BS: Wash the dog!

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 20 Dec 18 - 08:47 AM

My hound, from having ears that stood up and even crossed over at 16 weeks, now has one that flops down sideways. I don't know if this is from biting by his brute of a sister or if it's a natural progression.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: keberoxu
Date: 19 Dec 18 - 01:33 PM

I recall a relative who, when showering, would bring the hound into the shower with him, and do the canine laundering in that fashion.
Never seemed to do the hound any harm.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 17 Dec 18 - 02:51 PM

Oh, no, you wouldn't. Believe me, you wouldn't.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Dec 18 - 02:42 PM

In Accra, Ghana, I stayed at a nice hotel called Labadi Beach. It had beautiful tropical gardens, and everywhere were small lizards of many gorgeous colours, like little jewels. One or two were even on the wall of my room.
I'm rather glad we don't have stinky skunks here. But I'd still like to just briefly smell one!

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 17 Dec 18 - 01:57 PM

Ah. Well, we don't have skunks here. Or skinks, though there are little lizards sometimes to be seen sunbathing on warm walls in the west of Ireland.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Dec 18 - 01:35 PM

Thompson, ask most dog owners whose dogs have been skunked,
and they can tell you how effective -- or not --
tomato juice is.

Some dog owners use tomato juice, knowing of nothing better.
I hear it said that it works but not wonderfully well.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 14 Dec 18 - 04:45 AM

Yeah, the hot tar was supposed to help asthma.

Sheep dip is deadly; a few years ago before the BBC Radio 4 farming programme went all nationalistic and when it was still a great service for informing farmers about new technology, they had a series of programmes warning about sheep dip causing strange mental symptoms including what looked like early Alzheimer's. It was the same or related stuff my father was using (unmasked) to spray his garden; I went crazy with worry. And indeed it or something had its effect.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 11:46 AM

Senoufou, there are several products, Nature's Miracle makes the one I use. Enzymes chemically break down the skunk spray.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 08:32 AM

I agree Jos. I quite like the smell of creosote. It was sort of tarry but not too redolent of chemicals. Goodness knows what's in creocote, but it certainly sets off my vertigo, which creosote never did.

When I was a child and the 'tar men' came down our road, all the mothers used to send their children out to inhale the tar! It was supposed to be good for you (no idea why).

We enjoyed watching the boiling hot melted tar being spread, and especially the gigantic steam roller.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Jos
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 08:16 AM

I've never come across 'Creocote' but I used to rather like the smell of creosote. My father used to treat fences with it.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 04:42 AM

I expect you're right Thompson.

Our neighbour sprayed his entire wooden garden fence with a product called Creocote (not Creosote, which is now banned in UK) It stank to high heaven, a sort of petrol-solvent-industrial stench, and it lasted for days. It gave me very bad vertigo, and I shudder every time I see the stacks of Creocote tins in the garden centre.
He hasn't used it since.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 04:33 AM

Oh, you don't! Or you won't after you have!

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 13 Dec 18 - 04:24 AM

This is really fascinating! What 'enzyme' is in your product SRS? And I wonder why the smell just went all of a sudden after six months?
Oh I want to smell skunk now (I always was insatiably curious!)

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 09:00 PM

The dogs either released or chased a skunk into the garage (years ago) and I'm so glad I was parking outside at the time and that it is detached from the house. After I opened the door and chased it down the driveway with a high-pressure water nozle, I sprayed enzyme around inside to gradually reduce the smell. And then one day, about six months out, it was just gone, like a switch was flipped.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 05:38 PM

I think not. It's really an experience well worth not having.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 12 Dec 18 - 04:15 AM

Perhaps I should add 'experiencing the smell of a skunk' to my bucket list keberoxu!

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 11:31 AM

Indeed, Senoufou,
I have got a very funny book written by a biologist schoolteacher
which is a field guide to North American roadkill,
called Flattened Fauna.
The North American skunk has its place of pride in its pages,
where the author writes,
"You never forget your first skunk ... "

I beg to differ, actually.
My first [roadkill] skunk was so early in my childhood
that I could not possibly recall anything about it,
apart from the stench.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 07:01 AM

Gosh, those skunks obviously stink to high heaven! But an excellent means of defence.
I have a very good sense of smell, and can detect even the tiniest odour, so a really stinky pong makes me gag.

