How Often To You Shower Your Dog

[meatboy]

as our dog has a thick coat it seems to get dirty quick and smells like a dog,[sweaty] he loves the hose pipe on him once a fortnight is this ok.i did read on this forum you should not shower them too often.we do use a good shampoo.

[Scott]

Mine is a short haired dog, but she sheds like crazy sometimes. She gets a bath once a week, if the day is sunny and warm. I would guess on average, though, she gets a bath about once every two weeks.

[F1fanatic]

Depends on the dog. One of my dog loves to roll in anything smelling rotten (dead fish on the beach are a favourite, so needs to be showered frequently - as she frequently smells horrendous!

Another of my dogs can go months without smelling.

Unfortunately for my dogs, I have a cleaner come in two mornings a week to wash the floors and for some obscure reason she LOVES showering the dogs . I never asked her to, but she gives them a shower EVERY time she comes!

As she loves it (and it must cool them down), I've taken to buying puppy shampoo as they are obviously being showered too often.

[katabeachbum]

I kinda like the natural smell of my rottweiler, but my GF and maid do not.

he swims in ocean water almost every day

he gets a shower approx every second week, and usually with lady shampoo. is this to much for him?

[ignis]

Smelling can be different on dogs even of the same bread.

2 of my dogs I shower every 6 - 7 weeks, 2 every 3 - 4 weeks but even then there is no body smell, 1 every 7 days and by then she smells bad' the last no idea why but his body smell is bad after only 3 days so get a shower every 5 days, [he has always been like this from a puppy 7 years ago] the last 4 dogs are the same bread + these 4 take well over 1 hour each to shower and blow dry.

Vet advised to use 'Oatmeal' medicated shampoo on this one + always use Conditioner, at this moment he looks clean, but must be showered today as his body smell is very bad.

[meatboy]

thanks for the replies,i was thinking because he has a double coat could he be sweating,our drive is clean,the garden is free from shit,he has stopped digging holes to keep himself cool through the day,comes inside the house in front of a fan and sleeps on a wooden floor in our bedroom.one thing i did notice he smelled as if he had b.o.when he was smelling the scent of a bitch on heat.when we lived in the uk only shower about 3times a week now its every day so for a dog to go more than a week,he shouldnt be much diff.to us.

[bangkaew]

thanks for the replies,i was thinking because he has a double coat could he be sweating,our drive is clean,the garden is free from shit,he has stopped digging holes to keep himself cool through the day,comes inside the house in front of a fan and sleeps on a wooden floor in our bedroom.one thing i did notice he smelled as if he had b.o.when he was smelling the scent of a bitch on heat.when we lived in the uk only shower about 3times a week now its every day so for a dog to go more than a week,he shouldnt be much diff.to us.

Always had a shower once a day in the UK! The Thais have a minimum of 2 I think, often 5.

We shampoo the dogs 2x a week and they have great coats. That is because we live in an apartment but in the tropics and them running about every day I think I would do it at least once a week regardless , unless they were outdoors dogs.

[F1fanatic]

thanks for the replies,i was thinking because he has a double coat could he be sweating,our drive is clean,the garden is free from shit,he has stopped digging holes to keep himself cool through the day,comes inside the house in front of a fan and sleeps on a wooden floor in our bedroom.one thing i did notice he smelled as if he had b.o.when he was smelling the scent of a bitch on heat.when we lived in the uk only shower about 3times a week now its every day so for a dog to go more than a week,he shouldnt be much diff.to us.

I thought that dogs didn't sweat - they lose excess heat by panting?

[LeCharivari]

I thought that dogs didn't sweat - they lose excess heat by panting?

Correct.

As has been said before, numerous times, NEVER use shampoo for people on dogs, even if it is for babies, ladies, etc, unless it is a medicated shampoo such as 2% ketaconazole (Ketazon, etc) used to treat specific problems such as yeast infections. The shampoos are very different.

[katabeachbum]

I thought that dogs didn't sweat - they lose excess heat by panting?

Correct.

As has been said before, numerous times, NEVER use shampoo for people on dogs, even if it is for babies, ladies, etc, unless it is a medicated shampoo such as 2% ketaconazole (Ketazon, etc) used to treat specific problems such as yeast infections. The shampoos are very different.

care to explain what the differences are, except for different perfumes in dog and human shampoos

[meatboy]

is there an explanation why he has a strong body smell when he wants his leg over,when ours came to us the wfs.brother said he has months when he wants chig-chig,i always thought male dogs were the same as us anytime,anywhere.b.il.could be right has he's been trying to shaft the mrs.the last few days and she says he smells like me

[LeCharivari]

I thought that dogs didn't sweat - they lose excess heat by panting?

