How often to bath your Greyhound

[keeperdean]

My 6 year old boy (Very short hair) got his first groom in 6 months today. The groomer recommends every 8 weeks for grooming. He is  always leashed when outside, never free to roll in the grass, dirt, etc. Consequently, his coat remains relatively clean. I trim his nails myself so that’s not a problem and check his ears often. How often do people on here bath their dogs?

Edited April 25, 2022 by keeperdean

[Remolacha]

The only one of my greyhounds that got semi-regular baths was my white and brindle boy that loved playing in the mud  The others, regular brushing was fine for them, they were rarely, if ever, bathed. Unless he gets dirty or has a skin condition, I think every eight weeks is too often.

[spottydog]

Um, never?

[BatterseaBrindl]

26 minutes ago, spottydog said:

Um, never?

Yup!

[Kestrel]

We used to joke that we gave our first two hounds a bath once a year whether they needed it or not. We brushed them occasionally, but not that often.

Then came Falcon, who did not like water and had some space aggression issues. He never "needed" one so he was with us for almost 6 years with no bath. I wiped him down or spot-treated him a couple of times though.

Henry and Lucia have been with us more than two years now and have't had a bath since their haul day. 

I'd say it depends on the dog but every 8 weeks?  No way!

[GreyTzu]

  Why?  

  

[Houndtime]

A good rain, a big towel, and, you are done.  I do usually give them an outside bath in the summer.  I dremel nails myself.

[HeyRunDog]

Another vote for nearly never.

I bathed Grace a couple of weeks after I had her to get rid of the smell from the flea/tick goo the adoption group had put on the back of her neck and Guinness had a dry shampoo to remove the smell from the kennels and ever since then it's as Houndtime says "A good rain, a big towel and you are done."

Unlike most dogs greyhounds don't produce waterproofing oil in their coats so the dirt and dust doesn't stick to it causing a doggy smell.

[cleptogrey]

every couple of months. i have a super acute sense of smell and can tell when a dog is dirty. a good friend who was a groomer and has IGs and a fantastic afghan uses Pantene Pro V on her dogs. it's what i use now- oatmeal shampoo isn't necessary if one uses that and it's far more affordable. and if your dog does something unsightly, rolling in poo and they just had a bath- just wash again. they won't die from an extra bath. 

run your fingers and nails up their coat a couple of times and smell your finger tips. that is a good way to check.

[ShebasMom]

Sheba, usually once a year whether she needed it or not. She was brushed and Furminatored about twice a year because she really shed her coat a lot.

[greysmom]

I'm in the fewer than yearly camp.  Mostly because our dogs have their own wading pool in the summer and manage to bath themselves.  Their skins are thin and their haircoats are thin and too much soap-and-water bathing can dry both out really quickly.  A good brushing weekly helps distribute coat oils, and get rid of dead hair and dirt. and will do more good than an actual bath, IMO.

[MerseyGrey]

We take ours to the groomer every 8-12 weeks but not because he is smelly - our groomer does a doggy massage which Buddy really, really enjoys, so I leave him there every once in a while. He is one chilled dude when I pick him up. She also trims the swirly hair on his bum. If we haven’t been to see her for a while, Buddy tries to trick me in to going to her house while we are out for a walk 

[Rickiesmom]

Almost never here too - maybe one proper bath in the summer, but that's usually about it.  As others have said, brushing and nail trimming are the only things we regularly do. 

[Sniffy]

On 4/26/2022 at 9:53 AM, cleptogrey said:

every couple of months. i have a super acute sense of smell and can tell when a dog is dirty. a good friend who was a groomer and has IGs and a fantastic afghan uses Pantene Pro V on her dogs. it's what i use now- oatmeal shampoo isn't necessary if one uses that and it's far more affordable. and if your dog does something unsightly, rolling in poo and they just had a bath- just wash again. they won't die from an extra bath. 

run your fingers and nails up their coat a couple of times and smell your finger tips. that is a good way to check.

I am in the same camp--every few months for Stanley. 

I do brush him several times per week and that certainly removes loose hair/skin.  But the brush doesn't reach everywhere (ankles, inner thighs,..... nether regions  ).  My test is less about checking for odor (although that is def. a factor) but more about feel....if I feel a lot of residue between my fingers then bath-date is getting close.  We have a local groomer that uses a hydro-surge tub--which is another thing we can't duplicate at home.

 

 

 

[rycezmom]

WAIT!!! WHAT?!?! We're suppose to bathe our hounds?!?!

[kailynnbowling]

I also ask about this on google then i found an article about this on Cuttin Blue Farms web. They said In most cases, dog baths are more for the benefit of their pet parents than for the dogs themselves. Even so, it's a good idea to bathe your pooch at least once every two to three months

[racindog]

Almost never. He don't like it and he don't need it and his coat is healthier withOUT washings.  I do brush him very occasionally but groomers are thinking about the $$ for baths they don't need and which could actually dry out their skin/coat -even using the best products. JMO. 

[Toffeesdad]

We started once a year for our hound but since the pandemic we’ve just brushed him daily and he is good.  No smell or oily residue