Keeping Dogs Fresh

Regular brushing will keep your dog much cleaner than regular bathing. If you only bathe twice a year you get a nice dirt-repelling coat-- the natural oils keep dirt from sticking. Spot-clean the "rolled in stinking fox poop" areas. Let mud dry and then brush it out.

That just means that I have to continue what I'm doing.  I comb and brush my pup everyday and spot clean him as he gets dirty.  Puppers just seem to attract dirt that you didn't even know existed.  I do a pretty good job of keeping them clean but I wish there was an easier way.

Let mud dry and then brush it out

Quote by mudpuppy.

Mudpuppy remind me to call you and let you brush Dilon out next time he gets muddy![]  If only it were that easy...sigh

lol, just funning with you mudpuppy.  Of course depending on the coat you can't always just let dry and brush out.  A Rottie yes, Newf...no



Depending on the coat your dog carries, brushing out mud doesn't always work.[] lol

The only dog we use any sort of spot clean is with Cassie, instead of shaving her pants we keep them full...they tend to get some urine in them, so my Sister has some leave in spray shampoo that she sprays on and brushes through.  Or, she takes her to her grooming shop and just spot baths...she doesn't get a full bath too often.

A lot has to do with the coat, with my Rottie and Dobe they never get baths and a weekly brushing or going over with a shedding blade is enough. 

With the Newf's they need to be gone over with a good grooming once weekly and brushed every other day.  We also keep a high velocity dryer at home to blow out some of the dirt especially if we've been at the beach.  The Rottie and Dobe just need a brushing, but, the Newf's you need to get that dirt out.[]   

That is hilarious, how cute all covered in mud. I actually found these wipes that have oatmeal and an exfoliator that clean up my pup. He loves them and they claim they don't remove the frontline plus also. Worth a try

Where did you get them from?  My pup's curly hair has to have some kind of cleaning done to it.  The combing off dry dirt does not work for him.  He needs something moist to get the crusties out.

Dilon is SO CUTE!!!!

Honestly, I wash mine. They usually get bathed every couple of days. It helps with Teenie's grass allergies, and Emma's demodex to keep them clean. Lots of folks will tell you it's bad advice and it'll dry their skin and ruin their coat, etc. My dogs do not have coat. Emma is shaved down with a #10 blade, and Teenie is literally hairless over half of her body, naturally. Their skin is just fine. I feed plenty of good fats, and use an essential oil rinse after their baths.

With dogs that require regular grooming (long hair, curly coats, etc), there are "dry" (or waterless) shampoo's that work wonderfully for freshening. But when they get  really dirty, muddy, or "crusty", they should get a good bath. As Jennie stated, alot of stuff (pollens, yeast, dust, dirt ...) can  build up, causing skin irritation, and regular baths help to get that off the skin.
As far as baths drying the skin, the grooming industry has come a long way in producing shampoos that are non-drying and soap-free, but these products are typically not available in just any store. You would need to go to a larger pet supplies store, grooming salons, or speciallty shops to find the "good stuff". I also know that Jennie and a few others use a product that works well for them [] 

The two short haired dogs only get baths once or twice a year with an occasional rinsing down with plain water if they are too muddy to towel and brush out. The longer haired dog gets about twice that number of baths.

I've tried two types, the ones I like the best are pet wipes puppy bath by oxymed. I got them at a little local pet shop where I get my Innova too. I bought some called pet wipes by petkin at petco, they are ok, but I like the other ones better.

pet wipes puppy bath by oxymed

 
The whole Tropiclean line is great! The shampoo's are gentle, rinse easily, and smell SOOOOO good. The Oxymed roducts have oatmeal to soothe the skin.

We bathe our dogs a lot.  About once a month.  When Beau was showing, he got tons of baths.  He still hates them though, it's pathetic. 
 

 
Longhaired white dogs need baths a lot, I've decided. 

Mine are short coat. I groom them about every 6-8 weeks. I use a towel or damp cloth when they get muddy or roll in dead things and brush them threw.

I'd like to try those wipes.

Mine get baths about once a week or every two weeks.  Since I live in an apartment, they don't get too dirty, but I like them clean when they sleep in my bed.  I just bought some Tropiclean shampoo like five minutes ago.  I haven't had a chance to use it yet, but it says it won't wash off flea treatments.  I got the oatmeal/tea tree kind and it smells pretty good.  There is one that smells just like Pina Coladas.  While I like Pina Coladas, I don't want my dogs to smell like them!