How often to bath a Chow?

Topics, guidelines and tips for coat and skin care and grooming Chow Chows.

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Buddha4me
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How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Buddha4me »

How often should you bath a Chow. My last two Chows only got bath 2-3 times a year. And books I've read on Chows have confirmed that too much bathing is bad for thier skin recommending 4-5 per year. Now Buddha is for some reason a smelly boy, and I have to bath him more. Is there something wrong with him? How often do you all bath your Chows, assuming they haven't really gotten into anything to make them dirty. Buddha mostly a house dog with a fenced in outside area, and of course we go for walks, but he really doesn't get into anything. Thanks!
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Sirchow »

Bramble has had three baths since we got her and she is ten months now so that is about in seven months. When we went to the beach I just did the bottom half of her body which came in contact with the dead seagull and it save washing and drying the main part of her body. So 2.5 baths really! I am not keen on washing if not necessary it removes the protective oils and leaves the skin more vulnerable as well as putting unnatural products on her when chows seem to be quite prone to alergies.
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Zilla »

OMG! My puppies seem to be very smelly after a few weeks they get groomed at least once a month. Chows aren't supposed to be smelly but I dunno why these guys are. They are inside dogs we go on walks in very grassy areas I just dunno why they get so stinky??? I was wondering the same thing if its their food or something else that might be causing it. ???? any advice I'd love to just wash them 4 times a year it would save me soooooo much $$$$!!!
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Sirchow »

What do you feed your puppies on. I think a good quality food leaves less waste and not too bad smelling (waste and chow). When I pick up behind Bramble it is not the pleasantest job in the world but it doesn't stink either!
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Mia
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Mia »

Wow - I wash my guys every month (at least) and I only use an oatmeal mixture which I make myself that has nothing to strip their oils. I also let them air dry for a while and then use the blower to get the last bit, so I don't over dry them.

My chows have never had an itch area or hot spots. It can't be bad to keep them clean. In nature they would go to streams and water, be in rain and snow.
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Sirchow »

Mia I would love to have the receipe for your oatmeal bath if you don't mind sharing. It was more the pet shop type shampoos I meant. A natural washing agent or plain water (streams and rain) that doesn't stip the oils out as you say I would use more often if I had to but Bramble doesn't really smell. Bramble doesn't go anywhere that she might get wet if she can possibly help it on her own.
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by NanouetJon »

Maddoxx gets bathed every 2 - 3 weeks. My wife is allergic to animals and this is the ebst way to keep both happy. Of course I use an oatmeal based shampoo which is gentle , plus a conditioner and Maddoxx gets Omega supplements everyday to get his lustrous coat. He likes all the grooming, wife likes the smell and I like spending time with Maddoxx
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Mia »

Sure, I don't mind sharing. I use oatmeal and grapefruit juice. The juice is sort of a natural cleanser for grease, sweat, dirt and bacteria. The oatmeal is kind of like a loofa that provides roughage and also absorbes dirt so you can wipe it off.

My guys are such couch potatos like me, LOL, that I feel that i need to take them to the dog park to get some good running exercise. Unfortunately, I always feel like they get dirty when we go there, so I always like to wash them. Just because a shampoo says all natural or organic dosen't mean it doens't contain harsh elements. So, I like to know exactly what i am washing with - hence, my own little concoction.

I also use puppy shampoo, because it is relatively mild - (made so because they want to make sure that it won't hurt puppies' eyes.)

The most important thing is to rinse, rinse and rinse. I spend a quarter of the time washing and then spend three times as long rinsing. That way you don't leave anything on their skin that could later develope into an irritation or hot spot.

I also make sure that after they have air dryed a bit, that I get the dryer out (cool air) and thouroughly dry the undercoat and areas lik under the tail spots which don't dry quickly on their own.

Especially Chutters - whose coat could stay wet for days if I didn't make sure to dry parts of his undercoat.

If you use the grapefruit juice as a spray on cleaner, make sure that the grapefruit juice is dilluted about a teaspoon per eight ounces of water.
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Coco Chow »

I bath Coco every time she's too dirty, every time she smells like duck poo, etc... It can be often!
I never bath her when she didn't roll in something stinky because she has a lovely natural smell, a little like brioche 8) .

