Basic bathing question

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Winnie is almost a year old. I bathe her about every 3-4 weeks, blow her out afterward and then do a little scissor trimming of her face, feet and hind end. Sometimes I use a "2 in 1"shampoo with conditioner, and sometimes a conditioning shampoo followed by either a creme rinse or a leave-in conditioner. 

Her coat is incredibly thick- it takes a long time to get the shampoo worked in. I always start at her head and work my way back and down. By the time I get to her rear and back legs, the shampoo on her head/face has been sitting there a good 15 minutes or longer. Should I be rinsing in sections as I go? Does it matter? I know if I left my own shampoo on my head for 15 min. it would dry my hair out! Her coat doesn't seem dried out, but we have a very harsh climate so I just want to be doing the right thing. We haven't been to a groomer yet, and I'm hoping to continue to care for her coat myself. 

Thanks much! 

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

This is how I do it and I also do it about every three to four weeks. First I brush through to make sure there are no matts or snags, this can take about half an hour. Then I dilute the shampoo which is the same ones that the professionals use. I use Wahl Dirty Beasty  I use a big squeezy bottle for this and mix it well.  I actually get in the walk in shower with my boys and I find what takes a lot of time is making sure the coat is thoroughly wet through before I add the shampoo. That is key to the length of time the wash takes. I then slosh the shampoo all along from the head right through to the tail and also on each leg and then I keep sloshing as gently as I can with my hands until the shampoo is right through and the water rinses clear. Then I add some conditioner which is also diluted and rinse that off. The rinsing is what takes the longest IMO as it's really important to get all the shampoo and conditioner out. I have never timed it but I know that it is a bit of a race as our hot water tank is small and only holds so much so I need to be out in about 15 minutes!  Hope that helps a little :)

[Barb @ Gemstone Labradoodles]

Some of my dogs also have thick coats.

I wet thoroughly, then I use a very watered down shampoo and do a quick soaping starting with the feet and work up the legs to the back and tail, leaving the head alone and then a quick rinse. I don't bother trying to get suds.

Next I do a second shampoo again starting with the feet and legs and ending with the head. I start the rinse from the head down. I often have the cream rinse in with the second shampoo. If I do it that way, I leave on for 5 minutes before rinsing.

I towel dry and blow the water from the coat with my blower. 

Then I use a finishing spray on the damp coat.

I let the dog sit on a towel with a robe on for half an hour then blow dry.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Thanks to both of you! I think I haven't been making sure the coat is thoroughly wet before I start. It seems like I'm always adding more shampoo, and then more water, etc. Two of the shampoos that I use say that they "can be diluted up to 8 parts." But if I dilute them I don't get much suds and then I'm back to adding more shampoo and more water. Yesterday I just used the shampoo at full strength. But I ended up going through half of 16oz. bottle- not very cost effective.

It seems like the whole process takes waaay more time than it needs to, and my back is killing me from leaning over the tub. I like the idea of mixing the creme rinse in with the second shampoo- I might try that next time!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I posted my bathing method several years ago and it's still working great.

http://www.doodlekisses.com/group/doodlegrooming/forum/topics/texas...

BTW, I use a separate squeeze bottle of shampoo and water for the face. It's actually a good thing to allow the shampoo solution to sit on the coat for about 10 min. It does the work of releasing the dirt, so you don't have to.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Ingenius! I really like the idea of using those Ortho sprayers- it seems like it would help disperse the shampoo a lot easier. 

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

There's no comparison. It makes quick work of the entire process, wetting down, shampooing and rinsing.

[Teresa Joyce]

Hi Lori,

If you have some money left for Christmas shopping, you may want to look at purchasing a bathing system.  I use the Hanvey Bathing Beauty at my shop and they sell for around $500.  However, if this is going to be a monthly process and you are going to be doing it for years to come, the investment may be worth it.  3 years at once a month equals about $14 per bath.  You can read about the system and/or purchase it at this address http://shop.bbird.biz/product.sc?productId=26. It will cut your bathing time down to about 10 to 15 minutes total including rinsing and there is no hand scrubbing of the coat.  It uses less water and less shampoo and leaves the coat extremely clean.  The dogs all seem to love the pulsing action of the system - even those whose owners tell me that their dogs hate baths.