Correct.

As has been said before, numerous times, NEVER use shampoo for people on dogs, even if it is for babies, ladies, etc, unless it is a medicated shampoo such as 2% ketaconazole (Ketazon, etc) used to treat specific problems such as yeast infections. The shampoos are very different.

care to explain what the differences are, except for different perfumes in dog and human shampoos

Totally different ingredients, purpose and effect - compare the ingredients list on a bottle of human shampoo and a bottle of genuine dog shampoo and you'll see that the only similar ingredients are usually only those giving the shampoo "body" and the perfumes/fragrances. Its not so much the hair that's different (unless its dogs with a double coat or swimming dogs like Water Spaniels or Newfoundlands, whose hair is very different) but the skin.

As has been pointed out, dogs don't sweat, for example, so there's no need to exfoliate the skin or clear the pores for dogs while there is for people, and people usually don't need their hair shampooed to get rid of ticks and fleas while dogs do so dog shampoos generally contain 0.5 - 1% permethrin or a similar agent. While dog shampoos are seldom harmful for people (good for clearing crabs/pubic lice, so I've been told!), human shampoos can actually damage a dog's skin by making their skin over-sensitive and softer and consequently an easier target for lice, ticks and mange - the opposite effect to the one you want. This is particularly important for dogs which swim regularly in salt water (although the salt water will get rid of any ticks/fleas), as your dogs do, and they should be rinsed in fresh water afterwards; you may be lucky and your dogs are unaffected by the salt water or human shampoos, but a "mild" shampoo for people doesn't mean that its a suitable shampoo for dogs.

[katabeachbum]

I thought that dogs didn't sweat - they lose excess heat by panting?

Correct.

As has been said before, numerous times, NEVER use shampoo for people on dogs, even if it is for babies, ladies, etc, unless it is a medicated shampoo such as 2% ketaconazole (Ketazon, etc) used to treat specific problems such as yeast infections. The shampoos are very different.

care to explain what the differences are, except for different perfumes in dog and human shampoos

Totally different ingredients, purpose and effect - compare the ingredients list on a bottle of human shampoo and a bottle of genuine dog shampoo and you'll see that the only similar ingredients are usually only those giving the shampoo "body" and the perfumes/fragrances. Its not so much the hair that's different (unless its dogs with a double coat or swimming dogs like Water Spaniels or Newfoundlands, whose hair is very different) but the skin.

As has been pointed out, dogs don't sweat, for example, so there's no need to exfoliate the skin or clear the pores for dogs while there is for people, and people usually don't need their hair shampooed to get rid of ticks and fleas while dogs do so dog shampoos generally contain 0.5 - 1% permethrin or a similar agent. While dog shampoos are seldom harmful for people (good for clearing crabs/pubic lice, so I've been told!), human shampoos can actually damage a dog's skin by making their skin over-sensitive and softer and consequently an easier target for lice, ticks and mange - the opposite effect to the one you want. This is particularly important for dogs which swim regularly in salt water (although the salt water will get rid of any ticks/fleas), as your dogs do, and they should be rinsed in fresh water afterwards; you may be lucky and your dogs are unaffected by the salt water or human shampoos, but a "mild" shampoo for people doesn't mean that its a suitable shampoo for dogs.

thanks for info

I am afraid salt water does not keep ticks away, neither do high dosages of garlic. ticks season is ticks season, even for beach stray dogs swimmng every single day

and both dogs and I need a shower after beach

[LeCharivari]

I am afraid salt water does not keep ticks away, neither do high dosages of garlic. ticks season is ticks season, even for beach stray dogs swimmng every single day

and both dogs and I need a shower after beach

You're right, the sea water will generally kill fleas but apparently ticks will survive unless totally immersed in sea water for a long time - one of my boxers used to swim in the sea for well over half an hour at a time and some still survived occasionally. I remember reading some time ago that foxes in England would sometimes get rid of fleas by staying underwater with just their nose and mouth out of the water and a bit of food hanging out of their mouth so that the fleas would go on to the food, then they'd let the food float away with the fleas on it, but I don't know if that's just a story or not.

I've heard of garlic for dogs to repel ticks, but as far as I can recall it had to be garlic extract sprayed on to the dog's coat in some quantity - I think I'd sooner forget about the vampires and stick with Frontline occasionally!