If your Buddha smells bad, you should wash him.
But if the bad smell really comes from his skin, he might have a skin condition, some can give a bad odor and a vet treatment is in order IMO :wink: .
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Sirchow »

Thank you Mia. I have also heard of people using dilute vinegar instead of grapefruit. I am a little unsure how you use the oatmeal as I can imagine getting a sort of hair porridge :!: Not a good look. I'd need to try a small bit to begin with I think. :lol:
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Lobis Cunami »

I bath mine every 6 weeks, if I wait any longer than that then they get smelly and the fur gets harder to groom. I use shampoos and conditioner from http://www.jerob.net/ it works wonders and their fur smells so good with their shampoo.
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Mika&Suki »

Mine go to the groomers every 6-8 weeks (I don't have a power dryer so doing it at home would take a looooonnnggg time!!! :( ). Mika doesn't tend to get dirty......her fur always feels clean and she only ever smells under her chin from drooling and from eating (salmon oil mixed in with her food leaves a faint smell behind). She could probably get away with a little wash under her chin now and again and maybe having a bath once or twice a year.

Suki is entirely different. She has much thicker and courser fur, and for some reason it starts feeling greasy along her back after about 4-6 weeks after her visit to the groomers. This is partly due to the fact that she just LOVES to be scratched on her back near her tail, so we tend to do it a lot! :D I think she just has different fur and I think she produces more natural oils than Mika.

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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by h0n33y »

wow.....I bathe barbie doll once every 2 weeks using oatmeal & milk based shampoo, but when the itching is bad and so many hotspots, I used shampoo from a vet, it contain sulfur if not mistaken, it seems to help with the itching.

2 weeks, that's all it takes for my barbie to start itching and biting so often, so I decide the bath every 2 weeks period....and the water is quite dirty, so I guess I'm doing it right....

(note: barbie had skin problems in the past, this might need more frequent baths than other regular chows)
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Clockman »

Emma gets a bath only when she stinks (if we go to the beach and she decides to go in up to her chest) or if she has laid in a mud puddle (a favorite of hers). She has a couple favorite spots to lay when she's outside, and one is very shaded and "moist". Needless to say, when she comes in, she smells like moss and moist soil. I don't mind it.

What I don't like is what I call "tuna butt". I believe the *Censored Word* glands are the culprit. Every so often, Holland (aka the "Nether-lands") get that funny smell, so it's off to the tub. I bring her into the bath, open the shower door and ask, "do you need help or do you wanna get in yourself?" At that point, she gives up and hops into the tub. A lot of water, a little soap, a ton of sweet-talk and then she's done. I let her air dry as once I let her out of the bathroom, she goes berserk with the zoomies through the house!

The important thing is to know what the smell is before you bathe. If they rolled in duck poop, it's obvious. If it's an ear infection, the smell will be up by the head. If it's a urinary infection, again, the smell is local. I hate to admit it, but I'm in the habit of "sniffing" Emma and even other people's dogs (just the ears, really!!). I've found things for other people in the process (tics, dirty, waxy ears, minor wounds, etc.) If dogs can get away with it on us, why can't we do it for them?
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by mikkabear »

Well, lets see...
mine go into the open space twice a day for walkies, off-leash, and they run through the fennel and the grass. They get pretty odorific so Mr. Cue gets a bath about twice a month (for some reason he's more stinky than his sister) and Natasha about once a month, she hates baths and I have to chase her down to do it. No problems yet.....I use Buddy Wash, they sell it at Whole Foods. I don't usually wash their head, unless Cue finds some fresh horse poo and rubs his head in it, Natasha prefers dead earthworms.... :roll:
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Re: How often to bath a Chow?

Post by Tippsy'smom »

I bathe Tippsy every 2 weeks with an oatmeal based shampoo the vet proscribed for her. She stays fairly clean.

Jasper however has to have one once a week. He spends a lot of his time outside running through the woods, so he gets dirty quick. I bathe him with a flea and tick shampoo, because the woods down here are infested with fleas and ticks no matter what time of year it is.

And I blowdry both of them.
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