# Grooming??



## clari86 (Sep 20, 2010)

Selphie, my havanese, is 2 months and half almost 3 months next week, everyday I take her out for a walk and play with her in the park, but she comes home smelling bad, the question is, what is the best way to have her clean and without smelling bad?

the vet recommended me to only wash her every 2-3 months, it seems to me a long time, and i just took her first shower last week and she already smells bad!

Also, i bought a perfume at a pet store but that doesn't eliminate the bad odor!


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

There's no way to keep a puppy clean for 2-3 months, without bathing. I used to do Ruby every week to ten days. Just don't use a drying shampoo. I use either IOD or Tropiclean or PlumSilky.

Welcome to you and your adorable puppy.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

same here, I bath Tillie every week-10 days.
I am wondering if she is not quite 3 months, if she is fully immunized? if she isn't, she probably shouldn't be out at a park too much, just to be safe.
I'm not sure why she would come home smelling bad... is she playing with stinky dogs? getting into yucky stuff??
Hopefully you can bath her and figure out how to help her be stink free!


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## Flynn Gentry-Taylor (Jan 17, 2008)

I am with Geri, my dog is a male, and seems to get the urine on himself when he lifts his leg...I do hear you can use a damp wash cloth, but I guess it depends upon how dirty she is really getting and where the odor is coming from?


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Your dog should not smell after playing unless you mean that outdoor smell and that should go away in an hour or so. 2 to 3 months is far too long for a house foo foo. I bath my dogs every week and not with a drying shampoo. You should consider every month. Welcome, we really do need more pictures


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

What kind of smell?? We didn't bathe Augie all that often when he was small, probably every 4-6 weeks. But, I guess, now that I think about it, at that age he wasn't going for walks or going to parks as he did not have all of his immunizations. But even now that he is two years old, he doesn't come back stinky after his walks or playing in the park. Even when he hasn't had a bath for 4-6 weeks, he doesn't smell.....maybe I have lost my sense of smell in my old age??  We are trying Plum Silky now - he smells like a berry. I agree that I think 2-3 months is a bit long to go without a bath. You can keep them brushed and combed out easier with less breakage to the hair when they are kept clean.


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## clari86 (Sep 20, 2010)

thanks everyone!

she doesnt really smell very very bad, but i just dont like that "dog smell" and yes she plays with other dogs in the park, and she has her shots already, i dont know if the smell comes from playing with other dogs or maybe because i took her out this week on rainy days and i dont know if its because she played in wet glass?

the vet had said that taking her a shower too often wasn't good for her skin because taking a shower too often removes the skin shield they have to protect them, and that it was better to wash her every 2-3 months, but since i take her out she gets smelly faster, I was thinking to shower her once a month because i really love it when Selphie smells good 

here are some photos of Selphie


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Selphi is adorable! Welcome to the forum both of you!

I give Abby a bath every two weeks but she doesn't go out except to do her business or for short walks. She is in our backyard when she is outside and she does get what I call the "outsidey" smell but it does go away quickly. I really think dogs that don't shed and are inside pets really do need to be bathed more often.


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## clari86 (Sep 20, 2010)

awww thanks! she really is adorable, i love her!!!


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## MaggieMay (Sep 8, 2010)

I bathe Maggie once a week, she gets so dirty looking by the week mark I find!! I use this emu oil shampoo and a cream rinse. SHe isn't too dry as far as I know. The vet said I can bathe her once a week as long as I use cream rinse. I also brush her daily after spraying a doggie moisturizing detangler on her.


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Love your new pictures...she is seriously cute. As for oils in her skin...good grief she is not a hunting dog!!!! They have lots of oils (oh how they can stink) to protect them when the are out doing there thing. Your girl is a small in door dog. It is important to keep the non-shedding dogs clean their hair gets somewhat like a human who never washes their hair and can make matting worse. Use your common sense to gude as to how often you feel comfortable with. Havanese should not smell generally.


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## morriscsps (Aug 17, 2010)

I have been bathing Jack probably every 10 days. My Aussie - she only gets bathed when she is really stinky - probably 2-3 months. Jack seems to need a bath more often because he is such a 'low-rider' and drags himself through everything. 

I shampoo and condition. I also use a spray when I comb him daily. I think that keeps the smell down as well.


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## Ninja (Nov 1, 2010)

I also agree with Geri and everyone else as well. I think you can at least wash her once every two weeks. I know there are these wipes made for dogs that smell good and you can usually wipe puppies down with them. One brand that I know of is Natures Miracle Pet Bath wipes. Theres tons of others but thats all I can think of right now. I also second going with your gut on what you feel like doing. 

oh and by the way, she is so precious!!! :biggrin1:


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## Laurief (Nov 7, 2006)

She is absolutely beautiful! What a lovely coat she has! 
I don't really understand the "smelling" though. Mine normally don't smell till we get about 4-5 weeks past their last bath, and then they get baths. 
I never had a problem with my puppies smelling. Is it actually a smell coming from her hair?? Or could it be from her skin/sweat? 
I would try keeping her out of the park, after her baths to see if she still smells when home from a walk. Maybe she is picking up this smell from the other dogs????


