Diesel needs a trim!

Do **not** take him to Petsmart for grooming. My friends 16 y/o Yorkie got a bad cut on his neck from Petsmart, he needed staples. Everytime we take Taz, he comes home with fleas.

Go to your vet or a private groomer....check yellow pages and get some references.

Dogs don't need bathing once a week unless they get into something stinky or dirty.  Once a month is a better option and depending on the dog even every few months. My dogs all live in the house.  You will dry up his coat and skin by too often bathing. I used to bathe weekly and since I stopped my dogs coats look so much better. Use a dog shampoo not human. Brush daily and get your pup used to having his nails and teeth looked at and touched.  Handle and gently touch your puppy all over his body so he learns at an early age that it is a good thing.  Your Vet and groomer will thank you.  Ask your Vet for a groomer recommendation and go and look at the facilities and ask questions.  There are several groomers on this forum and some will hopefully respond with more details.

I can't see your pictures for some reason.  Good luck with your puppy!

All Petsmarts are not the same. There are some fantastic groomers grooming in chain stores. They offer incredibly benefits that you can't get anywhere else. Also, it's very easy for an inexperienced groomer to cut an old dog. Their skin is quite fragile.

Ask around and see who other people in your area use for grooming. Look at the dogs and see if you like how they look. I bathe my dogs pretty frequently, too. I use high quality shampoos and rinse very, very thoroughly. I can't see your picture!

JackieG

Dogs don't need bathing once a week unless they get into something stinky or dirty.  Once a month is a better option and depending on the dog even every few months. 

I agree. I think once a month is good, generally, for most dogs.
Apollo (because of his breed) is only bathed when he's either really dirty or really smelly. Other than that he's hosed off at best.

And I agree with the above, find someone who's dog looks nicely groomed and ask them where they go.

The idea that frequent bathing will dry out a dog's skin/coat is a hangover from decades ago when all dog shampoos were very harsh and drying.  Today's pet grooming products are much more gentle.  There is no harm at all in bathing your dog once a week, or even more frequently, as long as you use a good quality shampoo and rinse very well with lukewarm water.

As far as finding a groomer -- I agree with asking other people with dogs to see if someone stands out.  Many vets have groomers on staff.

The only reason I have been bathing him once a week is because he gets quite smelly! He gets real smelly if we play outside because he gets into everything! If theres a puddle, better believe he's going to roll into it. If he goes #2 in his crate while I'm out, better believe he's going to step in and play in it. Soo... he's a puppy and he's still learning and he quits real dirty real easily. So he needs a bath. We have some good shampoo that a groomer at Petsmart suggested for him, so we should be safe.

He's got a vet appointment early next week - I'll ask him and ask around while I'm there about groomers in my area.

Thanks guys! Ya'll are such a big help.
Guess I didn't do the pic right?

Definitively inquire in your area for recommendations.  Also not all Petsmarts are alike - I worked as a groomer there for about 5 years :) Never once did I injure a dog.   The worst injury I ever saw was on my Mom's dog (before I started grooming her myself) from a private non-chain groomers.  Badly burned her in the sanitary clip area that require veterinary attention (and no they didn't even MENTION it when we picked her up, we saw it when we got in the car grrrr)

I bathe Ari probably about once every 2 weeks - but only b/c we took her down to the river a LOT.  So she'd always end up sandy, muddy, and smelling like river water.  I suspect it'll go down to monthly with the colder weather.  I used a gentle hypoallergenic shampoo, not because she's allergic, but I prefer something gentle and I liked the way it smells. 

Hannah D

If he goes #2 in his crate while I'm out, better believe he's going to step in and play in it.

YUK!  You shouldn't be allowing this to  happen.... it will make house training him much harder.  It is also distressing I think, for a dog to have to soil near to his bed.  Unless the dog was from a puppy mill and raised in his own muck, this goes against the grain of his instinct and is very unpleasant for him.

Our dogs are bathed once or twice a year.  If they get mucky they get hosed down, or I let them dry off in the kennel and then brush them out.  If a dog has a strong doggy smell I thyink it is more likely he needs more thorough brushing and his bedding may need washing more.

The same thing goes for show dogs. Dirty hair breaks, badly. You can't comb out a dirty dog without breaking coat. They have to be washed often, or kept off of grass.  

Chuffy

Hannah D

If he goes #2 in his crate while I'm out, better believe he's going to step in and play in it.

 

YUK!  You shouldn't be allowing this to  happen.... it will make house training him much harder.  It is also distressing I think, for a dog to have to soil near to his bed.  Unless the dog was from a puppy mill and raised in his own muck, this goes against the grain of his instinct and is very unpleasant for him.

 Well how do I stop it? We both work during the day so he's alone everyday from about 12-4 if no roommates are home either. He's going to have to go to the bathroom at some point some days? How else is he supposed to go?

It's not near his bed. He has a play crate during the day thats much bigger to hold his toys and stuff in so he can move around more than his smaller crate he sleeps in at night.

Hannah,how old is your pup?What and how much do you feed?If potty breaks are strategically planned and the pup is fed on a schedule there should not be a problem with poo in the crate.Also,how large is the crate?Too large an area will incourage a puppy to pick a corner to go instead of holding it.

Tena 

Diesel should be about 13 weeks now. I've had him for about 2. We try to feed him pretty much same amount and same time each day. We give him a small portion in the morning and then we give him lunch when we're leaving and again around 6. We give him a certain amount of time to eat it and then we take it away. Someone suggested this because he wasn't eating on schedule when we left his food out. He's learning and usually eats most of his food in that time frame now! Yay. Then before bed he gets a small treat usually if he's been good the whole night.

He doesn't always use the bathroom in his crate. More so not than so, but it does happen sometimes.

I'm not sure on the exact size of the crate. It was given to me from a friend whose dog no longer fits in it, but its not huge by any means. You can see inside it and I haven't noticed him just sitting in the corners much. He usually plays with his toys and stuff. He's teething right now so he'll go at his rope toy for hours!

Is there something I should change?

Maybe a larger morning portion since there's time to potty in the mornings and a small treat or chewie before you leave so he won't have to potty between 12 and 4.Then a full meal when you return home so there's plenty of time to potty before bed.

Tena