# Why is my dog coat always so dirt?



## diurno (Apr 9, 2008)

I have a 1 year old golden retrivier, the vet told me to only bath him like 3 times a year but he smells so bad and if i touch him my hand becomes brown because of all the dirt in his coat. Is there anyway to clean him up without having to bath him?


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

He may have a skin condition or other medical issue that you'd want to rule out. He may be finding something disgusting to roll in (e.g. skunk poop or very old carp.)

3 times/year is about right for my dogs, but - if you use a quality shampoo and make sure you get it all rinsed out - you can probably bath your dog more often than that.


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## Jak (Sep 17, 2007)

A damp paper towel and daily brushing helps between baths. If he really smells bad, it might be a skin condition or something, so you should alert your vet.


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## borzoimom (May 21, 2007)

If the coat is dirty, it should be bathed. I never heard of 3 times a year.. Dirty coat can make skin problems, and dirty skin- same thing. Also I agree- look at your food too. If you are feeding a food with corn in it, that can make a dander residue or oily coat which would attract dirt.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

We bathe our dogs at least once a month. I also groom professionally and have many weekly to monthly clients. Most dogs benefit if you're using quality products made for dogs.


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## jesirose (Mar 27, 2008)

Are you brushing the dog? I would think a fair amount of dirt would be brushed out.

Why is he getting so dirty? Mud everywhere or something?


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

Always brushing a coat that's dirty can do more harm than good. My dogs stay mostly indoors and they still get icky quick.


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## Inga (Jun 16, 2007)

I bathe my dogs more then 3 times a year and they are fine. Healthy shiny coats an smell fresh (usually) LOL My friend bathes her Golden's more then 3 times a year as well. I think once a month would be fine if you use a good shampoo and be certain you are rinsing very well. I use Miracle Coat. It works well.


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## sheplovr (Aug 27, 2006)

If you bath a dog every time it is dirty it will next have itching issues with dry skin. Yes 3 times a year is more than mine get, they have never been bathed, Shepherds do not need it. They do not smell either.

Get the dog on good supplements, brush ten minutes a day, first rake against the growth, then brush with slicker brush to lay it down, then finish with the furminator tool. It will remove any dead under coat left behind and plenty will be brought out by this wonderful tool groomers use.

How about giving him a tbsp of Apple Cider Pureed Vinegar daily in his food, or spray with half water and half ACV all over, dogs love it and what a coat you will get, so shiny and bright. Try it, great cheap product for many things.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

I don't believe anyone here has suggested bathing a dog every time it is dirty. My dogs are on a raw diet with Solid Gold Seameal (supplement) and BugOff (garlic), as well as raw ACV in their drinking water. They also get bathed monthly with quality products. The shedding is minimal, while the coats are soft and shine.

I live in a farming community and often hear how this or that kind of dog doesn't "need" grooming, or how frequent bathing will dry out a dog's skin, etc. I find that interesting, especially considering that most show dogs of the breeds being mentioned are bathed far more frequently than most pet dogs, and don't they look awesome?


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## marleys_mom (Apr 10, 2008)

I also have a golden retriever and I can relate to the smell they can produce, however I can't imagine only bathing his 3 times a year. While that may be okay for certain breeds of dogs, I know my golden has to be bathed monthly and brushed often. You'd be surprised how much just a good brushing will do for his coat (and your carpet and furniture since they shed so badly). 

I know my Marley has skin issues and he's always getting hot spots, but since I have only been using oatmeal shampoos (vet suggested), he's fine getting baths monthly.


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## diurno (Apr 9, 2008)

marleys_mom said:


> I also have a golden retriever and I can relate to the smell they can produce, however I can't imagine only bathing his 3 times a year. While that may be okay for certain breeds of dogs, I know my golden has to be bathed monthly and brushed often. You'd be surprised how much just a good brushing will do for his coat (and your carpet and furniture since they shed so badly).
> 
> I know my Marley has skin issues and he's always getting hot spots, but since I have only been using oatmeal shampoos (vet suggested), he's fine getting baths monthly.


Thanks a lot for your advice. My golden also has a skin problem, from times to times he bleeds because he sctraches a lot his coat. I also have a shampoo that was recommended from my vet, this seems to help.


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## kenRC51 (Mar 7, 2008)

it might be the food you are feeding him/her, it may have allergy to something in the food that why he/she is scratching often.
Well for my english bull dog i give her a bath once a week. She stay outside most of that days and plays on the grass. She sleeps indoors at nights. Her coat gets really dirty after a week, but not to the point when my hands is soiled in dirt if i pet her. My cocker i bath her once a month thats is because she is indoors a little more then the english bulldog but shes still outside alot too.


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## diurno (Apr 9, 2008)

kenRC51 said:


> it might be the food you are feeding him/her, it may have allergy to something in the food that why he/she is scratching often.
> Well for my english bull dog i give her a bath once a week. She stay outside most of that days and plays on the grass. She sleeps indoors at nights. Her coat gets really dirty after a week, but not to the point when my hands is soiled in dirt if i pet her. My cocker i bath her once a month thats is because she is indoors a little more then the english bulldog but shes still outside alot too.


