# for those of you with big short haired dogs...



## jbray01 (Dec 26, 2007)

this might seem a little weird. i am hoping it makes sense, but my brain is somewhat dead this week.

i just gave rosie her first bath of the cold season. it was never a big deal getting her bathed and dried in the hot summer, but it was so much more difficult to get her dry this time since her coat is getting thicker etc. it took a really long time to get her wet enough for the shampoo, and an even longer time to dry her. she also has had some doggie dandruff now too, and i want to try to avoid that as well...

i was wondering if those of you who normally groom yourself do it in the cold weather or take your dogs to get bathed/groomed by a professional in the winter months? i am seriously considering it since it has now become so difficult to get such a big dog completely dry.


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

I do it myself. Can't afford taking them in to get groomed. Plus I'm learning lots by doing it myself. Betty's got pretty short hair, Nell is medium, and Chloe has tons, lol.


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## Yvette (Sep 13, 2007)

I am a Dog Groomer, so I can bring my Shepherd to work with me.


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## Sugar Daddy Otis (Jan 9, 2008)

I take Otis to the groomer all of the time now that he is too big for my tub and it's much easier just to pay someone else $25 a month or so to do it for me....but when he wasn't big enough I still took him to the groomer in the winter--I wanted him to dry fast and not air dry like he'd have to do at home--wouldn't want my boy to catch a cold 
Plus the groomers baths last so much longer than mine--he seems to stink right away after I bath him--with the groomer doing it I don't smell him for atleast 3 weeks or so.


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## K9companions (Nov 13, 2008)

I wouldn't worry too much about your pooch and the cold weather. He doesn't have to be completely dry, but make sure he doesn't go outside right after a bath. As to the dandruff, that is normal as well. If you are worried about it you can buy oatmeal based shampoos which will help dry skin, or you can feed him some scrambled eggs to help his coat. As long as the dandruff is not excessive and there is no hair loss, in which case you should take him to the vet.

As for his coat taking longer to wet, that will just take time to wash. But if you want him to dry more quickly, try taking a blow dryer to his fur, of course making sure that it is not too hot.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

K9companions said:


> As to the dandruff, that is normal as well.



I have to disagree with that statement. Dandruff is never normal. It may be "common" but shouldn't be. There could be a few reasons. It could be that the shampoo wasn't rinsed completely out, and caused flaking, or it could be flakes of shampoo residue left in the coat. It could be a diet issue, it could be dry skin, etc...but if one of my dogs had dandruff, I would never settle for "its normal" because its not.


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## StarfishSaving (Nov 7, 2008)

Bathing your dog too much can cause the skin to dry out, which creates dandruff. Most dogs don't actually need bathed very often at all. It removes the natural oils from the coat and skin which keep them healthy and moisturized.

Dandruff can also occur when there aren't enough essential fats in the dog's diet- you can add fish oil or flax oil to your dog's diet to help with this. In the winter, the skin does tend to dry more because we tend to keep our homes heated with dry heat sources like forced air or fire. I've found that humidifying the air helps (as well as helping my own sinuses- score!)

If you absolutely have to wash your dog in the winter, you could try to get her mostly dry with towels and and then just not put her outside for a while. There are techniques to drying a dog better. Remove the dead hair first (I love my FURminators!) Clean down to the skin- I actually take the shower head and put it directly on the dog, rinsing down and separating the fur. Use something like a shamois or uber absorbent thing (someone said they use a ShamWOW- might be worth a shot) instead of a regular towel. Comb while you dry with your blow dryer. I don't get my dogs completely dry right away with my stand dryer (mine is cheap! might as well be a regular hair dryer) so what I do is give them a break and just keep going back to them and brushing them- brushing helps expose the wet/damp undercoat to the air to dry faster.


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## chul3l3ies1126 (Aug 13, 2007)

I bathe all of mine myself and they all like to be blow dryed ... so drying is not a problem for me. I give them a bath outside now because of my new tub and towel dry them a bit outside, then walk them in and blow dry.
Nessa


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## TFTpwnsYou (May 22, 2007)

Graco22 said:


> I have to disagree with that statement. Dandruff is never normal. It may be "common" but shouldn't be. There could be a few reasons. It could be that the shampoo wasn't rinsed completely out, and caused flaking, or it could be flakes of shampoo residue left in the coat. It could be a diet issue, it could be dry skin, etc...but if one of my dogs had dandruff, I would never settle for "its normal" because its not.


Yeah. That could be a diet issue or the dog is bathed too much, or it could even be the shampoo used. I'm not sure if they actually sell the stuff in stores, but I make a killer Anti Dandruff Cocktail...lol. I use a medicated shampoo along with and anti dandruff shampoo, and finish with a remoisterizing conditioner. That helps out a lot with dogs that come in with some baaad dandruff. I get commended by the groomers for how well my baths turn out.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

The first time my wife made a groomer appointment for our 115# lab, I said, "Are you insane? They're going to charge by the pound and we'll pay $115!"

For a wash, blow dry, nails, ear-cleaning and (on request) anal scent gland expression, they charged $25. That was a few years ago, but I'll bet it's still a bargain. When he was done, he looked better, smelled better and (most important) felt better.

I think the reason it was cheap was because he didn't need a haircut.


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## PugChick (Nov 5, 2007)

It doesn't really get 'cold' here by most people's standards,  but in the winter I take my (relatively) big dog to work with me to bathe because it just takes tooo long for him to dry here at home. I'm too used to having a HV dryer available - using a regular human hairdryer feels a bit like hunting moose with a BB gun. 

If you bathe a lot it may be worth it to get yourself a HV dryer, as even with the price of getting a monthly bath at the big box stores the dryer pays for itself fairly quickly.

I want to get one myself, but it's at the end of a long list behind a lot of pricey items. Maybe by the time I'm 40...


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## txcollies (Oct 23, 2007)

I still do my own grooming even in cold weather. (one of my major shows of the year is always new year's weekend. So yea, that's some cold bathing.  ) I also bath outside (I think I've set records for 'fastest bath during wintertime')

I get them dry really good, and keep them up where it's warm until they are completely dry.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

A doggy day care opened in our area. You can take your dog in and bath it for $14.00 doing it yourself. They supply all the soap and conditioner and have a really good blow dryer. In the spring it was the greatest thing for getting all the loose hair out. You can leave the dog there for them to do for $20.00. I have taken Susie there a couple of times and it is sure nice. They walk up a ramp into the raised bathtub so you do not have to lift them at all. In the hot sumer I just hose her off outside but it won't be warm enough to do that now for the next six months or so. She does not need a bath very often as once the ground is frozen (which it is now) she stays really clean.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

I bathe all of mine every month here at home in the grooming parlour downstairs. It helps if you can rig up a nozzle to move about that squirts the water and dog friendly suds into the coat all at once, then just water for the rinse. Having a force dryer is also very helpful, plus a Zoom Groom and stripping knife, not to mention nail clippers and an ear cleaning solution. It's still a lot of work even for just one dog, so I have plenty of clients who bring in short haired dogs of all sorts to be groomed throughout the year. 

Also, I agree with the other groomer who said that dandruff is certainly NOT normal and steps should be taken to find out what's causing it so you can take care of it.


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