Tips

[robertjt]

Now that the weather is getting cooler, how do you bathe your newf? We normally bathe them outside. Now with the cooler days plus adding the cold water from the hose, I don't think that's a good idea. I can't imagine bathing Scuba in the tub. Diver we can still do, but Scuba wouldn't be able to turn around. Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

 

[wrknnwf]

I do it in the tub. You'll be surprised at how easily they can turn around.

 

[takemebacktotulsa]

We bathe outside. When it gets too hot or too cold, we head for the self-serve wash. I feel horrible when we leave as we absolutely annihilate the place, but they don't seem to mind the crazy amounts of hair plastered to the walls when we're done.

 

[ElvisTheNewf]

There was one time in January Elvis just could not wait any longer for a good scrubbing. There was snow on the ground and it was probably about 40 degrees outside. We shut the garage door and bathed him in there with the hose while he sat in his kiddie pool. He LOVED it - remember what these guys were bred for and where they were bred to do it. I just layered up as well as I could and put on a rain suit and boots over everything. My hands still nearly froze, but Elvis had a blast.

 

[kmann]

Griffin just got a bath a couple days ago in the tub. I have to get in with him otherwise he'll jump out, and at 8 months old I think that was his last bath in the tub. I'm tired of being stepped and sat on! I'll be bringing him to the self serve wash.

 

[Bär]

We don't bath Bär in the winter. If he really needs it i take a bucket with water and shampoo mixed in and sponge bath him. Then a bucket of water without shampoo to wipe the residue out. Blow dry after. I also use vinegar and water to spray in his coat of and on.

 

[robertjt]

Some good tips. Thanks!!!

 

[DAWNMERIE]

No worries about the cold water, Zeke...the bugger has been swimming in the dead of winter and he wouldn't come out until he was ready. Can you say dogcicle? We usually hook up the garage sink faucet for warm water...but that's for our hands when the weather gets cold. Also if your going to do the self service be careful when hooking them in, Zeke busted the hook and went flying. Can't bring myself to go again, pretty much scared the life outta me.

 

[ajcooksey]

We just took ours to the self service wash at our petstore and they have two that the dogs have to go up a ramp for and one that is only about a foot off the ground for large dogs. Willow being the angel that she is we put her up in the taller one and Turner being the snot he is we stuck him in the one that is only a foot off the ground because I can see him ripping the hook off the wall!

Be prepared if you do take them to a self service wash to have an audience the whole time while Turner was woo wooing his woes about having a bath and shaking off every ten seconds we had people watching us and talking about them from the other side of the glass the entire time It is definitely worth it to keep their hair from clogging up your drains or being stuck to your walls while you dry them though.

 

[Alicia]

We had a hot water tap installed to the outside faucet. Absolutely LOVE it! Rocky has skin issues due to his allergies and needs to be bathed more frequently at times. It didn't cost too much either...think it was around $150.00 to install.

 

[ardeagold]

We bathe outside unless everythings snowy and frozen, and then if someone MUST have a bath, we take them to PetSmart for a BATH and dry ONLY. No trimming, no nails, no nothing. I do that myself. And I write that in BIG print on the paper they give us when they take the dog in.

Or if there's a do it yourself dog wash around, you might want to try that. You can dry them at home, or if you have a high velocity dryer, take it with you. Theirs are usually too weak to dry a Newf.

 

[Brandie&Maggie]

I'd prefer to go to a self serve dog wash place in winter, but since there isn't one near us we just go to the groomer for a bath, or use the tub in an emergency (i.e. rolls in poo/dead animal/mud at midnight). We bathe outside with the hose in the summer. Our well water gets REALLY cold in the winter. Maggie probably would be fine, but I'd freeze. When its really cold outside too, we usually have too much ice & snow to bother.

My husband sits outside the tub and feeds her treats. I get in and do the washing. We bought one of those spray hoses that easily turns on & off that attaches to the shower. Works ok. Then I just hose out the bathtub and wash all the walls when we're done. It's not pretty, but it gets the job done.

 

[mrs big dogs]

We have a hot/cold hook up in our garage that I use until it gets to be about 50 degrees out than I take them to the self serve, but usually their skin gets drier in the winter so baths are limited

 

[robertjt]

Thanks everyone. Our local Petco has a self serve. I think I'll check that out for when the time comes. After bathing the 2 of them today, I know I couldn't handle the cold.