[nagdu] Dog washing

Mon Jan 14 22:07:21 UTC 2013

Larry,

DD calls her a sheep with teeth! /lol/ Or a wolf in sheep's clothing. 
/smile/ I love the mental image of Pez as a walking cottonball. In the 
winter, when I really go nuts combing out Mitzi's longer coat, she does 
increase in size quite a lot. Then when I finally break down and get her 
to the groomer, she comes home tiny!

She doesn't have a natural doggy odor, but you are not kidding about 
what happens when she gets into something stinky. /shudder/ In this 
family, we will never forget the Swamp Monster Affair of '09... It was 
some time before I could take my guide dog to town, I assure you! In 
normal circumstances, however, even over in rainy western Oregon, the 
rain just freshened the scent of her latest shampoo. /smile/

She loves the great outdoors, and the great outdoors loves her and comes 
in the house with her. As I recall, that is part of the reason why I 
took to olive oil as a conditioner/detangler. It's great for getting 
burrs out of horse tails, so I tried it on the poodle and have been 
using it ever since! It's also a good tonic for human hair, actually, so 
long as you don't overdo and find yourself unable to go out in public 
until you've shampooed a few more times. /lol/

You've just reminded me, though, that I'm going to have to remember to 
have her done with "clean feet" for her spring and summer groomings out 
here. Between the clingy mud from the yard or sidewalkless routes, we 
have tons of extra types of burrs and stickers for her to pick up, 
especially when we get into all the good hiking here. Leaving her feet 
more natural for snow works well, as it provides some protection and 
traction, or seems to. But in a few months, I am going to have a serious 
Grooming Issue if I don't pay attention. /shudder/ Oh, well, if I ever 
get it all figured out, that will be boring. /grin/

Tami

On 01/14/2013 12:36 PM, Larry D. Keeler wrote:
> Yah, Tami!  Those poodles are part sheep!  At least that's what my son
> thaught when he was little!  I like that kind of fur,  I still can't
> think of it as hair, but that is what it is!  If my little guy goes to
> long without grooming, we see a nose, a tail and the hint of feet.
> Otherwise he looks like a walking cottonball!  Holly has the more wiry
> coat.  But, it still fluffs up nice.  But not as nice as the full
> poodle!  Also, I think poodles don't get quite as smelly from DO as
> other dogs do.  The bad side of that is that the fluffy things love to
> roll and whatever they roll in stays in that awesome hair!  And, don't
> forget about burrs!  Have you ever had the pleasure of picking those out
> of that poodle fluff?  That, is a chore!
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Tami Jarvis" <tami at poodlemutt.com>
> To: "NAGDU Mailing List,the National Association of Guide Dog Users"
> <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, January 14, 2013 1:48 PM
> Subject: Re: [nagdu] Dog washing
>
>
>> Oh! Fun discussion!
>>
>> Mitzi poodle has a super thick, soft coat, which is wonderful and
>> gorgeous! And a major PITA to maintain when it starts to grow out.
>> /lol/ I guess the thinner, more wiry version of the poodle coat is the
>> show coat because it will form and hold those show styles. Mitzi just
>> gets woollier and woollier and... Until she's cooking, then it's time
>> to call the groomer!
>>
>> I keep her cut in a kinda modified puppy or field cut. In other words,
>> short all over, with clean face and just a hint of poodle in the
>> topknot and tail. I wouldn't concede that much to the frou-frou poodle
>> thing except that I got tired of everyone asking if she was a
>> Portuguese Water Dog or what kind of dog she was, then arguing when I
>> insisted she is a poodle! /lol/ So, now I walk through the world with
>> the word "poodle" wafting through the air around me and no questions
>> to answer.
>>
>> How often I have her done depends on time of year. In the summer, I
>> try for every 4 to 6 weeks, depending on budget. In winter, we can go
>> a little longer. For Christmas this year, DD got a good set of
>> clippers on sale, with plans to start doing the clipping himself. Now
>> he is looking at the poodle and reminding me to call the groomer!
>> /lol/ I think he's right that for her extra thick winter coat we
>> should rely on a professional. In summer, when I'm keeping the coat
>> shorter, he may give it a go. /smile/
>>
>> I used to bathe her between groomings, but... Now I just brush, brush.
>> Not as often or as much as she needs, I confess. I have various
>> brushes and combs for various stages of growth. I use aloe vera gel
>> for cleansing, or olive oil for the added conditioning and to help
>> detangle. This keeps her coat pretty clean, and she doesn't get
>> smelly, so I can forego bathing. I do surface cleaning with a damp
>> wash rag to remove surface dirt for public outings. /smile/ This is
>> also a good time to clean around the eyes and muzzle, especially when
>> she is starting to grow out and has hair to catch food, chews,
>> everything she sticks her long, inquisitive nose into. /lo.
>>
>> I do love the nonshedding, despite the trials of coat management. Dead
>> hair comes out in brush or comb, so I can have a nice ball of it to
>> toss or keep. Yup! I keep her longer contributions as well as winter
>> clippings to someday have carded and spun and made into a poodle hair
>> sweater! Someday. /lol/
>>
>> Tami
>>
>> On 01/14/2013 08:21 AM, Eve Sanchez wrote:
>>> Hi all, I have a discussion question for the group. I am hoping everyone
>>> could tell us how often they bathe their dogs and what breeds they
>>> are. I
>>> am sure there is a correlation there as well as with the environment
>>> (city,
>>> country, desert, forrest, etc). For myself; with my shepherd, I
>>> washed her
>>> close to the reccommended once a month and brushed her daily. She was
>>> clean
>>> and I almost kept her shedding under control. With my Golden, I need to
>>> wash her at least twice as often though she does not need enough
>>> brushing.
>>> Her coat looks  like crap if I go any longer between baths than two
>>> weeks,
>>> but brushing does little for her. Just curious as every dog is different
>>> and not just because of their breed I am sure. Well, let's start the
>>> discussion and keep our dogs clean. Blessed Be. Eve
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>>
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