Darwin's hair REALLY hides dirt well!

[Camilla and Darwin]

We took Darwin on a camping trip, and when he came home, I evaluated whether or not he needed a bath. Well, he looked surprisingly clean, so I brushed through him, and he looked great. he was white, fluffy, and smelled alright. I decided not to give him a bath because I didn't want to cause him unnecessary itchiness/matts, etc. 

Fast forward a week. I started to notice that he didn't smell like his usual clean self. I hadn't taken him anywhere dirty since the cabin... so I was slightly baffled. Well, I got him in the bath, and OH MY GOSH. I have never seen so much dirt come out of him! It was literally like chocolate syrup oozing off of him. I was so confused because he looked really clean! 

Does your doodles hair hide dirt? 

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Clancy is cream with apricot undertones and he doesn't look that dirty, but when he comes out of the groomer's all fresh and clean, he is shades and shades lighter. Ned is apricot and he gets dull. More than the look is the feel. Clean coats feel soooo much nicer.

[Adina P]

Isn't that amazing? Especially since he's a white dood! This is exactly why I never consider dogs 'truly' clean because they may look clean and even smell okay sometimes...but until I bathe a dog and the water runs clear...nope. Not clean...LOL.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I agree about the feel. Tara can look great but she gets a filmy kind of feel to her that is not her usual soft fluffiness. I have to admit I am BAFFLED by people on DK who say they only wash their doodles 3 or 4 times a year???? Do these dogs never go outside? Tara is outside quite a bit this time of year and she starts feeling grungy after about 3 weeks. What am I missing here?

[Camilla and Darwin]

I don't know... but Darwin feels grungy after 2. So i am REALLY baffled by that as well.

[Adina P]

I think because of the commonly accepted idea that 'frequent' bathing dries out a dog's skin.  But I've yet to see research that points to what level of frequency truly is harmful.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Gosh, I think I would probably have to use industrial strength detergent on Tara after 4 months!! LOL!! We use a really mild product-don't tell anyone but it is a PEOPLE shampoo!! Avalon Organics Baby Shampoo. Tara has broken out in hives from head to toe twice now after being washed with dog shampoo. When we take her to the groomer we take her own shampoo too. If you find something that works...stick with it!

[Melissa & Porter]

I use Burt's Bees baby wash and shampoo...it is very gentle and has a tiny bit of honey smell. $10
I once used a hypoallergenic, unscented, $20 shampoo to wash one of my kid's hair (the people shampoo had been moved to another bathroom by elves or something) and he cried like crazy about how bad it stung his eyes. Pissed me off since my dog can't cry to let me know, and I doubt that his eyes function any differently when it comes to stinging.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I've used Burt's Bees products before too. It is a good line. I agree about the potential for stinging the eyes (sorry your son was the one to find out!!) and that is exactly why we use the Baby shampoo too-no doodle tears.

[Melissa & Porter]

Yeah, it was probably dumb of me to use dog shampoo on a kid, but the stuff was so expensive and covered in "no this" and "no that" propaganda, I thought for sure the kid'd come away still dirty!

[Camilla and Darwin]

Agreed, we use a gentle shampoo, and if we don't do it too frequently (every two weeks) , he's fine. I think we'll also buy a conditioner to help a little, but I've never seen redness or flaking.

[Jennifer Tramell]

Webster is a chocolate and he never looks dirty - the ground where he is laying, however, reveals the truth. I gave him a bath 2 days ago and I'm shocked at how silky and fluffy he is! He gets a bath about once a month, sometimes more, sometimes less (if things have been crazy). He gets sprayed and rinsed off regularly whenever his legs and feet are dirty.

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

It IS shocking to see and feel the difference after a bath! Especially when you think you had a fairly clean dog and you end up with chocolate syrup running off of them like Darwin! We've had that happen too! Tara is a medium apricot color and she also looks shades lighter after a bath