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? 

[Susan]

Marlow is the same.....I can take him to doggy daycare and he is just a shade darker in color when I pick him up I brush him and think that he looks fine but when I bathe him..OMG! I have never seen so much dirt! Now on the other hand when it rains, it really shows if he plays outside. I think the dust settles in the fur and doesn't show as bad. Cream dudes really do need a lot of baths! :)

[Pat & "Tucker"]

Same here with Tucker. He looks clean but after a bath what a difference.

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

Country Living Magazine has a monthly column written by a local veterinarian (couple towns over from me) and this months column is on bathing. He says that in all his years of practice he has never seen a pup with health problems caused by being too clean. He said the important things are to use a good quality dog shampoo and be sure to rinse thoroughly, don't get water in eyes or ears. He says in his opinion the number of baths is dependent on the owners tolerance for dirt and odor.

[Jennifer Tramell]

When our golden/collie mix, Cody, was a pup, we had a problem with flea allergies. Our vet told us that it would be best not to bathe him more than every other week. He said that to many baths could dry out his skin and cause additional itchiness & skin irritation (dry, tight feeling skin). He gave us (well, actually we paid for it some oatmeal shampoo to moisturize while bathing. Now, I prefer using kids 2-in-1 conditioning, no tears, detangling shampoo for my dog.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

No, Vern's coat holds dirt and every other thing he gets into outside. He loves to roll in dirt and usually has something hanging off of him. It does not matter if he goes to the groomer, two minutes after we get home and before I can grab my camera he rolls in something. I try to explain to him that I just paid good money to make him handsome, but he does not care. He just seems to smile more with every turn and it is hard not to smile with him. I think we should have named him Pig Pen. My daughter said tonight on our walk he looked like a homeless dog. Mr. Vern is getting a bath tomorrow too. Darwin sure is a cutie pie.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

One thing that helps keep a dog's skin from getting too dry from frequent baths is to use a cool dryer setting or let them air dry.
But I also think conditioners and leave-in products definitely contribute to the build up of dirt & oils.

[F, Calla & Luca]

That may be true but I hope that those products also mean fewer matts.