# Waterless Shampoos



## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

Do waterless shampoos work? Will they irritate my 15 week old puppy's skin or cause her fur to pick up dirt (she's a Pekatese)? 

Also, can I use this in between baths or should they replace a bath?


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## RedyreRottweilers (Dec 17, 2006)

If it is left on the skin, in my experience, it will cause itchiness and flakiness. I use it for touchups on my dogs, but I use it extremely diluted (an inch in the bottom of a spray bottle, fill with water), and they have short hair. I just use it to polish their top coat.


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## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

Here's a pic of Lola. Do you think it would work with her fur?

The type I bought is called Perfect Coat and is liquid in a spray bottle. It's not the kind that foams up or looks thicker, like a shampoo. Will that work on Lola's fur? She doesn't look too good when she becomes wet, unless I blow dry her...


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

I find the waterless products worthless..lol The only time they are useful is if there is a poopy mess on the rear, and time constraints prevent a full bath. I don't like to leave the product in the hair/skin either...it can irritate and dry the skin and coat out. I say if you have the time, just full out wash the dog, unless its a tiny spot that has an issue with poo, etc. If its the whole dog, just bathe her, even if its every other day..just rinse well, and you will be fine. Be sure to brush and comb after she is dry too, to prevent matts.


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## StellaLucyDesi (Jun 19, 2008)

The only thing I use the waterless shampoo for is poop mishaps, or dirty "slippers" on my blenheim Cavalier from walking on a dirty road. Stella is a mostly white blenheim and sometimes needs what I call her "sitz baths" lol between groomings. So I bought a plastic puppy bathtub that sits across my kitchen sink and this is what I do quick baths in. It's great! I paid 20.00 for it. I think Petsmart is carrying the new Martha Stewart line and it has a puppy bathtub similar to the one I ordered from Fosters and Smith. This might be a great thing for you, since you have such a small dog. I can bathe Stella very quickly with it. Then I transfer her to the grooming table to dry and comb her. Most of the time, it's just her rear and feet that need anything.


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## hachna (Jul 31, 2010)

I used Waterless Shampoo which is a spray. It leaves sticky feeling on the coat so i stopped using it. I use potato starch (powder) to clean wet and muddy situation and enhance whiteness on my s/tzu's coat and it works better (but messy as you need to dust off the powder (I also use dryer). I tend to wash with water only when needed.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> I find the waterless products worthless..lol The only time they are useful is if there is a poopy mess on the rear, and time constraints prevent a full bath. I don't like to leave the product in the hair/skin either...it can irritate and dry the skin and coat out. I say if you have the time, just full out wash the dog, unless its a tiny spot that has an issue with poo, etc. If its the whole dog, just bathe her, even if its every other day..just rinse well, and you will be fine. Be sure to brush and comb after she is dry too, to prevent matts.


I don't think it's a dry bath, per se, but I like Miracle Groom for touch ups. We used this on show horses (nothing like a freshly groomed horse with a big manure spot on it's leg), and it worked great. I will spritz my dogs with this between baths if needed (they get bathed often; except for the GSD and I use this on him too). I also like Cowboy Magic spray. Smells nice, too! 
But for a 15 week old pup, I'd go with your advice and just bathe with something gentle and rinse well


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## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

Thank you all for your feedback. I found the waterless shampoo (spray kind) worthless! One of my friends asked me, "Where does the dirt go?" Apparently, it doesn't go anywhere... Lola was a doused mess. I had to give her a full bath. I thought this would help in providing less baths as everyone is telling me once a week is way to frequent. =(


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

patriciap said:


> Thank you all for your feedback. I found the waterless shampoo (spray kind) worthless! One of my friends asked me, "Where does the dirt go?" Apparently, it doesn't go anywhere... Lola was a doused mess. I had to give her a full bath. I thought this would help in providing less baths as everyone is telling me once a week is way to frequent. =(


Once a week is NOT too frequent. Rinse well, and be happy with a clean dog. Show dogs are bathed weekly if not MORE than that..and their coats are in top shape..bathe away! ;-)


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

Graco22 said:


> Once a week is NOT too frequent. Rinse well, and be happy with a clean dog. Show dogs are bathed weekly if not MORE than that..and their coats are in top shape..bathe away! ;-)


