[RussellsMom]

It has been almost 2 years since I last checked in and Russell was just a baby. He still is, but 2 and a half years old now I took Russ (who used to be Our Russell on this site )to the groomers at pet smart today to get a de shedding shampoo bath with de shedding conditioner, They used a furmanater brush,nails clipped and ears cleaned. The bill came to 100.00 it hurt, it always hurts. LOL. The thing is they booked me for one month from now to do it again. Is it normal for them to have a bath every month? I am really not sure about that. He does however look beautiful, but in today's economic times it is hard to justify 100.00/month. I thought about doing it myself, but lady at groomer said that you have to have the special hair dryer or he could get a skin infection from drying in the sun. Whatever I thought, but is she right? I LOVE Russ way to much to jeopardize his health Any thoughts would be appreciated!

 

[RussellsMom]

I forgot to mention Russ is an indoor only dog I take him for a morning walk and he goes out in our grassy backyard to do his business, but he is in the rest of the time. Sleeping on my new couch!LOL LOL

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

I would bath him weekly in my home, trim his toe fuzz, shape his tail, and call it good. That's free

 

[msdogs1976]

Nothing to be confused about as far as I'm concerned. No way I'm paying $100/mo on grooming. I buy a $5 bottle of dog shampoo and do it myself. Use towels to dry him. Brush him out myself. Wet wipes and a little solution takes care of his ears. Pretty cheap. Vet takes care of nail clipping and I do a little in between visits.

But to each their own. Some people don't want or have the time to do it.

 

[jwemt81]

We do all of our own grooming at home. Our dogs get bathed about every 2 weeks in the spring and summer and only 1-2 times a month in the winter. All you need is some good shampoo, a couple of different brushes, and, if you choose to get one, a dryer. I also trim feet and ear hair weekly. I enjoy doing it all myself and it saves a ton of money.

 

[Bogart]

I have had Bogart groomed professionaly it cost me 40$. He had that maybe 3 tmes done in his life. Bogart is 4 years old now. Unless he rolls in something nasty he gets brushed a couple of times a week and a bath every 3 months. I go to wagNwash and they have dog dryer that one can use or I just let him Towel dry. I live in Colorado in a dry climate so I don't have issues with skin problems.
All the best,
Elke, ZsaZsa and Bogart

 

[RussellsMom]

I have the time, just stupid about it.LOL. Do I take him in a walk in shower downstairs or a bathtub upstairs? What kind of shampoo and conditioner is really good for him? I have ear cleaner stuff, no problem there. I can handle the nail clipping I hope.LOL. What about all his hair going down my drain? Is it okay? Russell is my first dog, I have no experience here. But, the bill at groomers is killing me..... And I want him healthy. Is a towel dry enough in the winter in California? I do have the heater on though. I feel so stupid right now........LOL

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

I bathe all our crew weekly in the bathtub. They know the order and wait patiently (?) in the hall. I use the micro-tek shampoo and dilute it but there are many dog shampoos at petsmart from which to choose. Just wet them down good (we have a hand held shower attachment which makes it easy) and lather him up. I would suggest diluting the shampoo. Spend lots of time rinsing. Then towel him dry. Every few weeks, I trim toe fur and clip the hair out of the inside of the ears for more air and trim nails. . I squirt in some ear cleaner sometime during the drying process and brush a few times too. THat's it. $100 is ridiculous IMO. Also, as my vet told me after we had a disastrous groomer incident that ended with Cody suffering an "exploding" disc in his back, groomers are not licensed or regulated ( at least here in Dallas) and he would not recommend any that won't let you stand there and watch. It was a terrible lesson to learn.

 

[Merlins mom]

I rarely take Merlin to the groomer. The only thing I don't do are nails, but a friend of mine does those for me (I'm a wimp). Like another poster mentioned, about 3 towels mostly dry him off and I do the brushing later. Trimming feet is LOTS easier than I thought it would be and I enjoy doing it. I messed up the first few times but now do a good job!

You can definitely bathe Russell at home with no worries (other than your back! ). I've never heard of dogs getting an infection from drying in the sun. I think of all the times Merlin's been swimming and dried out in the sun he's never had any problems. Anyway, Russell will probably be drying off inside the house.

