bath time

Bathing
Ginger doesn’t need frequent baths. In fact, frequent baths can dry the natural oils in canine skin and lead to constant scratching, which in turn can lead to bacterial infections and oozing hot spots.

For dogs that get bathed more than once a month, aloe-based shampoos and coat conditioners and foods and supplements with Omega fatty acids help maintain coat oils and skin health.

Before bathing, clear any mats or tangles from Ginger’s coat.
Teach her to stand in the tub, then add warm or tepid water.
Soak her to the skin, lather, then rinse thoroughly to prevent dull, sticky coat and dry skin.
Take care to keep water and soap out of her eyes and ears and clean her face and the insides of her ears with a sponge or washcloth

We are so lucky, we have a hand-held shower head to rinse Buddy off...these are sure a lot easier, quicker, and more thorough than using lil buckets.

i use hair-conditioner on Buddy, too! And rinse it out, of course. I use tear-free baby shampoo, just in case he splashes in his eyes...

Tigerlily they make tear free puppy shampoos too. If you're using human shampoo I suggest stopping by a pet supply store or looking on line for organice or tear free dog shampoos. They are ph balanced right for a dog's fur and skin. Human shampoos, even baby shampoo, can be awfully harsh for dogs and dry out coats and skin.

I rarely wash my dog's face just to avoid the eyes. So you don't "have" to wash their faces around the eye. Or use a wet cloth or hypo allergenic huggies to wipe (but not near eyes). I do wash ears and ruff but the hand held shower as you say makes it pretty easy. Unless they've rolled in something awful or are bearded they rarely need a face clean around the eyes. Training them and rewarding them for keeping their head up or doing the neck and head last helps too.

peanut butter smeared on the shower wall has a good effect too. :doglaugh:

Oh i didn't realize baby shampoo would not be gentle enough for a dog! Thanks!! Ha, love the peanut butter idea!!!

It's mostly the ph of the shampoo that makes it different. Baby shampoo may be gentle for human skin but not nec for other animals. Here's a pretty good explanation. http://happytailsspa-blog.com/2008/...ifference-between-dog-shampoo-human-shampoos/

I usually shop on line or in a local little pet supply store that sells raw diet supplies. They have nice natural shampoos without the harsh cleansers. Dogs tend to be a little greasier than humans too since many have oily coats that are water proof. Doggie shampoo makes it easier to get out the grease.

Just go to ask.com and search for ph dog shampoo and you'll find all sorts of info.

I finally just now read the article on that link, that is a great article!! Thanks for posting that.. I'm so done with baby shampoo on Mr. Buddy now!!!

my problem is koda has got dandruff, quite badly, we use nice aloe vera type dog and puppy shampoo and make sure all the shampoo is washed out but she has gotten dandruff quite bad now (just recently by the way in the last month) but i also put this coat conditioner on her as i hose them down mostly daily cause its hot here and they can jump into our little doggy pool we got them

is there anything you guys would suggest about how to get rid of dandruff off her?

Derma-Soothe shampoo and cream rinse worked well on my dog with dry skin. I bought it at the vet but it was non-rx. The ultimate solution was adding more omega 3,6,9 fatty acids to her diet with supplements. I add wild salmon oil, cod oil, or flax oil to their food and their coats and skin are much healthier. You might want to check the vet and be sure it's not an allergy or skin condition. With our neglected foster adding this to her diet turned her fur from flat and dull to glossy and healthy in 2 months. Huge difference. Just make sure that the dog isn't sensitive to any of these supplements if there is an allergy problem it could make it worse. If one doesn't work another most likely will.