It's so lovely to hear about all your lovely dogs being so very happy and well looked-after. It warms the heart.

We got some Christmas cards from our neighbours which included the following dogs:-

Logie and Molly (border collie and cocker spaniel)
Buddy (Jack Russell/terrier cross)
Harry and Molly (golden retriever and French bulldog)
Marley (chocolate Labrador, new neighbours' dog)

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 10 Dec 18 - 06:23 AM

My memory of skunk smell - from a skunk killed on a highway about five miles from where we were - was like nervous sweat, multiplied by a million. And multiplied again. Isn't tomato juice supposed to wash it away?

My puppy - also a merle, a blue-eyed border collie merle with half of one eye brown - is fond of racing around our local park, on the banks of a river and with artificial lakes and ponds - with his sister, and occasionally 'forgetting' that the green weed on the big pond is not actually a lawn but pondweed. As a result he's had more baths than most pups, and is now getting used to the concept.

At this stage - 14 weeks old - he's learned 'sit' and 'lie', and 'do your pee', and 'fetch!' and is advancing on 'leave' and a gentle 'give'. He's learned to sit beside me when I'm eating and not beg, and to sit and wait when his food is put out, and he now has a gentle mouth to take a treat from your hand. He's pretty good at coming to his name or to a whistle (pace squirrels), and he's polite to other dogs.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: keberoxu
Date: 07 Dec 18 - 03:24 PM

Flea droppings . . . eewwwww . . .

I was middle-aged, and researching "earthdogs," before it was ever
explained to me why skunks have what they have.

It's all about tunneling underground.
Above-ground, the skunk's defense is reduced to a notorious stench.
Senoufou, in the US there was a song about
"dead skunk in the middle of the road,"
which is where most people smell their first skunk smell;
skunks are also notorious for strolling across the road and getting run over.

Ah, but underground ... skunks are good diggers, and they favor holes.
Some predators follow the skunk down said holes.
And there, a predator following the skunk's tail, in a confined space,
can -- and has literally -- smother to death from the smell.

Terriers have in fact died of it.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 03:54 PM

The blue heeler I adopted in June this year came home from a couple of months at the animal shelter. Her black and white (merle) coat was a mess, filled with grit and dry skin and who knows what - I guess it could have been from before she got there, but they stay in concrete enclosures and go out into an almost grassless space to take care of business. Whatever the reason, she went into the tub and got a thorough scrub and rinse with the vet dog and horse shampoo I keep for this use. She hasn't needed another bath since then and her coat looks good, no buildup of crud. I think a healthier life and lots of exercise and rolling on the lawn has made the difference.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: leeneia
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 01:39 PM

That's a touching story, Thompson. Good for you.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Thompson
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 09:44 AM

Just washed my pup. I had a bath myself, and then hopped out and got into my bathrobe, and picked him up and put him in the warm water and shampooed him. He was ok with that, but when I rinsed him off with the shower hose he thought I was trying to kill him and whimpered pathetically, poor little love. Then a towel down and a nice long walk. The walk because otherwise a dog's instinct is to go outside and find some nice poo to roll in.

I'd always wash dogs every now and again - how often depends on the dog. Took in a fat little grey Jack Russell once and brought him to the vet, and the vet was tutting that he'd never been bathed, lifting his fur to show the caked black grease and flea droppings. Brought him home and gave him a good bath and he was sparkling white. His owner - a little boy - turned up and was astonished at the sight of him.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: JHW
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 05:16 AM

We don't have skunks this side of the pond but for a lady with a Boxer Dog I fitted Cold and Hot hose union outside taps in her back yard to wash the dog. (Yes back yard, not garden, the dog would have wrecked it).

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Jos
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 03:10 AM

I seem to remember that there were skunks in the English countryside in Disney's version of the '101 Dalmations'. I could be wrong, it might have been chipmunks, but whichever it was they had no business being here.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 06 Dec 18 - 01:52 AM

What does a skunk smell like?