[LeCharivari]

is there an explanation why he has a strong body smell when he wants his leg over,when ours came to us the wfs.brother said he has months when he wants chig-chig,i always thought male dogs were the same as us anytime,anywhere.b.il.could be right has he's been trying to shaft the mrs.the last few days and she says he smells like me

This is a weird one I've only come across in Thailand and when I was first told about it I just dismissed it as another Thai story, but certainly in the countryside it seems to be true. Dogs are still "anytime, anywhere" as long as a bitch is in heat but anywhere else I've been, even in the tropics, bitches come into heat every 6 months or so for about 3 weeks and its a year round event regardless of the weather/season. Here, though, the bitches (or at least the "Thai dogs") seem to have a "season when they are in season" and to come into heat in the rainy season around Buddhist Lent/Khao Phansa (August/September/October) and that's when you can hear the dogs howling about it as well as see them hard at it.

Anyone else heard or noticed this?

[bangkokrick]

Meatboy we have a Husky I believe that you have the same from your Avatar. The wife takes him to the local dog salon once a month for a shampoo and that seems to be enough. The only exception is when he decides to go digging, which is a Husky trait, I am told. When he gets muddy we just hose him down to get rid of the crap, he seems to enjoy this.

He too stinks when he want's boom boom!

Cheers, Rick

[meatboy]

Meatboy we have a Husky I believe that you have the same from your Avatar. The wife takes him to the local dog salon once a month for a shampoo and that seems to be enough. The only exception is when he decides to go digging, which is a Husky trait, I am told. When he gets muddy we just hose him down to get rid of the crap, he seems to enjoy this.

He too stinks when he want's boom boom!

Cheers, Rick

he's an alaskan malamute,the avatar doesnt do him justice,he's a brute of a dog very strong but lovable,does yours talk in their way,ours loves to tell the pizza delivery boy yum,yum,before you give him anything he will sawadee,i did say to the mrs.take him to the salon,i bet he would like a body massage

[bangkokrick]

Meatboy we have a Husky I believe that you have the same from your Avatar. The wife takes him to the local dog salon once a month for a shampoo and that seems to be enough. The only exception is when he decides to go digging, which is a Husky trait, I am told. When he gets muddy we just hose him down to get rid of the crap, he seems to enjoy this.

He too stinks when he want's boom boom!

Cheers, Rick

he's an alaskan malamute,the avatar doesnt do him justice,he's a brute of a dog very strong but lovable,does yours talk in their way,ours loves to tell the pizza delivery boy yum,yum,before you give him anything he will sawadee,i did say to the mrs.take him to the salon,i bet he would like a body massage

Hi meatboy,

Yes I know the Malamut as the guy up the road has one and it is the size of a donkey, but a very nice dog to boot. My dog talks all the time in his own way, but does not bark much. You know Thai women and salon's mate it's just another excuse for a hairdo, so the dog goes next door. They have a special contraption that the put the dogs legs into, so that they can give them a really good scrub down and he seems to like it as well.

My dog is a Siberian husky and he makes a great pet and a good house dog.

Cheers, Rick

[bangkokrick]

Sorry double post.

Edited October 14, 2011 by bangkokrick

[bangkokrick]

My dog 'Heineken' after a shower at the dog salon.

[meatboy]

ours is the same rick doesnt bark much only when there's danger [snake or takarb] he has a new freind he sits and watches a white squirrel who comes in the garden to eat the pappaya i dont think he has a mean streak in his body,maybe its down to me and mrs meat when he came to us he was in a bad way 10-15kilo's under weight,high temp.caught a dose off some bitch when he got loose,the vet done a great job apart from the injections he put him on a drip and came to see him every day, you couldnt have a better freind he knows we saved his life and repays us the only way he can.[loyalty] he even greets the vet when he comes to give him his heartworm injection.and oh god he loves women.

[bangkokrick]

ours is the same rick doesnt bark much only when there's danger [snake or takarb] he has a new freind he sits and watches a white squirrel who comes in the garden to eat the pappaya i dont think he has a mean streak in his body,maybe its down to me and mrs meat when he came to us he was in a bad way 10-15kilo's under weight,high temp.caught a dose off some bitch when he got loose,the vet done a great job apart from the injections he put him on a drip and came to see him every day, you couldnt have a better freind he knows we saved his life and repays us the only way he can.[loyalty] he even greets the vet when he comes to give him his heartworm injection.and oh god he loves women.

Sounds like a great dog, Meat, pun intended. We had a similar situation with our dog when we fist got him, he was very small and in my opinion too young to be sold bt TIT i guess. He would not eat or drink, so the wife fed him with a dropper. It too a while for him to get right, but after that he follows the wife everywhere. They are very devoted animals.