I am amazed that Petsmart charges $100 for grooming and I wouldn't want to spend that much either. Maybe you can just take him in a few times a year and the rest of the time DIY!

 

[Merlins mom]

Btw, I use the lavender scent No More Tears and love it! It leaves a nice scent.

 

[Willow52]

Our dear Maggie, died at almost 14 y.o. and never met a groomer. I aways bathed, clipped nails, cleaned ears, brushed and trimmed her myself.

Hank is only 5 mos. but has had more baths than I can count! I take care of his grooming needs myself as well.

I've never used a dryer on them either. During the summer they get baths outside with the hose, dry off with towels then air dry in the sun, in the winter they get baths in our shower stall, dry off with towels and air dry inside.

I like the Pet Head (by makers of Bed Head) shampoos and never have used a conditioner so I can't help you there.

 

[Merlins mom]

I have the time, just stupid about it.LOL. Do I take him in a walk in shower downstairs or a bathtub upstairs? What kind of shampoo and conditioner is really good for him? I have ear cleaner stuff, no problem there. I can handle the nail clipping I hope.LOL. What about all his hair going down my drain? Is it okay? Russell is my first dog, I have no experience here. But, the bill at groomers is killing me..... And I want him healthy. Is a towel dry enough in the winter in California? I do have the heater on though. I feel so stupid right now........LOL

Toweling dry will be just fine! You can get a mesh cover for your drain that'll catch the hair. Oh, and a bath mat so he doesn't slip (or you!).

 

[GoldenSail]

Yeah $100? You could even almost buy your own dryer with that!! I do my own grooming as well on a weekly basis. Towel dry is pretty good--but not sure if that is true in more humid areas (hot spots).

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

I wash my dogs faces and ears with my son's baby shampoo. Mango flavored!

I wash their bodies with whatever. Usually Suave in some yummy scent I enjoy, since they snuggle with me and sleep in my bed. I've never ever had a problem from using human shampoo. I've routinely used Dawn dishsoap on them for years too. No problems. I use scented human conditioner too. Now and then I buy some cool smelling or looking dog shampoo. I've used that on myself too without problems. Then again, I comb my hair with a metal dog comb a lot of days too (I often leave the house and realize I didn't brush my hair yet... I don't carry a human brush, but I never leave home without a dog comb!)

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

PS I would get a dryer. But then again I have four big, hairy dogs, a long haired cat, and I live in Florida where it's humid and nasty most of the year. And yes, I bathe and dry the cat routinely too, though not weekly. She'd kill me in my sleep if I did that

 

[Jersey's Mom]

I haven't read this whole thread (coming up on bedtime real quick) so I'm sorry if I'm repeating something that has been said.... but I just wanted to throw this out there:
A good dryer is a great thing.... especially if your dog is prone to hot spots. I have a Metro Air Force dryer that I use on Jersey after baths or swimming, pretty bottom of the line, but I love it. Depending on what you want in a dryer, you can get one for the cost of 1-2 grooming sessions. In the long run, that's a lot of bang for your buck!

Julie and Jersey

 

[Merlins mom]

I wash my dogs faces and ears with my son's baby shampoo. Mango flavored!

Then again, I comb my hair with a metal dog comb a lot of days too (I often leave the house and realize I didn't brush my hair yet... I don't carry a human brush, but I never leave home without a dog comb!)

Jenna, You make me laugh!!!! :wavey:

I need to get some of that mango baby shampoo! Sounds yummy!

 

[jwemt81]

Hydrosurge makes AWESOME smelling dog shampoos/conditioners! My 2 favorite ones are mango/peach and the apple scent. The scent usually lasts for about a week in our dogs. :bowl:

 

[AquaClaraCanines]

Jenna, You make me laugh!!!! :wavey:

I need to get some of that mango baby shampoo! Sounds yummy!

I'm weird... :curtain:

 

[Oaklys Dad]

Boy oh boy! I am a big slacker in the grooming department. My boys get a bath only once or twice a year. They do get a lot of swimming in year round. I do brush them weekly with just an undercoat rake and a slicker. Once in a while I will do a hack job of trimming the toes. My feeling is that most of the dog odor is from dead hair so I think with frequent brushing you get a lot less dog odor.