The second thing I want to mention is be sure that you are using top of the line shampoo and conditioners that will clean well and not strip the coat or leave a residue that can irritate the skin.  I personally, have not found a combination shampoo and conditioner that I thought did a good job.   Rinsing every last bit of shampoo out is critical to get a beautiful finished coat.  I use a leave in spray on after bath conditioner and for most coats and then follow that with a protein and lanolin misting spray on the dry coat as well.

Best of luck!!!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Those after bath sprays you mention, do they interfere in any way with clipper cutting? One thing I've noticed with Oscar's very soft coat is if I use a conditioner of any kind it makes clipper cutting difficult because the coat doesn't stand out as much from the body. He really does need a coat/skin conditioner though, as he has itchy skin (not sure why). Any suggestions?

[Teresa Joyce]

The conditioner shouldn't interfere with the clipper cutting but I think I know what you are talking about.  There are some poodles whose coats just won't stand up if they are conditioned.  When you clipper, are you using combs or blades?  If you are using combs, you will need to back brush the hair then run the comb, them back brush and then run the comb, then back brush and run the comb - it takes a bit more work than if the coat is standing straight out like a blown out poodle or bichon.  If you are using blades, you can go two sizes higher( ie if you are using a 7 blade for the with the lay of the coat - use a 4 against the lay of the hair)  and reverse cut and achieve the same length.  You can also use a higher size comb and reverse as well if the coat keeps dropping down on you.  The reverse cut with the combs is a little trickier to achieve an even groom.  I use Coat Handler diluted and in a light mist spray.  For the dry skin, you could try an oatmeal shampoo which will calm the skin.  It is possible that the itchiness is due to a bit of shampoo being left on the skin.  

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

Thanks Teresa,

I use combs. I'll try going higher and reverse cutting. I already do the back-brushing bit before each clipper run (going with the lay of the hair). Honestly, I haven't conditioned Oscar's coat before a clipper cut in probably a year, so I've forgotten exactly what makes it difficult, only that it is. I have tried so many oatmeal shampoos and calming shampoos and they haven't done much so far. Last time, however, I did use a conditioner (it was just a bath with no clipper cut) and it seemed to make a big difference in the frequency of Oscar's scratching. I do rinse thoroughly after shampooing, but maybe not enough. I'll try extending the rinse time. I do want to incorporate a good conditioning last step into Oscar's grooming routine, even before clipper cuts, so I'll give your suggestions a try. Thanks again!

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Interesting- I didn't know that there was such a thing! It might be well worth looking in to. Do you have a particular brand of shampoo and conditioning spray that you would recommend? I like a soft, fresh smell without being too perfumey. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Actually I have several suggestions for you.  We always bathe and groom our own dogs, so we have had plenty of experience (over 20 years).  Human shampoo is too drying for the dogs and the creme rinse/conditioner makes their coat sticky and it picks up dust and dirt.  We use some shampoo from the vet (Harry Schein) and you can reorder and have it delivered to your home.  Be sure to rinse very thoroughly and if you use a hair dryer, use it on air only or very low heat.  Hair dryers also dry their skin out.  My vet said it is actually better to use a tee-shirt and let them dry naturally.  I use puppy shampoo on their faces and hold their noses up and put my hands over their eyes when I wash  their neck area and lower face.  I usually start with the head and work down the body.  When my husband was building a new laundry room and garage, I asked for a dog bathing area and he put in double sinks with counters on each side.  They work great for us.  We also have a sprayer that hooks onto the faucets and concrete floors.  I have a ramp for the larger dogs but just pick up the smaller dogs and put them into the tub.  Once they get used to baths, it gets easier.