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## clari86 (Sep 20, 2010)

MaggieMay said:


> I bathe Maggie once a week, she gets so dirty looking by the week mark I find!! I use this emu oil shampoo and a cream rinse. SHe isn't too dry as far as I know. The vet said I can bathe her once a week as long as I use cream rinse. I also brush her daily after spraying a doggie moisturizing detangler on her.


so where can i find that kind of shampoo and cream rinse? Can i find it in regular pet stores?


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## MaggieMay (Sep 8, 2010)

I got it at my vet's office, it just smelled so yummy and it was all good ingredients. Here's a link to it on Amazon : 



 I see they also have a moisturizing oil spray that looks good. It's cheaper on there too, I paid $11 for it. Then I use Bounce brand that I got at petsmart warm amber satin coat conditioning cream rinse with vitamins. I also use the bounce detangler. ANd of course SPA facial scrub!!! Wait this belongs in the how spoiled is your dog thread!!!


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

The smell isn't coming from her ears, is it?


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## clari86 (Sep 20, 2010)

thanks MaggieMay! I might buy it for Selphie 

and no the smell doesnt come from the ears, actually today she smell a little better, all I did was brush her hair last night and again this morning eace:


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Your puppy is so cute!
I was concerned about washing maddies head and for the first few baths I tried to avoid it. I asked my vet and she said to put cotton balls 1/2 in each ear she finally had a full bath but the cotton balls fell out. I did not want to put the cotton in to far . I guess I need to put them in a bit more?
My vet told me to avoid taking Maddie any place where their are other dogs until she was 4mo old. She also told me once a week was okay to give her a bath . We use a special shampoo with a lot of conditioner because she has dry skin.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

clari86 said:


> so where can i find that kind of shampoo and cream rinse? Can i find it in regular pet stores?


If she's playing with other dogs at the dog park, I suspect the "doggy" smell comes from them. Havs have no real "doggy" smell of their own, though they can get stinky by rolling in things!!!

Kodi has had a bath once a week for the whole time I've had him... and he'd had 2 baths before I took him home at 11 weeks. You can see from his photos that it certainly hasn't hurt his coat in the least. In fact, I find that it's harder to keep him mat-free if he's washed less often.

The shampoo and conditioner I use are available at Petsmart and other local pet supply places, though I buy them in larger bottles on the internet to save money. Both were recommended to me by his breeder and, again, his photos speak for themselves about how well they work for his coat. I use Biogroom shampoo and conditioner. The shampoo I use is Biogroom Super White, but you probably don't need that. The conditioner is Biogroom Silk.

Here's a photo showing Kodi's full coat from the side. He was just about a year old in this photo. It's even longer and silkier now:


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## ls-indy (Apr 10, 2008)

Daisy and Beau get a bath every 7 -10 days.... I use Plum Silky Shampoo and Coat Handlers Cream Rinse. Shampoo can be difficult to rinse out of their coats...so I dilute it. Soap them twice and the RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. After Cream Rinse, same thing. RINSE, RINSE, RINSE. 

I use a human hair dryer on them on the LOWEST HEAT SETTING. But highest air speed.

Your puppy is very cute! Welcome!


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## Sissygirl (Aug 8, 2007)

Oh my Selphie is just so darn cute!! How on earth could she smell!!!


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## MaggieMay (Sep 8, 2010)

Just bathed by buppy tonight and boy oh boy does she smell delicious!!!


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## SnickersDad (Apr 9, 2010)

Yeah, like others have said - I don't think you should wait months on end before giving her a bath. I was giving Snickers a bath every week during the summer when she was outside a lot, but we've gone to every two weeks now that the colder - wetter weather has set in.

As to the smell -- I've noticed Snickers and Snoopy both have really stinky tears, and when they are tearing 'a lot' the smell can be pretty awful. Daily cleaning of the muzzle and around the eyes helps solve that problem.

Welcome to the forum!!! 

Love Montreal -- although the traffic is a bit much.


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

My experience: 

My dh does say the boys smell from the doggy park when the boys get home. The boys are not players at the park, so it has to be the park. I try to arrange a bath pretty close after going to the dog park because of the smell.

I have also noticed when they do play around a lot at home, they will just smell a little, then it goes away. 

I do bathe every 7-10 days. They look better, they smell better, and they feel better.....and it makes me feel better....and less tangles when the hair is clean. 

When bathing, make sure you rinse extra good. Use a conditioner after bathing.


