# Daily cleaning routine?



## orestis (Aug 26, 2013)

Hi all,

as you know, Mucho must be walked outside 3 times a day (at the least) to relieve himself. Each walk is around 30 minutes where he is 80% off-leash and 20% on-leash (there is a quite big area with almost non-existent car traffic - I can see a car coming up at least a minute before it reaches us, and I'm always close to Mucho, ready to pick him up). Usually we end with 5 minutes of chasing each other (in a fenced, 100% safe area) and throwing the ball around.

However, since all this is on pavement and tarmac, and not on grass, it means Mucho's paws and fur near the paws gets really dirty. Also sometimes after peeing he might end up with stains (ew) near his belly area.

We might still want to show him as an adult (he's already won a Junior Champion title!) so we don't want to trim his hair yet. However the dirt that he brings in the house is quite annoying.

Do you have a daily cleaning routine? I know someone who bathes the underside of their dog after every walk, but given all that hair and blow-drying and brushing it is a lot of effort. I dried baby wipes but they don't do much good and the vet warned me about allergies so I stopped.

Any tips?


----------



## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

Acceptance or an I door potty option.


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Pucks104 said:


> Acceptance or an I door potty option.


:thumb:


----------



## MarinaGirl (Mar 25, 2012)

How about just washing Mucho's paws and not his whole underside? That's what I do with Emmie; when we come in from outside and her feet are dirty from rain and mud or the pavement, I carry her to the sink and just wash her paws under the faucet with a little shampoo. And sometimes I only rinse them, no shampoo. I towel dry them as best I can, comb them, and that's it; I don't blow dry them, just let them dry naturally. This routine doesn't take that long and it keeps her paws looking pretty decent and keeps her from tracking stuff in the house. Regarding Mucho's underside, have you tried using a wet washcloth to clean up the area, and pat it dry? That wouldn't take much time either and might minimize pee stains some. 

Good luck!

-Jeanne-


----------



## orestis (Aug 26, 2013)

I've been advised against leaving paws wet and not blow drying, for fear of undermining the health of the various joints in there. It sounds a bit far-fetched to me, especially if the dog will just lounge about in a warm house though.

Re the underside, it's not just the underside that needs cleaning; it's also the draping side hair that is stained as well.

It does seem that the only option is to just rinse/wash the underside in the sink. I am just worried because vets here advice washing the dog at the most every 25 days. Probably to avoid removing all the oils from the skin?


----------



## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

orestis said:


> I've been advised against leaving paws wet and not blow drying, for fear of undermining the health of the various joints in there. It sounds a bit far-fetched to me, especially if the dog will just lounge about in a warm house though.
> 
> Re the underside, it's not just the underside that needs cleaning; it's also the draping side hair that is stained as well.
> 
> It does seem that the only option is to just rinse/wash the underside in the sink. I am just worried because vets here advice washing the dog at the most every 25 days. Probably to avoid removing all the oils from the skin?


That's silly to only wash a dog every 25 days! I sure wouldn't want to snuggle next to Kodi on the 24th day!  Kodi gets washed about once a week and has since he was a tiny puppy. I wash myself daily, and _I_ don't have a problem with my skin! They are no different. Use quality shampoo and a good, moisturizing conditioner and their skin will be MUCH better than that of a dirty dog.

There is a GRAIN of truth in the idea of bathing less frequently, but it is for hunting breeds, not house dogs. Hunting breeds develop a protective, oily coat which keeps them dry and warm in the field, or even swimming. Our Havanese don't have that kind of coat. They never develop that kind of protective, oily outer coat whether we bathe them or not. They are basically little sponges! (as you have, no doubt, already experienced!) So unless you are planning to train Mucho to retrieve ducks, it's OK to bathe him as often as you want. :laugh:

As far as leaving their feet wet after bating? Where we live, if I had to dry Kodi's feet every time he went out either in the rain or in the dewy grass, I would do NOTHING but dry his feet all day every day. I have never heard from anyone that it can have any bad effect on their joints or feet, and Kodi is a performance dog. he works hard on a daily basis.

When Kodi comes in with dewy feet or wet feet from rain, I simply "towel dry" them with a micro fiber or "Shamwow" cloth that is very absorbent. Then he air dries the rest of the way. If he is out on the street or in the woods and actually gets muddy, I either rinse off his belly and legs or wash them with a bit of shampoo and conditioner in the sink, depending on how bad they are. Then, again, I towel him dry and let him air dry the rest of the way. I often also put a big beach towel on the couch for him if he's damp. He likes to rub up and down all over the towel to help dry himself more.

As far as the pee on his undercarriage&#8230; Not sure what's going on there. I have heard of this with some other dogs, but Kodi never gets himself dirty or wet (with pee) under there.


----------



## orestis (Aug 26, 2013)

Thank you all, I'll start doing frequent "under baths" then. I've already given him one and he smells oh so nicer. Also his leg hair is softer and less prone to mats now!


----------



## Targaryen (Apr 10, 2013)

Dresden is a very grubby little boy and as I show him and his predominately white I have to be careful not to let him stain. So to keep the coat from being peed on I band up the sides where urine is likely to hit, these he wears all the time, not just when he's outside as it's simply more convenient. He is also bathed every week without fail and his boy parts are trimmed as he has very long hair around there and this keeps it cleaner. If he's really feral I wipe him down with a baby wipe but mostly that is for the smell.


----------