A lot of the wife's mates won't visit any more because he is continually trying to rut them. lol

Seems like the dogs have a lot in common.

[meatboy]

we went to our big market and seen a lot of pups that barely had their eyes open,we went to see a husky 14weeks old the right age to take from its mother,but someone had left a deposit on him fine looking dog,we saw the mother/father who had an air con.kennel and the breeders said they would not let a pup go under 12weeks.we were lucky that the wifes brother was with us and knew we wanted that breed so when he was in nongkai his gf.had to find a good home for samson who was chaseing the chickens and getting loose so we were very lucky to have him.

[F1fanatic]

I am afraid salt water does not keep ticks away, neither do high dosages of garlic. ticks season is ticks season, even for beach stray dogs swimmng every single day

and both dogs and I need a shower after beach

You're right, the sea water will generally kill fleas but apparently ticks will survive unless totally immersed in sea water for a long time - one of my boxers used to swim in the sea for well over half an hour at a time and some still survived occasionally. I remember reading some time ago that foxes in England would sometimes get rid of fleas by staying underwater with just their nose and mouth out of the water and a bit of food hanging out of their mouth so that the fleas would go on to the food, then they'd let the food float away with the fleas on it, but I don't know if that's just a story or not.

I've heard of garlic for dogs to repel ticks, but as far as I can recall it had to be garlic extract sprayed on to the dog's coat in some quantity - I think I'd sooner forget about the vampires and stick with Frontline occasionally!

Perhaps I should start a new thread about this - but does anyone know how to stop ticks attaching to dogs?

Frontline kills them - but only after they've bitten your dog, and one of mine almost died from two different tick-borne blood parasites .

I now get them tested every six months and am horrified at how often they pick up these parasites from ticks, even though I rarely see the actual ticks as the Frontline kills them!

The treatment to kill the parasites is extremely nasty for the dog, hence my question.

[meatboy]

although we shower our dog regular with medicated shampoo and tick/flea powder he always seems to pick one up.they can come off the ground,in bushes exspecaily if you walk in a park where other dogs go,ours when he has a leak goes into the bush,mrs meat says you will never stop them so check regular.

[jeanelie]

My dog swims in the river almost weekly. No shampoo because if his smell changes his friends streetwanderers don't recognize him.

[Pseudolus]

OP - husky and Malamutes can not be compared with other dogs when it comes to interaction with water.

The under coat a husky; the downy fluffy stuff that turns into tumbleweed candy floss in your house is very different to other dogs hair, because it is actually hollow. It is this where they get their huge amounts of heat from basically. Now, the problem with washing them taking no account of the type of products you use if any is that these fill up, the water basically stagnates, and you get a right old nasty pong. Their ears also, as you will know, are no designed to cope with water and stink up a treat if not dried thoroughly.

I have 2 Huskys (both adopted, neutered pound dogs) and a Lab. The lab gets a wash once every 6 months unless she get herself covered in something unsavoury. Washing a dog more than that no matter what doggie pouch product you use is self defeating because after a week or so they smell real bad as the oil on their hair starts rebuilding. With the Huskies, they have no fit pattern for washing and I use the idea that all their hair replaces itself every 3 months or so when they blow (when they shed their coat in lumps), so if I can get away with it, I never wash them (again, rolling in poo aside which they are not inclined to do anyway). I brush them once a day though! If you wash them, make sure they are totally dry (a few hours drying, not the token 10 minutes they get at a salon) and dry their ears as well. If you prefer them to not smell at all, this is the only way to do it. Water and nice smelling dogs simply do not mix when it comes to our double coated friends.

By the way, can I assume that neither of the Husky / Malamute owners have had their dogs neutered? A cheap 20 minute operation and your life is a whole lot more straight forward and you can prevent more poor dogs being born in the Asia tropics where they have no right being and ability to cope with the heat

[meatboy]

OP - husky and Malamutes can not be compared with other dogs when it comes to interaction with water.

The under coat a husky; the downy fluffy stuff that turns into tumbleweed candy floss in your house is very different to other dogs hair, because it is actually hollow. It is this where they get their huge amounts of heat from basically. Now, the problem with washing them taking no account of the type of products you use if any is that these fill up, the water basically stagnates, and you get a right old nasty pong. Their ears also, as you will know, are no designed to cope with water and stink up a treat if not dried thoroughly.

