Washing The Dog

[52Dodgeman]

Anyone have any good tips on keeping the mutts clean? When we are on the road for a week or more the dogs can get a little dirty from their excursions and camping fun. How do you keep your dogs clean? BTW: Our dogs are too big to wash in the sink.

[Koodog]

Try this Organic Pet Waterless Shampoo - Pet Care, works good.

[donn]

Put them in the shower and give then a bath. Our Lab gets his baths in the bath tub at home and the shower hear in the trailer is almost identical to what I use at home.

[tentcamper1]

we put our white table by the outside shower and give the bigger ones a bath. the little one fits in the sink.

[caper]

We wash our dog outside. Set up a table beside outdoor shower and use outdoor shower. Works great and keeps a wet dog out of the TT.

[Dave_Monica]

Teach them to fetch the stick in the lake!

Dave

[Hipshot]

Had a poodle years ago that would fetch a stick from the lake. I swapped a rock for the stick and she would dive under water trying to get it.
I wash the Idiot Yorkie in the shower. She needs a bath every 3 days.

[acadianbob]

alcohol wipes (like baby wipes), outdoor shower. We always have big plastic tubs for towels etc. We give our dogs baths outdoors in the plastic tub if they get real bad. Keeping your dog on a leash helps as you can control them a lot more. We ALWAYS keep our dogs leashed while hiking; too many hazards for them. Met a woman one time hurrying down the mountain, her dog whining from severe pain, stuck its nose into a porcupine!! Rattlesnakes, bears, . . . .

[Campingshadow]

If it is mostly dirt that will brush off when dry (such as mud on the paws) it would be best to just brush them. Too many baths will dry out their skin and are not necessarily good for them. Usually a good brushing will clear out a lot of the dirt and loose hairs. Friend of mine used to vacuum her dog. The dog loved it and would lay down, and go belly up in front of the vacuum and not move till she was thoroughly cleaned. She was a dachshund.

When push comes to shove and Heidi simply must have a bath (like the time she got up close and personal with cow pies)....I put a towel in the shower floor so it will not be slippery for her and then she and I get our baths. I always end up soaked after bathing her.

[Triguy]

Don't know what kind of dogs you have. All of our camping dogs have had long hair and a good brushing takes care of most of the dirt and dust while a lake takes care of the mud.

• Dusty or sandy dog - brush daily. They'll love you for it.
• Rolled in horse pie or dead animal - lake followed by outside shower. They get a navy shower just like everyone else. Use a plastic mat for the dog to stand on.
• Muddy dog - lake or shower if there is no lake.
• Consider a shallow container by the door filled with water that you can use to regularly rinse off their feet and then dry with a towel before coming inside.

[Labzy]

Hmmm, speaking of lakes, can dogs get swimmers itch also??

[Namchief]

Originally Posted by Labzy

Hmmm, speaking of lakes, can dogs get swimmers itch also??

I would worry more about Blastomycosis this can be read HERE
There are areas that do not know what this is so make sure that if you your family or pets get sick within 1-2 mths of visiting a strange are include that area with Chief complaint. This happened to a friend of a friend, nurse heard about vacation to WI and being from up here put 1 and 1 together and got 2. The 70ish doctor never heard of it

[Ovair]

Originally Posted by Namchief

I would worry more about Blastomycosis this can be read HERE
There are areas that do not know what this is so make sure that if you your family or pets get sick within 1-2 mths of visiting a strange are include that area with Chief complaint. This happened to a friend of a friend, nurse heard about vacation to WI and being from up here put 1 and 1 together and got 2. The 70ish doctor never heard of it

The link you provided is invalid. It is missing a colon behind the http.
I have corrected it here.

[mf4110]

We travel with 2 miniature schnauzers and when I groom them in preparation for our camping trips I really clip the hair on the last 3-4 inches of their legs closely and I groom their bodies and faces more closely than usual. With small dogs like we have this isn't a great big job, but the time invested pays off in cleaner floors throughout the camper and fewer complaints from the DW about trying to keep the unit clean. We have ceramic tile throughout the coach except for the bedroom so she can just take a broom and be done in a matter of a couple of minutes.

I find that many campgrounds can't possibly keep up with mowing and weeding around sites the way I do at home, so the grass is longer and there's much more "stuff" on the ground as we take our potty marches than they would find at home. I also always keep a towel at the motorhome door and wipe their feet off before I let them run around the coach, especially early morning when the dew is plentiful or right after a rain shower.

If I find that they are starting to smell "doggie like" I use the Rubbermaid container that I keep my water hoses in to give them a bath so I don't have to carry around extra tubs.

Sounds like a little extra work, but if they don't travel, we don't travel either.