Discussion
In a bit of a situation.
Me and the fiancee have a labrador, but I live at my parents and she lives at her parents. The dog lives in her house.
Cleaning wise her mum doesn't like us using the bath/shower to clean him so I take him to my house were my mum and dad don't mind aslong as the bath is scrubbed. Problem is my house is 11 miles away and it is geting monotonous driving there and back just to clean him.
Does anybody wash their dogs in the garden? And how?
Is there a specific dog washing mitt I could use combined with a couple of washing buckets? (similar to the 2 bucket method in car cleaning)
Many thanks for any replies.
Me and the fiancee have a labrador, but I live at my parents and she lives at her parents. The dog lives in her house.
Cleaning wise her mum doesn't like us using the bath/shower to clean him so I take him to my house were my mum and dad don't mind aslong as the bath is scrubbed. Problem is my house is 11 miles away and it is geting monotonous driving there and back just to clean him.
Does anybody wash their dogs in the garden? And how?
Is there a specific dog washing mitt I could use combined with a couple of washing buckets? (similar to the 2 bucket method in car cleaning)
Many thanks for any replies.
Edited by CraigMST on Monday 7th May 10:12
durbster said:
How often are you cleaning him? I thought it was generally considered a once or twice a year thing as their coats can be affected by constant stripping of its natural oils ( unless he's been rolling in s
t all day 
)
Exactly this. Our dogs get 2-3 baths a year not allowing for fox poo incidents. t all day )The rest of the time they just get a good brushing once a fortnight. Both are relatively short haired though.
Friends wash their vizsla by standing him in a plasterers bath in the garden. Scrub with dog shampoo while wearing rubber gloves, then rinse off with a hose.
They've managed to rig the hose to the kitchen mixer tap, rather than use stone-cold water from the garden tap.
A watering can might 'do' if you're in a hose pipe ban area, but I'm not convinced you can rinse all the soap out just with that.
They've managed to rig the hose to the kitchen mixer tap, rather than use stone-cold water from the garden tap.
A watering can might 'do' if you're in a hose pipe ban area, but I'm not convinced you can rinse all the soap out just with that.
Firstly, as mentioned you're not doing his coat any good, 2-3 times per year is plenty or less if he swims a lot.
Secondly there's nothing wrong with using a hose attached to the cold tap so long as the ambient temperature isn't too low. He won't like it but it's just tough, it only takes a few minutes.
Secondly there's nothing wrong with using a hose attached to the cold tap so long as the ambient temperature isn't too low. He won't like it but it's just tough, it only takes a few minutes.
If the weather is warm they get the outside tap treatment to rinse but a bucket of warm soapy water to clean.
If it is cold outside then it's the main bathroom shower and corner bath for them (bath to wash and soap then shower to rinse)..
But don't clean them too much and don't use chemicals if you can avoid it.
If it is cold outside then it's the main bathroom shower and corner bath for them (bath to wash and soap then shower to rinse)..
But don't clean them too much and don't use chemicals if you can avoid it.
Should only bath him 2-3 times a year, unless he rolls/ swims in smelly stuff or has a skin issue requiring more frequent bathing or if he is just a very smell dog!
Daily grooming should keep the coat clean and in condition.
My dog gets a proper bath 3x a year max, if he rolls then we just wash the affected areas, he is short coated so mud dries very quickly on him so I just towel him down then brush off the mud.
Reducing the bath sessions should reduce your hassles considerably. You can get mixer taps for the garden so you could rinse him off outside but still using warm water if you don't want to hose him with just cold water.
Daily grooming should keep the coat clean and in condition.
My dog gets a proper bath 3x a year max, if he rolls then we just wash the affected areas, he is short coated so mud dries very quickly on him so I just towel him down then brush off the mud.
Reducing the bath sessions should reduce your hassles considerably. You can get mixer taps for the garden so you could rinse him off outside but still using warm water if you don't want to hose him with just cold water.
Our Springer Spaniel generally gets walked off-lead across fields with streams, which she seems to magnetically attracted to, and sometimes comes back a bit muddy. We just hose her off in the garden without shampoo/detergents - if it's cold we give her a fan heater to warm her up. If she's happy to jump in and out of streams then the warmer water from the outside tap isn't going to be traumatic.
My Vizsla always comes back muddy but has short coat so just gets a hosing off regardless of weather although bloody hosepipe ban means I can't do that anymore 
I can't say he really enjoys it but as mentioned above if he's willing to chuck himself in the river after a ball then a quick rinse with a hose should be no problem.
I can't say he really enjoys it but as mentioned above if he's willing to chuck himself in the river after a ball then a quick rinse with a hose should be no problem.
Edited by ParanoidAndroid on Tuesday 8th May 13:11
ParanoidAndroid said:
...although bloody hosepipe ban means I can't do that anymore
I got in touch with my water company (South East Water) with regards to hosing down the dog and I got the following replySouth East Water said:
I can advise that the water resources situation is very serious and therefore we would prefer that people did not use a hosepipe at all. but this activity is not currently restricted. Please could you help by using a bucket and sponge to wash your dog instead?
While this isn't currently part of the official restrictions we would hope our customers appreciate we need to do everything we can to save water at this time, and therefore would encourage everyone to take all the steps possible to save water and avoid using a hosepipe at all, whether the activity they use it for is on the list or not.
If it is banned in your area, then just attach a shower hose from B&Q to the tap and call it an outside shower (adaptor may be required)While this isn't currently part of the official restrictions we would hope our customers appreciate we need to do everything we can to save water at this time, and therefore would encourage everyone to take all the steps possible to save water and avoid using a hosepipe at all, whether the activity they use it for is on the list or not.
I find dunking our lab in the sea does the trick, with a good scrub if he's particularly covered in anything sticky ...clearly that may not be an easy option of course(!) Probably do that once a month, or as needed based on what he's rolled in.
I guess your lab doesn't go batst crazy and run round like a lunatic when you get the hosepipe out?! 
I guess your lab doesn't go bats
t crazy and run round like a lunatic when you get the hosepipe out?! Gassing Station | All Creatures Great & Small | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff