Bathing

[rmitala]

How often do greyhounds need to be bathed, especially during winter? I understand that they do not require bathing more than 1x month, because of minimal oil in their coat. Our greyhound does not appear dirty and does not smell. Any feedback would be appreciated!!

[macoduck]

I've had 13 greyhounds. The only ones who got a bath were those I'd had to pick up when a previous owner dumped them and they were absolutely filthy. No one got baths unless they'd rolled in something stinky. A good brushing with suffice.

 

It always amazed me how both of my white greyhounds could lay down in a mud puddle and by the time they'd walked back to the house, the mud had fallen off.

 

My fawn girls loved to run in mud and standing water in our yard. They both got a towel wipe down before entering the house.

 

The one who was a registered therapy dog got a brushing and baby wipe wipe down before we'd go visit the hospital.

 

No need to take your greyhound to a groomer for a bath. Someone posted a trick to keep their dog distracted in the tub: put a good schmear of peanutbutter on wax paper or Glad wrap and tape it on the tiled wall of the tub. Have the water barely warm because some may faint if it's too warm.

 

Note that there have been horror stories of greyhounds who went to a professional groomer (a national chain of pet stores). Dogs fell off the grooming and some were left in the drying booth too long.

[LaFlaca]

I bathe Lola about every 2 months, weather permitting, or if she really needs it after rolling in something icky.

[buddibear]

So far 60 fosters and not a bath. I do think they got a bath at the farm or track kennel before sending them off. I needed to bathe my own grey when a foster misdirected aggression from barking dogs behind our fence ripped a hole in our 12 yo grey. He can back from ER on a Sunday with caked blood under his belly and crotch. Do not leave your grey at a groomer ( Petco) and go pay the cashier. I looked through the window and 3 groomers had manhandled my dog making him stand on a table 4feet off the ground while attempting to grind down his nails.

[ramonaghan]

Every 2-3 months for Sweep.

[KF_in_Georgia]

You can find a "dry shampoo" at pet stores. It's a spray-on liquid that you'd rub with a towel to remove the excess and dry the dog. It's usually mildly scented, and it works well if your dog needs freshening up but is unable to be bathed. (My girl threw up on herself after she was spayed. She wasn't allowed to be bathed at that point, but a vomit-scented dog was not ideal.) It's also useful to have this on-hand if you have dogs who pee on each other...or themselves.

Beyond that, keep your dog well-brushed. It will help with shedding and with coat quality. And have dog-wipes you can use to collect/remove excess hair after brushing and to help control pollen your dog picks up outdoors. (In a pinch, I've used a wet paper towel.)

In a pinch, google "do-it-yourself dog bathing" and add your zip code.

My two greys have each had only one bath since coming to my house (2+ to nearly 3 years ago).

[MP_the4pack]

Maybe once a year if that much.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Nixon had a bath the day I brought him home from the kennel.

He never had another bath...and neither have Ruby, Nigel or Sid.

I do brush them regularly, especially when they are going visiting at the Long Term Care facility. They love to get brushed.

[Time4ANap]

Once a year or so, and usually only if their coat starts to get a little oily. We had a boy with the thickest fur I've ever seen on a greyhound. i took him to the groomer a few times for a bath only because she had one of those really powerful blow dryers that blew out the undercoat really well. Probably clogged the AC filters in her shop when we were done.

[greysmom]

Once a year at our adoption groups annual fundraiser. Usually they don't even need it.

 

A good brushing with a Zoom Groom takes care of them! If they get really muddy we keep a supply of off-brand sensitive baby wipes for feet and body wipes.

[cleptogrey]

when dirty. if we are walking in a muddy gross area, or city dirt (especially during the winter) or if they pee on themselves or when even with brushing doesn't cut it- a bath. oatmeal shampoo and a good cream rinse, warmish not HOT water and super rinsing. if you have a black dog you might see dandruff for a day, that's normal. no hair dryer, just let them dry. i bath them generally in the morning when the heat in on. we lower our heat at night and the dogs will freeze!

[Houndtime]

I usually bathe them once in year, over the summer, in the back yard, with a buck of warm water, shampoo and a hose.

 

Unless they get really dirty from something, I don't bathe them. A good rain, a big towel, a good rub down and they are good to go. I do have a spray-on liquid wash that you just wipe off with a cloth for therapy dog visits. I have only used it once.

[fastpointydoge]

We seem to go 2-3 months between baths in the winter. (When we lived on the farm, I would bathe him once a month in the warmer seasons but he was out laying in the dirt then and it was easy enough to get him into the horse wash rack)

[Greylover97]

I have a professional groomer come every January for a good cleaning. A bath at the do it yourself place in September after a summer of a swimming in salt water.

[RaineysMom]

we've had greyhounds since 2005 (on #3 and #4) and NEVER bathed them well, except for the skunk face baths recently.

 

Honestly, they do not stink (other than their breath ). ?

[HeyRunDog]

The kennels dry shampooed Grace on her adoption day to make her smell nice and remove the smell of the disinfectant they use to keep the floors clean. They then used a liquid flea and tick treatment on her which stank. Since then I've only bathed Grace once since I've had her and that was a medicated shampoo to help with dandruff.

[rmitala]

Thanks for the excellent feedback everyone!! I guess I’ll keep sniffing and brushing!

[BatterseaBrindl]

[tbhounds]

My boy had horrible allergies-found greyt refief with frequent bathing (2-3 times weeks during flairs).

[weebird]

we would bath our grey once every 6 months - once a year, depending on the situations. He smelled like a baby, so not a lot of bathing required. But we would wash his belly and pee/poo area more often, cause he would sometime get droplets of pee on the inside of his thighs when he peed.

Edited January 28, 2019 by weebird

[Hubcitypam]

I bathed mine twice a year - in the yard.