build up enough to cause a problem. It could take years to show effects from yeast.