Well, it smells like my neighbor's marijuana patch when it's ripe - but the skunk smell is much more intense. I have one dog who thinks it's interesting to investigate skunks. And one time, a rattlesnake.

-Joe-

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 07:35 PM

Burning tires up really close.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 07:18 PM

I've smelled skunk, but not from close up. Imagine the smell of boiling cabbage made about 50 times more powerful.

Little Hawk, who says it is acrid and biting, must have been closer up than I've ever been.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 06:28 PM

Gosh, really bad then. Glad there aren't any here in Norfolk!

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Bee-dubya-ell
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 05:36 PM

What does a skunk smell like?

I can't describe it, but I'm pretty sure that if it could be synthesized in a chemical warfare plant, deploying it on a battlefield would be a violation of the The Geneva Convention.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 02:01 PM

Its smells awful! And not like anything else. It's acrid, biting, simply dreadful.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Senoufou
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 01:43 PM

I've often wondered, what does a skunk actually smell like? I know it's difficult to describe a smell, but anyone like to try?

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: robomatic
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 01:15 PM

In all the tubs in my house I use a little drain cover that either clicks in place or screws in place. It lets water out through tiny holes but hair mats on top so youhave to clean it out every use.

I've used this to successfully declog hair in a sink. It is cheap but beware even though it is plastic, it is sharp.

Try this: zip-it-bath-and-sink-hair-snare

I haven't used these but they may be helpful, also.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 11:52 AM

Oh, you know, I was expecting the usual crazy stuff to commence. Anticipating it, in fact.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 01:02 AM

What do you want, dachshund videos?

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 01:01 AM

Goodness sakes! Nothing but sensible advice so far. I must have accidentally posted this on some other website by mistake. What is going on here?

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: leeneia
Date: 05 Dec 18 - 12:47 AM

I've never done it, but these are some thoughts I've had. (I like to watch YouTubes with dogs in them.)

Put a mat or old towel in the tub so the dog's paws aren't slipping all over.

Run the water so slowly that the water all goes down the drain. Don't let the dog see water filling the tub, so he thinks he will eventually drown.

Use a sprayer which is nice and quiet. Use nice, warm water.

Give treats at regular intervals.

Talk cheerfully or sing. Convey that everything is fine.

Let a new dog watch an old dog get a bath and see that the old dog is calm.

Ask the vet if it's really necessary to wash the dog's face. That seems to be the trickiest part.

Think about the amount of hair going down the drain. If you are causing a plumbing problem, how can you avoid it?

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 08:39 PM

After I found Nature's Miracle Skunk Odor Remover my dogs never needed baths after skunk encounters. I put it in a spray bottle and spray enough on the chest, neck and around the face (cover the eyes, dab it around with a washcloth, etc.) Let it dry and usually repeat again after an hour or so. After a few years my pitbull Cinnamon figured out how to avoid getting skunked when she killed skunks. And she taught the other dogs the same thing. The last time a dog was skunked in the yard was in 2012 when Zeke was first here, but Cinnamon somehow taught him to avoid them after that.

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 08:00 PM

The skunks determine when my dogs get baths...

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Charmion
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 06:46 PM

When s/he is filthy and/or stinking, in the bathtub or kitchen sink or laundry sink (depending on the size of the dog), using warm (not hot, not cold) water and shampoo recommended for dogs by responsible doggy people such as vets.

But first, train the dog to sit still and endure being washed. Start when the dog is very young.

But surely you knew all that?

Subject: RE: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 06:44 PM

My vet said every month was too often, and once a year isn't often enough. Hence, my dogs are bathed when it's a fine day outside and the water coming out of the hose isn't so cold they turn to pupsicles. Or they're washed in the hall bathroom tub, except Poppy, who has literally avoided entering that bathroom for years after having been given multiple baths in there. I wash her in the master bath because she never goes back there on her own anyway. That way she feels free to occasionally visit me in the hall with the others. They love a captive audience. :)

Subject: BS: Wash the dog!
From: Little Hawk
Date: 04 Dec 18 - 06:35 PM

It has to be done now and then, right? The question is...how often? And using what specific method?

Comments, please!