Bathing Sheltie
- Thread starter Jose
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Emmasmom
Forums Sage
If mine are dirty/muddy, they get bathed. Other than that, about 3-4 times per year. Have you bathed yours yet?
I agree with Emmasmom - you'd be amazed at how a good brushing gets the coat to shed dirt. I wash paws a fair bit, but a regular bath only happens at the groomers 2 or 3 times a year. My Hanna is 5 months and has yet to have a full bath - she did get a half bath one time when she got her feet & leggs pretty mucky playing.
Be sure to brush well before a bath - you don't want any tangled bits getting wet if you can help it.
Be sure to brush well before a bath - you don't want any tangled bits getting wet if you can help it.
Depends. Do you have a high velocity dryer? If not, I wouldn't do it often. Just brush and rake/line comb once a week or every 2 weeks. I bathe my guys once a month. And when the puppies were younger they got a bath once a week so they could get used to the whole process. And like EJHUNTL said, make sure you brush and rake/line comb before the bath. If not, you will be washing dead coat and not getting it clean down to the skin.
BarbV
Forums Celebrity
My dogs get a full bath maybe 3-4 times per year.
Between baths, I spritz them with a diluted leave in shampoo and brush them out.
You'll find the more you brush them, the less stinky. Because you are removing the oils from their skin.
The advantange of a dryer is that it helps to blow away undercoat when the coat is blowing. But you can easily blow that out with a bath. A bath does help loosen the coat though, so you should plan on at least full baths late spring and late fall. Followed by a good brush.
Between baths, I spritz them with a diluted leave in shampoo and brush them out.
You'll find the more you brush them, the less stinky. Because you are removing the oils from their skin.
The advantange of a dryer is that it helps to blow away undercoat when the coat is blowing. But you can easily blow that out with a bath. A bath does help loosen the coat though, so you should plan on at least full baths late spring and late fall. Followed by a good brush.
My Shelties go for a professional grooming every other month.
It is the best money I spend on my 6 fur balls, since I work fulltime and to be honest, don't have the patience to fully comb out their undercoat.
I will run the slicker brush over them about once a week, and comb out any mats I find.
With professional grooming, I find that maintenance on their coats is quite easy. (Unless Jonesie Dream crawls under the muddy shed in search of bunnies . . sigh!)
It is the best money I spend on my 6 fur balls, since I work fulltime and to be honest, don't have the patience to fully comb out their undercoat.
I will run the slicker brush over them about once a week, and comb out any mats I find.
With professional grooming, I find that maintenance on their coats is quite easy. (Unless Jonesie Dream crawls under the muddy shed in search of bunnies . . sigh!)
Ann
Moderator
The answer is as often as he needs it. I bathe puppies early so a bath won't be something they don't like. My adult dogs get bathed once a month or so, unless we're prepping for shows. Then it could be once a week. As long as you use an appropriate shampoo (a mild one made for puppies, not humans) he'll be fine. I blow dry them with a hairdryer on low while I brush until they're about half dry. In the winter I dry a bit more.
As others have said, be sure to brush before you bathe, and always mist the coat with water when you brush to keep the hair from breaking.
Thank you all for the replies. I haven't bathe him by myself but the pet shop gave him a bath before we brought him home. He was smelly the first day he got home but less smelly now...
I was also told that I should wet his coat before I brush or at least spray some water before brushing. If I wanna brush him everyday and if I keep on making his coat wet, wouldn't he catch a cold soon?
I was also told that I should wet his coat before I brush or at least spray some water before brushing. If I wanna brush him everyday and if I keep on making his coat wet, wouldn't he catch a cold soon?
Dogs don't catch colds like humans. You dry them off with towels/hair dryer etc too. You do not have to wet their fur to brush them. It does help getting loose hairs out but at 5 months he shouldn't be shedding anyways. I have never wet a dog's hair in my life unless they just came from a bath when I brush them.
For bathing, when my pup was younger, he'd get one about once a month, more if he got dirty. Now he gets one only when we go to the beach, or if he gets into something, otherwise it's a paw rinse. My 9 year old gets about 2-4 baths a year.
Tabitha
Forums Enthusiast
I agree with Melbell, except for the wetting part. No, you don't have to soak the dog, but you should sray them with water or a leave in conditioner to prevent the hair from braking.