Home Bathing

[Stacy]

The other night at about 10 when I was getting ready for bed Katie went out and rolled in something positively foul. Stinky. Like there is no way you're getting in this bed with me and the bath can't wait until morning. I usually take her to the self-service dog wash between groomings.

The problem was that I don't have a sprayer and using a cup to try to rinse first the stink and then the shampoo out of all that hair was nearly impossible.

The bathroom isn't set up to accept a handheld sprayer. But in the garage there are hot and cold spigots next to the washing machine. I could Y those two together and attach them to a sprayer. But I don't really have the real estate to put an actual doggie bath  in. And I'm happy taking her to the dog wash, it would just be for those emergency baths. I was thinking maybe putting them in a large Rubbermaid with wheels and then taking the water outside to dump after they were bathed.

I'm curious what kind of set up people have for bathing dogs at home, if you bathe your dogs at home. And possibly any better ideas than what I've come up with!

Thanks! Stacy

[Lindsey Holt]

Jake takes a shower with me...

He loves it and it contains the mess.

He willingly runs in!

[Stacy]

I think the shower might be the best option. I guess my fear was that there wouldn't be enough water pressure to rinse all that fur. It's just so thick and fluffy. Sometimes even getting her wet all the way to the skin is a challenge. Next time (I hope there isn't a next time for a while) I'll give it a shot. 

[C&L]

If you get one of the adjustable shower heads, they have stronger pressure.

[Wanda Klomp]

Hi Stacy, I am a specialized Doodle groomer who teaches owners to groom their Doodle themselves in the fluffy way they LOVE. Dog shampoo should be diluted always, so just use one of the cans that contains soap for washing your cloths (detergent? Sorry I am Dutch ;-) fill the bottom with a few cm's of shampoo, then as a few drops of conditioner and top it off with water. Put some holes in the top and go. Second, never put your dog in a bath that leaves the water in, because it makes it impossible to rinse the coat well. Owners tend to think simple about bathing their dog, but it's actually very difficult. If you don't rinse well, the skin can become itchy and irritated. Better take her in the shower with you if that's possible or use a baby bath with a hole in it, so you can loose the soapy water before and after rinsing. I have a book coming out soon. Let me know if you are interested to know more. Good luck! Xxx

[C&L]

D//ilution is so important. I had no idea and ended up using half a bottle! Then I diluted it using an empty water bottle and it made a world of difference. For a while there I had thought it was going to be very expensive to wash my dog everytime LOL.

[DonMarie and Picco]

I have a Rinse Ace Pet shower.  I like how it attaches to the shower head and doesn't leak. I've had one that slides on the faucet and always has water spraying.

https://www.amazon.com/Rinse-Ace-Sprayer-Showerhead-Attachment/dp/B...

[Helen S. Dickerson]

I made the mistake of bathing my doodle with a high-pressure shower head with high-flow.  Needless to say, he didn't like it.  I found a new pet shower head at bed bath and beyond that he likes much better.
 https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/1/3/pet-shower-head
 It's quite gentle. Now showering is a breeze.  He actually seems to enjoy it now. 

[Stacy]

I wanted to update this. It happened again! I let the dogs out when I got home from work about 11:30 and they both came in smelling like something I can't quite describe. Terrible. I washed them off as well as I could, considering that I wanted more than anything to just go to bed. Luckily? it's allergy season so I was a little stuffy and couldn't smell them as much as I would normally be able to. I mean, I could smell them, but it was a little muted.

So this morning I went out into the yard and found the offending smelly substance. It was really gross, soft, black, smelly poop. And I was seriously concerned that one of the dogs was dying if that came out of them. I thought about a trip to the vet, but they were both acting fine. And all of the poop that I could identify as theirs looked fine. (I only pooper scoop a couple times a week in the back.)

So when the dog wash opened we were first in line. I was talking to my groomer about how awful they smelled - and she took one whiff of Katie and proclaimed it possum poop. Give me dog poop any day! I really need a no possums sign for the yard. Or a fully enclosed roof for the back yard to keep them out. I need to research and see if they make something like "possum-be-gone." 

The girls are clean again, and the yard is free from possum poop for the moment at least, but man! What a day! It's always an adventure in dog parenting.

[DonMarie and Picco]

I despise possums!   Such a gross animal with those crocodile teeth!  Who knows what diseases they might carry. You might want to try Bonide repels-all or one of their products.  We put it along the edge of our block wall to keep the cats away and it seems to work pretty well.  It's really stinky when you apply it. 

[Stacy]

That is a great suggestion. My only concern is that it would repel the dogs too. I don't want to punish them. I wish there was something that only possums would smell and not like. I just don't know why I can't get a "no possum" warning sign. There have got to be more fun yards for the possums to play in where there aren't dogs. 

[DonMarie and Picco]

Oh I'm sure they would obey the sign ;-)  There is the possibility of the dogs want to roll in the repellent too! 

There is a variety of products - who know what will work.  We use repel all and it's not for cats but it works.  Our dog isn't even near it since we apply it on the wall. 

[Anne & Mr. Haley]

Possum poop is Haley's most favorite thing to roll in!  : (

When he gets some on him I simply take the garden hose and shampoo to that area of his coat.  A full bath on a moments notice is not something taken lightly.

Fortunately, this Spring he hasn't done it.  I have seen him roll in the grass more than he use to so, perhaps, he has given up possum poop.

I do feel your misery.