The food is also recommended by the vet and it is hypo-allergic food to prevent this problems but he still scratches and sometimes bleeds. I think i have to bath him like every two weeks because he goes outside quite often to play with my sister on the grass/mud and because i live in england and it rains quite a lot so the roads are kind of dirty which makes is paws dirty and then the rest of his body.

I brush him at least once everyday. 

And by the way its a he, lucky.


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## marleys_mom (Apr 10, 2008)

It may not be an allergy to anything he's coming into contact with... I know Marley's vet described it to me like this: Apparently golden retrievers are naturally prone to skin conditions. The vet believes that Marley's skin becomes irritated by a bacteria that HE himself produces. It causes the itchy patches on his skin. Before I started bathing him regularly with the oatmeal shampoo, he had a horribly infected hotspot on his neck that required antibiotics to heal and they had to shave his neck. Now he's much better as long as I don't give him ANY reason to scratch, (ie. making sure he stays up-to-date on his flea prevention, giving him regular baths, etc). Because once he gets a hot spot, he refuses to leave it alone.


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## kenRC51 (Mar 7, 2008)

marleys-mom, my dog recently has had hotspots. The english bull dog is 6 years old. I took her to the vet and he gave me a cream and kelflex. How does Stitch gets these hotspots and how long does it take to heal? She had the hotspots for about 3 weeks already. She got 3 of them 2 of them started to heal a little but the other is not because she keeps scratching it. How do i stop her from doing this?


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I have never bathed my dogs. I think they smell nice----not too doggy, more of a sweet earthy smell. On the other hand, one of my friends has a dog that _stinks._ She bathes him about once a month, and he stinks again by the next day. He eats Science Diet (*cough*JUNK!*cough*). My dogs eat high-quality, corn and by-product-free foods. I think the food really has something to do with it.


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## ebtide1 (Feb 25, 2008)

Maybe you should try to use dog wipes to remove excess dirt, and to rid your dogs of any bad smell. One that might work for you is Juicy Couture Dog Towelettes which are really gentle. But you may want to do some research and go online or ask around for some wipes that might work better in your situation.


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## kenRC51 (Mar 7, 2008)

Willowy said:


> I have never bathed my dogs. I think they smell nice----not too doggy, more of a sweet earthy smell. On the other hand, one of my friends has a dog that _stinks._ She bathes him about once a month, and he stinks again by the next day. He eats Science Diet (*cough*JUNK!*cough*). My dogs eat high-quality, corn and by-product-free foods. I think the food really has something to do with it.


So your dog has never had a bath? wow i never heard of that. Is your dog an inhouse dog? I feed my dog high quality food no corn and by products. I feed canidae als to stitch and melanie i feed innova puppy. 



ebtide1 said:


> Maybe you should try to use dog wipes to remove excess dirt, and to rid your dogs of any bad smell. One that might work for you is Juicy Couture Dog Towelettes which are really gentle. But you may want to do some research and go online or ask around for some wipes that might work better in your situation.


Juicy Couture dog wipes? they must be hella expensive. Like 5bucks per wipe, haha. I use the unscented baby wipes, cost alot cheaper then other dog wipes out there.


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## BeautySaloon (Jul 5, 2007)

You should wash him whenever he looks dirty, of course some vets will tell you just 2 or 3 times a year but it depends of the dog. 
Maybe you should see if there is no skin disease.


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## Dana1384 (Aug 13, 2007)

I bathe my golden once every 2 weeks, and she also gets fish oil everyday to help with her skin. She has skin problems too, and it is worse in the spring time, and the winter. The different vets she has seen told me it is just a golden thing, and to her up to date on everything.


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## LMH (Jan 2, 2008)

My dog is a big stinker too. He is outdoor and indoor dog. We have patches of dirt that he loves to sun bathe on. So when I pet him my hands turn brown. I hate it. I take him a bath every two to three weeks. I feed him a high quality food too so I don't know why he smells so easily. The first couple of days after his bath I try to keep him inside as much as possible to prolong hin being clean and it does help.


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## Love's_Sophie (Sep 23, 2007)

borzoimom said:


> If the coat is dirty, it should be bathed. I never heard of 3 times a year.. Dirty coat can make skin problems, and dirty skin- same thing. Also I agree- look at your food too. If you are feeding a food with corn in it, that can make a dander residue or oily coat which would attract dirt.


Ditto to that; although I HAVE heard SO many times NOT to bathe your dog often...I personally think it is a load of bs; There are SOOOOOOO Many wonderful products for our dogs that don't strip the natural oils from the dog's skin\coat, and still do a wonderful job of cleansing the dirtiness away. Being dirty all the time, I think can be worse than washing the dog a bit more often, in a good quality shampoo. 

My dogs get bathed weekly, due to my own allergies; if they get too dirty, my allergies are much worse, simply because they are dragging in 'who knows what' kind of allergin, along with their dander!Lol! I always get compliments on my Sophie girl's coat too, and she doesn't have dry itchy skin, or a brittle coat...but I use high quality products.


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