Hello Everyone! My family just adopted a 4.5 year old male American Eskimo Spitz/Labador mix from our local pound. As kids both my wife and I grew up with dogs but as parents we have had cats until this Christmas. Duke is well behaved and we are working on training him and that is going well. But I do have a couple of grooming questions. He has a long coat and when wet has a serious dog smell. How can we reduce this? How often should we bath him and how often should his nails be clipped? Also at the pound prior to adopting him they Frontlined him for fleas and ticks. How often do we need to do this? We live in NJ and this winter has been extremely mild.

Thanks for all the advice,

Doug

 

I have 3 dogs and even after a bath, they have that "dog smell" until I get them dry. Guess it's something in their hair or the oils in the hair. I only bathe them once a month as I feel they need this oil in their coats. One of my dogs is a strickly inside dog (except for potty trips on a leash) so I know the smell is not dirt. The nails would be a personal preference where floors and carpeting is concerned. If my dogs are inside and their nails start catching on the carpet, I get them clipped. Flea and tick treatments vary so you would have to read the instructions on the package. I watch for the little critters on my dogs and all wear flea collars. Ticks are prevelent here so I keep a close eye on the 2 outside dogs. Good luck.
The pound is usually willing to give you all the info you need so I would check with them.

 

Adding to the advice that was already given I would suggest that you use the once a month type treaments such as Advantage or Frontline. These are less dangerous than the cheaper store bought flea prevention products. Fleas need to be stopped before they even get started for best results.

As for grooming, I would suggest that the dog be brushed on a regular basis of course, but the bathing is a personal preference in reality. We used to have Samoyeds, which have a bit different, though similar coat to the American Eskimos. We had our inside dogs professionally groomed once a month, and bathed them on occassion in between. The indoor/outdoor dogs got monthly baths, sometimes weekly.

Dogs nails will naturally be worn down if allowed to run outside and such, however, most often our lifestyles keep them from naturally being worn down. My rule of thumb for this is that once the nails get long enough to click on the floor they should be checked and if more than 3/4 inch past the quick, should be trimmed. ALso, with the nails, do ask your vet as they would be the best source for information you will have close to you.

Hope this helps and please do keep us posted.

 

Thanks RhainyC and majakdragon,

Duke is an inside dog. He gets his 3 daily walks and the ability to run the fenced yard. He doesn't run that much yet as I think he was only leash walked by his previous care giver.

He is a joyful addition to our home and we will loving work with him to fit into our life style.

Regards,

Doug

 

If the canine odor bothers you, most GOOD groomers will sell a product commonly referred to as "Doggy cologne". Ruff Out is another product that makes them smell nice. Just be sure it is a reliable groomer, or you may end up with a product your dog is allergic to!

 

Looks like you've gotten really good adivce so far--I have 2 Collies who normally get bathed once a month or every 6 weeks. If you live in Northern VA you can tell when that is cuz it rains hard right after I would check with a local grooming shop for recommendations on the right shampoo. The other thing you might consider with the D.O. problem is Duke's food. If he is eating chow with a lot of additives that can make him and his droppings stinky.

As for nails I use a pet nail grinder once a week to keep the nails short enough so they don't click on the floors. Dogs can actaully have lameness problems if the nails grow too long. It took a while to get them used to the grinder. I find right after a long Sunday morning walk when they are tired is best.

Flea and tick prevention can be tricky. I have used a lot of different types, but finally stopped the monthly Frontline as I noticed each time I used it one of my dogs was lethargic and uncoordinated. My vet agreed that we should stop the topicals. I have switched to garlic and brewers yeast tablets and have not seen a flea or tick in the 8 months they've been on it.

 

Thanks for the natural flea and tick advice. Is there anyplace I can get information on this prior to speaking to my vet?

Regards,

Doug

 

When you wash your dog or when they get wet, use a towel to dry him off for the most part, then use a dryer sheet as the last step. It removes some of the water and gives them a nice smell.

 

Doug,
The garlic and yeast therapy is an oldy that I picked up from my breeder. I checked w/ my vet, who happens to be open to holistic therapies as well as traditional and he agreed. The combo of the 2 supposedly makes Duke or any other dog less tasty to the bugs. A nice side effect is the added brewers yeast keeps coats healthier--less shedding to a point.

There is a column in our local paper called The Animal Doctor--Dr, Michael Fox. He has a good number of publications out there that offer advice on this and many other pet issues. He has a website http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/ Check out the article under "Companion Animal..."

 

Labs naturally have an oil to their coat that keeps their coat conditioned and warm from being in the water. Baths around here are every few months. Unless they get muddy or peed on or slide in a doodle. We use an oatmeal bathing shampoo and baby shampoo for the face. We have yet to have doggy smell after a bath.

Nails. We do weekly or so. They play all day in the yard but since they are not running on a rough surface they are not wearing their nails down naturally. We use nail clippers. Not the gilateen(sp) ones but the cross cutters.

Flea and tick products are many we have with great success used hartz bought at wally for way less then the frontline, both are used one a month for ticks and can go 45 days if just for flea use. We have also begun to use a natural flea repelant and have yet to have fleas even when we had brought in flea covered puppies we fostered. Never had a problem with fleas here.

I would recomend a heartworm preventative. Heartguard works great for this can use sentinal which also covers many other worms.

As for food, yes that can play a huge roll in the odor and the doodles. We feed Purina One, others have their ideas as to what is best. But look for the least amount of fillers and the meat should be top on the list. Labs are also very gassy and if this becomes a bomb of a problem give mylicon drops. Works wonders on the gas.

 

One of my aussies gets rather rank close to bath day. If I don't have the time to wash her then, I spray Febreze on my hands and rub it on her coat. Makes the nicest cologne.