I bathe Tag and Dude before every class. Tag has Rally-O every other Monday night, and Agility every Wednesday night. Dude has Agility Thursday nights. I also don't take dirty dogs to the vet, nor do I take them to any events (Humane Society Yappy Hour, Dog Walks, etc) and I don't take dirty dogs to the pet store. (It probably doesn't help that half the people in this town know I'm a groomer, so I can't exactly show up at dog related events with smelly, crusty little critters at my heels, lol!)
I'm sure the other groomers can attest to this, but I have found NUMEROUS lumps, bumps, tumors and cysts on dogs (my own and mostly my clients) that might have been missed if it weren't the job of a groomer to have their hands on every inch of the dog. I found a tumor on a golden X's rear leg. It was a tiny bump when I found it, and 4 weeks later it was slightly smaller than a golf ball. It WAS cancerous, and was removed and thankfully they got it all. I've found various tumors and weird little growths between toes (which I've heard/read usually means bad news) on many dogs. One was a scotty, the owners took her to the vet and it was a malignant tumor that might have cost the dog her life had it not been found. Today I found a suspicious lump on a 12 year old Great Pyr. A few weeks ago I found a small lump on my papillons leg. After they revived me (kidding), I took him to the vet. It was just a cyst, thankfully. My mom, years ago, found a lump in a dogs throat that could only be felt if the dogs's head was tilted back (such as to shave the neck...I think it was a schnauzer). When the dogs' head was at a natural position, it couldn't be found. Auz (the GSD) doesn't get a bath as often as the papillons because he just doesn't need it at much, but gets brushed very often and nails done at least weekly.


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## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

Graco - 

Thank you... my trainer told me I was going to ruin my puppy's skin and that she would have skin problems in the future if I kept bathing her 1 x per week. She said I should not do it more than 1 x per month. My Lola would be a disgusting mess in 1 month. Her fur picks up everything and she smells bad from running around all the time. How can I snuggle with a stinky mess every night?! lol


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## mitzi (Aug 3, 2010)

patriciap said:


> View attachment 20741
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What an adorable little girl! I want! I want!

Just thought I would add that for poopy messes on my dogs or cats I use a washcloth wrung out with nothing but very warm/hot water, very soothing for bums sore from the runs also. I bought 2 dozen cheap white ones just for them years ago, and when they are yucky with poop I throw them in a bucket with a bit of bleach and detergent to soak (like cloth diapers), then in the washer with hot water and bleach and detergent.


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## LazyGRanch713 (Jul 22, 2009)

mitzi said:


> What an adorable little girl! I want! I want!
> 
> Just thought I would add that for poopy messes on my dogs or cats I use a washcloth wrung out with nothing but very warm/hot water, very soothing for bums sore from the runs also. I bought 2 dozen cheap white ones just for them years ago, and when they are yucky with poop I throw them in a bucket with a bit of bleach and detergent to soak (like cloth diapers), then in the washer with hot water and bleach and detergent.


The little shih-tzu in your avatar is pretty darned cute, herself


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## Stephie (Apr 29, 2010)

I have some I use occasionally, only when a bath is really needed but out of the question at the time. Just be very careful which ones you choose if you do go with one because some actually contain alcohol which dries out the skin and causes itchiness and discomfort.


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## patriciap (Jul 30, 2010)

Thanks Mitzi - Your Shih Tzu is adorable, too!


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## RinseAce (Aug 16, 2010)

I would simply give her a "spot bath". A great way to wash dirty paws, or as some of the others are saying poopy spots, is with a pet shower. There are kinds you can hook up to a shower or to a faucet. For a small dog, like my own I love the faucet version, it is a quick connect hose that hooks up to my laundry tub through a special connector. It attaches a flexible hose with a sprayer so I only get the spots wet that I want to get wet. It's also great for the tear stripes my little dog suffers from. She is white and has allergies so her little eyes tear all the time leaving strips on her little face. The gentle sprayer allows me to soak it gently and then wipe away with a wash cloth. It's not her most favorite part of a bath but she tolerates it very nicely.


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## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

I love waterless, otherwise known as self-rinse shampoos for shows.

I do a full bath on my dog the day before any show, but being a long-coated male, he urinates on his furnishings, and I need something to clean up in a pinch. It took some experimentation, but I found one from Pure Paws that also helps with urine odor.

Otherwise, with a short-coated dog, like my Greyhound, self-rinses are fine as an all-over touch-up or refresher. But for any coated dog, you will end up with a greasy mess.


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## nekomi (May 21, 2008)

Don't know if this is exactly what you're looking for or not, but I make up my own quick-cleaning spray at home using common ingredients. It's been a great success for my group of Huskies! Best of all, no unsafe ingredients or drying effect. I love this stuff.

http://hoofandhowl.blogspot.com/2009/07/quick-trick-for-dirty-dogs.html


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## Sighthounds4me (Nov 7, 2010)

That stuff sounds great! I will have to try it!!!


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