I have 2 Huskys (both adopted, neutered pound dogs) and a Lab. The lab gets a wash once every 6 months unless she get herself covered in something unsavoury. Washing a dog more than that no matter what doggie pouch product you use is self defeating because after a week or so they smell real bad as the oil on their hair starts rebuilding. With the Huskies, they have no fit pattern for washing and I use the idea that all their hair replaces itself every 3 months or so when they blow (when they shed their coat in lumps), so if I can get away with it, I never wash them (again, rolling in poo aside which they are not inclined to do anyway). I brush them once a day though! If you wash them, make sure they are totally dry (a few hours drying, not the token 10 minutes they get at a salon) and dry their ears as well. If you prefer them to not smell at all, this is the only way to do it. Water and nice smelling dogs simply do not mix when it comes to our double coated friends.

By the way, can I assume that neither of the Husky / Malamute owners have had their dogs neutered? A cheap 20 minute operation and your life is a whole lot more straight forward and you can prevent more poor dogs being born in the Asia tropics where they have no right being and ability to cope with the heat

thanks for the info it has to be the best post concerning my dog[malamute] every thing you have said is true to every detail,me and mrs meat have talked about having him neutered but the idea of him suffering any pain we just couldnt let him go through with it,after all he went through before and when he came to us.what you say about the breed in asia is 100%correct,he showed us so much love and affection we didnt care what it cost to make his life happy,dealing with the heat,keeping dry in rain storms and most of all those flipping mossys,but after 7months he now spends most of his time indoors,fan,aircon and nice cold tiles to lay on,only thing in the evening we have to coax him to go out to empty himself before he goes to bed[upstairs in our room] if he wants to go out in the early hrs.he will rub his nose on my face

.so thanks again for your reply.:jap:

[Pseudolus]

OP - husky and Malamutes can not be compared with other dogs when it comes to interaction with water.

The under coat a husky; the downy fluffy stuff that turns into tumbleweed candy floss in your house is very different to other dogs hair, because it is actually hollow. It is this where they get their huge amounts of heat from basically. Now, the problem with washing them taking no account of the type of products you use if any is that these fill up, the water basically stagnates, and you get a right old nasty pong. Their ears also, as you will know, are no designed to cope with water and stink up a treat if not dried thoroughly.

I have 2 Huskys (both adopted, neutered pound dogs) and a Lab. The lab gets a wash once every 6 months unless she get herself covered in something unsavoury. Washing a dog more than that no matter what doggie pouch product you use is self defeating because after a week or so they smell real bad as the oil on their hair starts rebuilding. With the Huskies, they have no fit pattern for washing and I use the idea that all their hair replaces itself every 3 months or so when they blow (when they shed their coat in lumps), so if I can get away with it, I never wash them (again, rolling in poo aside which they are not inclined to do anyway). I brush them once a day though! If you wash them, make sure they are totally dry (a few hours drying, not the token 10 minutes they get at a salon) and dry their ears as well. If you prefer them to not smell at all, this is the only way to do it. Water and nice smelling dogs simply do not mix when it comes to our double coated friends.

By the way, can I assume that neither of the Husky / Malamute owners have had their dogs neutered? A cheap 20 minute operation and your life is a whole lot more straight forward and you can prevent more poor dogs being born in the Asia tropics where they have no right being and ability to cope with the heat

thanks for the info it has to be the best post concerning my dog[malamute] every thing you have said is true to every detail,me and mrs meat have talked about having him neutered but the idea of him suffering any pain we just couldnt let him go through with it,after all he went through before and when he came to us.what you say about the breed in asia is 100%correct,he showed us so much love and affection we didnt care what it cost to make his life happy,dealing with the heat,keeping dry in rain storms and most of all those flipping mossys,but after 7months he now spends most of his time indoors,fan,aircon and nice cold tiles to lay on,only thing in the evening we have to coax him to go out to empty himself before he goes to bed[upstairs in our room] if he wants to go out in the early hrs.he will rub his nose on my face

.so thanks again for your reply.:jap:

Welcome -

On the chopping off of balls. There is no pain at all aside from a little infection. That knocks them out, a small incision, pop them out cut and tie, stitch up. A little bit of itchiness where the stitches are and he is done. The positive effect apart from having a husky smelling husky you remove his need to shake a leg which must be torture especially as I guess like mine they need to stay leashed lest they runaway. I 100% state that getting all dogs neutered is the best way to go and to see why, look round the streets at all the strays. There are enough Dogs in Asia already so don't really need any more being made.

by the way, cod liver oil capsule once a week and a raw egg on his dinner once a week and his coat will be like silk.