[Bogey's Mom]

In an attempt to help Bogey become less "coat defeicient" as his vet put it, he is getting more regular baths. He was getting them monthly, but now we've moved to weekly for awhile. And I have to admit that I absolutely HATE bathing him - it's just such a hassle. So I'm looking for tips and products to make it easier.

We have to do it in a regular bath tub - we have a small condo with no yard, so anything involving a hose or dog tub is out of the question. But all other recommendations are welcome. Do you use a particular kind of towel when you towel dry that you like, etc.?

Thanks!

 

[Oaklys Dad]

You can buy a hose that has a flexible rubber end that will wrap around a standard tub spout so you can have a hose in your tub. I find it easier to get right in the tub when I bath my boys. I also put a towel in the bottom of the tub to ease the slipping around. Sorry no advice on get them dry.

 

[fostermom]

I use my beach towels to get them dry. I live in a house, so in the summer I wash them outside with the hose, in the winter I do it in the tub. I bought a bathmat to put down so the slipping isn't so bad. I have a shower head with a 4 foot long hose so I can take that down and wash them that way.

Do you have a petstore nearby that offers a bathing center?

 

[Bogey's Mom]

No!!! I so wish we did. Isn't that dumb that we don't?! Someone should open one - they'd make a killing. I think PetSmart offers that, but we only have a PetCo and they don't.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

I find the tub so much easier than outside with the hose. They get washed ( and rinsed ) better too. We do have the hand held shower attachment which makes all the difference. Other than that ......... MICROTEK shampoo by eqyss. We do weekly baths, and our girls have great coat and skin.

 

[Dallas Gold]

We use Sham Wows to dry our two goldens. They work great!

 

[fostermom]

We use Sham Wows to dry our two goldens. They work great!

Really? My husband has joked about buying them to dry the dogs, but I honestly thought they were only hyped to be good, instead of really being good.

I love the Avoderm shampoo I use. They smell so good for so long and feel so soft that I can't stop smelling them and touching them!

 

[Nicole74]

I give Bailey weekly bathes too. I use a very large glass to pour over her and I use the running water, she seems to get cleaner that way. I also use two towels to dry her even though she is still a puppy. I heard your suppose to brush them before you give them a bath, so there is less hair that goes down the drain.

I have a handheld showerhead in the master bathroom, but I think right now it's harder to wash Bailey in there versus the bathtub.

 

[Bender]

Just a thought, but check with local groomers, you might be able to make a deal and use their tub. Or look for some carwashes, a lot of them here now have dog baths. Makes it a lot easier than doing it in a tub (I'd hate to have to do that again, now I just take the dogs to work and do them there in the washbay).

For shampoo, I like the earthbath stuff, or there was a silk based one we had in for a while (we seem to rotate brands/types every so often) that was good. I like lots of lather so that's a big seller for me. Oh and degreasing shampoo for the ears if they get greasy (or just full strength on the ears, depends on the dog and if you're trimming them).

Lana

 

[Bogey's Mom]

Thanks, Bender. I'll ask around. I wish our kennel club had something like that. I have supplies, but I'd love a tub and a dryer to use.

 

[Bender]

An old vaccuum that can be reversed works in a pinch for a dryer...

Lana

 

[Finn's Fan]

Check and see if your vet would let you use their tub (they're bound to have a raised tub). My vet let me use his when my old boy with DM couldn't stand anymore for a bath, which saved my back! He didn't charge me a dime, but then, I'd already paid for the clinic

 

[Mssjnnfer]

We do it in the tub, DH is on the outside and I usually just get right in and sit down. We have a rubber thing already inside the tub that prevents slipping. We also have a long shower-head extension and it has a couple of settings, so to soak them down before shampooing I use the regular "shower" and then to rinse I use the "Super Soaker" setting.

We have one of these:

It's called "Four Paws Magic Coat Love Glove" and I LOVE it. Omg, it gets out so much fur. It lathers them up so well, too. They really seem to like it too, because when I'm lathering them up with it they get this really funny look on their face and rub into my hand. LOL!!

I also give my cat a bath once in a while (twice a year maybe) and she LOVES it. You can also use it dry, and she likes cuddling into it when I use it on her dry.

As for drying... I rub them down really well with a towel and usually just let them run around then. I've only used a hair dryer on Mojo once... so I'm probably in a lot of trouble for when they get older.

 

[Willow52]

In the summer we do outside baths, in the winter I find using our shower stall (with doors) better. We have a hand-held shower head. I need to be in shorts/no shoes or socks but it's seems to be a lot easier that getting them in/out of the tub. Also the drain is larger so water drains quicker and no ring to deal with afterwards.

 

[laprincessa]

Hubby just bought me a hand held shower head because when they built our house, I guess they thought we were 9 feet tall - the shower head is almost impossible to reach. I get in with Max, and it's so much easier on my back to not have to twist into a pretzel trying to follow him around with the spray.

I'm still using the puppy shampoo we bought when we brought him home, and he's 2 now. It seems to do the job, should I be switching before it runs out?

 

[HovawartMom]

Mine are showered outside!.Every 6 to 8 weeks!.
in Florida,it's never cold enough to do it,inside!.
I usually do it,just before going for a walk so that they can dry while we are walking!.

 

[jenlaur]

The first couple of times I bathed Riley I tried the kitchen sink. What a hassle! I now bathe her in the shower with a hand held spray. Much easier. When I bathed our previous golden in there I would always dry with 2 towels. It was the only way I could get her somewhat dry.

 

[lgnutah]

I never bathe outside because Brooks always rubs himself on the ground, face first, after a bath, so it would defeat the purpose.
I use one of those handheld sprayers as it does a good job of rinsing all soap out of the fur. I use human conditioner after shampooing as I like how it smells! (and I love how silky his fur feels)
I bathe Brooks right before my bathroom and the bath towels need washing. He always has to shake so I lay one bath towel over him sideways and another lengthways and that absorbs a lot of the water. Then I lay any and all towels and mats on the floor as he will throw himself down to rub, so that absorbs more water. I rub him as best I can with towels then let him stay inside til he is somewhat dry (or at least til he is done floor rubbing)
Then, I take all the wet towels and use them to wipe down the bathroom cupboards, walls and floor so not only the dog but the bathroom got a clean up!!! Lastly, all towels and mats go to the washer.
Yes, bathing a dog is a big job!!

 

[sameli102]

I love my bath setup. We replaced our regular laundry tub with a double sink tub, cut the legs short and cut out the center divider making a perfect sized waist high tub. It's in the basement so it doesn't matter how much they shake, it only hits the cinderblock wall.
We ran hot & cold water and hooked up a spray hose. We also put in an eye hook and a tether dead center to tie them short so they can't attempt to jump out.

 

[Bogey's Mom]

That isn't possible for us, but I'd love to see a picture. Someone else just re-did their dog bath area and it was AWESOME! Can't remember who it was now.