Dog washes

[our2boys]

We have a dog wash near where I work where we went to wash our two corgis today. They were quite busy and so nice to just leave the hair and wet towels behind. We are thinking of starting one in our own community. Do many of you guys use dog washes or do your just clean out all the hair from the bathtub when you are done at home? The experience was great and so much easier and they even had blow dryers.

[Chip's Mom]

I always give Chip a bath at home, blowdry him and clean out the hair. I actually find it fun to give him a bath. I wrap him up in a towel and lay another towel on the floor and then I rub him dry. He loves it. Rolls all over for his massage and blowdry. Then he runs outside to get dirty again.

[Checkers]

Normally I just wash my dogs at home, but I did use a dog wash once and it worked out quite well there also. They seemed to be doing pretty good business when I went, and most of the people coming in really seemed to know how it all worked, indicating they were repeat customers.

-Cheryl

[tandemgal]

normally I wash the Girls at home - they are good in the tub but I have back muscle trouble sometimes so I find it easier to be inside the tub instead of bent over it.

After surgery a couple of years ago I did take Emma for "spa day" - she got special treatment and I got to rehab walk for an hour in Pet Smart. We both really enjoyed the time!

[Dillydoodle]

Deleted my post

[Michael Romanos]

Like Bonnie, I use similar methods to bathing my Pem, Taylor. He wets one bath towel good and proper and then he is partially dried with a hair dryer which still leaves a little of his undercoat damp. So he is combed and left to further dry out and then given a couple more good combing sessions and late finished off with brushing. The physical effort and the time factor is not great with just one obliging Corgi. I have never had a lot of hairs to pick up from the bath tub. But it is an excuse to give the bath tub a bit of a clean.

Taylor enjoys the massaging from the towelling and the combing, doesn't mind the blow drying and I make sure he stays perfectly clean at least for a day or two.

If I was to use a commercial firm for bathing Taylor it would have to be a hydro bath - because he would enjoy that and hydro bathing is very thorough - especially if you want to get rid of loose hairs from a Corgi at the peak of shedding. Hydro baths are also a skin stimulant for dogs.

[Jespah]

We have a dog wash near us as psrt of a laundry mat. It's all run on solar energy. I have not used it, although I did check it out. It is a good set-up - but there is no where to attach the leash or a short rope or such, to help keep the bathee in the tub. If there were, I would probably try it. It is very busy and successful as so many people own Labs and Goldens who are big and a hassle to bath at home. My friend washes her Coonhounds there.

I too like Emilie, enjoy the frap drying - and with my two they go crazy - banging into each other and carrying on.

[corgimom]

Originally Posted by Jespah

We have a dog wash near us as psrt of a laundry mat. It's all run on solar energy. I have not used it, although I did check it out. It is a good set-up - but there is no where to attach the leash or a short rope or such, to help keep the bathee in the tub. If there were, I would probably try it. It is very busy and successful as so many people own Labs and Goldens who are big and a hassle to bath at home. My friend washes her Coonhounds there.

I too like Emilie, enjoy the frap drying - and with my two they go crazy - banging into each other and carrying on.

Deb, you need to video tape Jemma and Rupert frapping to dry off and put it on their Dogster page.

[Dillydoodle]

Deleted my post

[milles2]

I have used one of our two local self serve dog washes. They have the greatest names; Shampoodle and Dunkin' Doggies (sorry Deb, Canadians may not get the similarity to Dunkin'Donuts - You Tim Horton lovers!)!

I tend to wash mine at home. I am getting good at standing them in my double sink and using the sprayer w/o soaking my entire kitchen.

I have sent Tuck to a groomer twice, would like to do it again!

By the way.... Saturday Tuck was filthy after running thru mud. So I took him down to the lake. Normally we would be walking on the lake this time of year..... it was sunny and 65 degrees! But I tossed a stick out in the water and he swam around with it for a few minutes! And lo and behold, a clean doggie! Lulu is another matter. This morning she looked like a dalmation!

I only let him swim briefly, didn't want to risk hypothermia.

[milosmom]

Milo gets what I refer to as "spa day" too. He gets a bath in the tub, and he's so used to it that he will lay on his back so I can suds up his undercarriage! He then gets brushed, de-shedded, blow dried...and then nails get trimmed, teeth get brushed, ears get swabbed and then a spritz of doggie coat conditioner....wild cherry or green apple. He promptly fraps around the house like a dog possessed and tries to rub off the fruity smell.

We have 3 self-serve doggie washs in town, one is located in a petstore the other 2 are connected to car washes! I have friends that have used them and liked them, but they have big dogs. I noticed that people with big dogs tend to favor them because washing your Golden or lab in a tub is not as easy as it is with a smaller breed. I've toyed with the idea of going, but never do, spa day at home is more fun!

[KatC]

Hydrobaths are very popular here. A lot of the Vets have DIY ones at the surgeries, but the most popular are the Mobile Doggy Washes who come to your home and set up in the yard. They do a roaring trade. A friend of mine has a permanent booking for her two very large dogs. It saves her a lot of hassle.
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Every time I am on the roads, no matter what suburb I am in, I see several of these trailers on their way to their next appointment. At the weekends they usually set up at given locations near Pet Shops, but as Jespah said, there is nowhere to tether the dogs and I would be very nervous with this.

As I live fairly near an RSPCA shelter I take Abby over to them for her regular hydrobath - they have an enclosed bathing area so the dog is able to be quite free, and Abby really loves the girls who wash her. All the proceeds go to the RSPCA, so it is good for them and good for me. ( Also every time I bath Abby in the shower, even though it is a hand held one - the whole bathroom & I get a complete dousing.)

[ZdogZ]

I have never heard of a dog wash...I guess that's what happens when you live in a small town. I take Zip to the groomer ($30 - that's with tip). He gets bathed, shaved, nails clipped. I will also be taking Zia there to get a bath and get her nails clipped.