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## IWANTAHAVANESE (Nov 14, 2010)

As you know, I dont have a Havanese yet, but if I bring her to a professional grommer every 4 weeks, do I still need to bathe her in between, or is it a preference???
Im keeping notes for when we get one


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## Judy -- Toby & Jaime's mo (Apr 21, 2007)

I may be a bad mom, but generally my dogs get bathed when the groomer comes to the house every 8 weeks. They often have foot baths and I give them a bath if they are noticeably dirty, but the groomer does a better job than me. When they are groomed by our in-home groomer it is $175 for three dogs. If funds were unlimited I would have them groomed every three weeks or so. If I was Oprah it would be every week or so!

With Christmas and leaving for vacation at the beginning of February we are going about four weeks between visits. The groomer is getting bigger van and she and someone else will be working in the van. She is offering a mini-session for $75 for the three dogs so we are using that in-between sessions in the next few months. 

I usually do a little trimming in between groomer visits. 

I am going to feel guilty and may have to give more baths after seeing how many of you bath every one to two weeks!!!!!!!!! I do so love that wonderful fresh smell after a bath.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

I've heard a couple of times that Havs don't smell but I totally disagree. Eli can be a pretty stinky boy, especially after he comes in from outside. When we go for long walks or run he definitely builds up a sweat. I think that produces the "funky" dog smell he carries. I've become less sensitive to it over time but I did ask my friends if he has a smell and they said yes. DH and I wash him every Thursday evening and he smells so good and feels so soft right after - we love it! I've tried several different brands now and the one that makes him smell cleaner the longest is Pantene. It doesn't last the whole week but gets us through 4 - 5 days or so before the smell starts to come back. I also wipe his face, paws and backside after every trip outside with a wet wipe and I think that helps keep him and my home cleaner. Oh, I wash his face with Spa facial cleaner and it smells totally awesome but doesn't last as long as Pantene.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

IWANTAHAVANESE said:


> As you know, I dont have a Havanese yet, but if I bring her to a professional grommer every 4 weeks, do I still need to bathe her in between, or is it a preference???
> Im keeping notes for when we get one


I think it depends on whether you are going to keep them clipped or in full coat. I think you will find it MUCH easier to keep them mat-free if they are bathed frequently. (plus they smell so nice!<g>) If their hair is cut short and you don't have to worry much about matting, then one a month may be fine if they don't get smelly in between. (it also depends on how active they are outdoors)


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## IWANTAHAVANESE (Nov 14, 2010)

*Me Again*

Thanks!
I woudl think we would want ot keep the longer coat , but who know...So I guess at least 1-2 baths should be Ok between grooming....
When you bathe them, is it hard to brush them out when they are wet ?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

IWANTAHAVANESE said:


> Thanks!
> I woudl think we would want ot keep the longer coat , but who know...So I guess at least 1-2 baths should be Ok between grooming....
> When you bathe them, is it hard to brush them out when they are wet ?


Well, you want to make sure that they are completely COMBED out and mat free before you bathe them. Then condition them well, and brush them out while you are drying them with a hair dryer, and it shouldn't be hard to brush them out at all.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I have read that you want to brush them out really good before their bath and get the hair wet so it does not brake. Because if they do have mats they get twice as bad from the bath. 
I have no idea if it is hard to brush them out because Maddies hair is still short.


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## katkoota (Feb 25, 2010)

she is darling  my dogs get their baths every 7 days!

Kat


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

If I waited that long to wash my pups they would reek! I wash them every 7-10 days. I think havanese need to be washed more because they have long hair and don't shed.


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Seems we're in the majority..I don't care for dog smell and Kipling is light so he sees a bath once every 7-10 days...then he walks around smelling like a smoothie for a day


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

A smoothie - yes, that is a good description for the way Augie smells after a bath (I had said berries). The only time Augie has EVER smelled 'doggie' was when we had boarded him with a lady who was also caring for other dogs at the same time, so he picked up the scent from them. Even when he has gone for up to six weeks, I have NEVER noticed him stinking and I love to bury my face in his long coat. I do give him butt baths if needed, and he gets foot baths occasionally. The grass is wet here 9-10 months of the year, so maybe he somewhat 'rinses' off. But I don't bathe him any oftener than every 3-4 weeks, when his hair starts feeling not so clean. I do comb him out daily and will occasionally mist him with either diluted Coat Handlers or now I have a Nature's Spec. grooming spray that I sometimes use - otherwise just a light spray of water. Glad humans bathe much more often than that - can you imagine the stench??


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## KSC (Aug 6, 2009)

Yep - when K goes to his pet-sitter he hangs with two german shepperds - he comes home very doggie smelling...

I think he secretly likes his freshly bathed self because we're contantly putting our faces up to him telling him how delicious he smells and how soft he is


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I also noticed it's easier to comb my guys when they are clean. The longer I wait the harder they are to comb. If 
I had them groomed once a month, I'm sure I'd wash them once in between.

I also comb my guys out before their baths, dry them, and comb them again when they are completely dry. I find that trying to comb them when they are even a ittle wet is impossible. I also use a moisturizing shampoo that's good for dry skin.


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