time for a bath, whats your routine?

[barry581]

Bath time for Bruce.





Bath time for Sophie










All ya need are a hose and a towel!!!!!!

[WhoopsaDaisy]

We just have to make sure Mocha don't jump in the shower with either one of us! We have a nice big walk in shower and he LOVES it. Our routine 1. Remove collars 2. Handheld shower head and soak the dog. 3. Shampoo. 4. Guard the shower door! 5. Rinse. 6. Repeat. 7. Towel dry. 8. Turn him loose and watch out! Good luck with the Mrs.!!!

This is my routine! I used the new lavender shampoo someone recommended and Daisy smells nice. Just had to do it tonight because Daisy had an impromptu mud bath earlier today.

[Georgia]

We usually go to the self serve dog wash. We take our own shampoo because I don't like theirs. They supply the towels and have a blow drier. Much better than using our shower or bathtub. A couple weeks ago we had the boys out for a walk and they got super muddy. DH didn't want to go to the dog wash so I put them in our walk-in shower. What a mess! There was mud and hair everywhere. Never again!

[ronmcq]

Bath time for our 3 happens quite a bit right now (1-2 times a week) as we're dealing with yeast infections and involves me in a bathing suit walking the bigger dogs into our shower. I've several layers of window screen weighted down over the drain to catch the loose hair. A bolt through a washer keeps it centered in the drain. We use a handheld shower to wet and rinse after the shampoo. I'll dry them off as much as possible in the shower and have the bathroom door closed to prevent escape once they're done. I have several towels on the floor at the door for them to stand on while finishing drying and to wipe things down afterwards though I like the old sheets idea posted earlier and may try that next. Open the door and it's a couple minutes of pandemonium scooting on pillows and carpet till they settle down and then time for a treat. Towels go into the dryer to catch all the lose hair in the lint trap till next the bath.

[Labradorks]

If I have to bathe the dogs, I take them to a DIY place for $15 each.

They swim a lot, lay in their kiddie pool, and I hose them off if they get muddy.

I have bathed them in the river/pond before. I got some all-natural baby shampoo that people use camping (made of hemp or something, but is OK to use in rivers). Tossed in a bumper, when they came out, shampooed them, then continued tossing bumpers.

[WhoopsaDaisy]

Wish we had a place like that around here

[Snowshoe]

Let's see, announce my intention by running the water and putting my nightclothes and house coat in the bathroom. Make sure the thick, cozy bath mat is down on the floor next to the tub for Oban to lie on. Put bath soap in the running water so Lucy can play with the bubbles. Get an orange for Oban and I to share. Arrange the bath towel over the side of the tub so Lucy can play house under it. Make sure the bottom shelf of the towel rack has no books or magazines on it so Derri can lie there. Find the little practice plastic golf ball to float in tub so kittens can bat at it under the soap bubbles. I hide it 'cause one Lucy got her jaw around it with her teeth caught in the little holes and got stuck so it only comes out when I can supervise. Hide the toilet paper so Lucy cannot jump up, grab it, and take it out into the hall to rip and chew it up.

What? You didn't mean my bath?

[monsterpup]

Unfortunately, our experience is much like black paws' routine!

Ensure all routes of escape are blocked.
Covertly grab dog shampoo and lay out towels, with extra caution so he can't sense what's up.
Cheerfully invite him into the bathroom with promises of a tasty treat.
Watch him bounce toward the bathroom with glee.
Watch him leave brake marks on the hardwood floors just outside the bathroom door.
Continue to try to use said tasty treat to coax his paws over the bathroom door threshold.
Decide it's no use and lift him up, with four paws flailing.
Commence with bath, while most pathetic subject in the world acts as if he's in the process of being tortured.
Finish bath and try to dry.
Watch him bee line out of the house and proceed to roll in the nearest flower bed to get the offensive clean smell off of him.
Dry the bathroom walls, floors, door, toilet, sink and ceiling.
Vow to wait another year before his next bath.

[Deco]

I use a hose outside and have to leave the collar on to control Deco or it turns into the same routine used for Bruce above. lol He loves playing in the hose. Deco swims a lot so I wash him down thoroughly after each swim with fresh water only. I then use a micro fiber towel to dry as much as possible. If I have time I take him on a long walk afterward or try to keep him from laying down and sleeping because he drys very slow with the humidity we have down here and then he sours. I never use soap and he has a very thick, healthy and shiny coat that repels dirt. I have always been told that if you are going to use soap, to make sure it is something mild that doesn't strip their natural oils. They tend to have a self cleaning coat that won't smell if you leave it as natural as possible. When at the park, Deco is usually the dirtiest dog when they are all playing but when we walk out he shakes a few times and looks like he was just groomed.

[ZoeysMommy]

If I have to bathe the dogs, I take them to a DIY place for $15 each.

They swim a lot, lay in their kiddie pool, and I hose them off if they get muddy.

I have bathed them in the river/pond before. I got some all-natural baby shampoo that people use camping (made of hemp or something, but is OK to use in rivers). Tossed in a bumper, when they came out, shampooed them, then continued tossing bumpers.

We have those DIY places around here, do they require that shots be up to date like a groomer does?