The Zim Family Cocker Spaniel Forum

When I give Emma a bath, I use a sprayer attachment in my shower to wet her down, soap up, rinse and repeat. She's mostly white, and I notice that I might not be getting her very thick leg fur as clean as it could be. It looks very white until she's laying on her back, and when I look at her legs with the hair upside down (hope that makes sense) it looks a little more grey. Would it help to do the first wash in a tub that is already full of soapy water - or am I setting myself up for more matts that way? Her hair is fine and straight and she has a ton of it on her legs. She's a little tomboy of a dog and I don't think I will always keep her hair this long. I just wanted to try it once because she's so pretty.

Thanks!

Hi, Tina! I had the same experience with Isabel. Since she was small, I bathed her in the kitchen sink, using the spray attachment to wet her down and rinse. I found that if I started the bath off with a few inches of warm water in the sink, it was easy to get her lower legs and feet cleaner. Standing in the warm water seemed to help the dirt dissolve and rinse out more completely.

I bathe my dogs in the shower and I too start with the water in the tub. I feel Hannah's feet do get cleaner that way too especially if she has had a "trail run" before the weekly bath.

LOL...

If I tried putting Chessie into a tub filled with water I'd have wet paw prints and scratches all over!

I wash Chessie's paws and legs twice. I use a diluted shampoo the first time and use my Coat Handler for the final wash. I find that after the first wash and rinse the shampoo can get deeper into the fur and the second wash is much more effective.

We also shampoo twice, especially Karlie who has white feet and legs. I don't start with water in the tub though.

Watcha using to wash her with?

Julie: I'm using #1 All systems Whitening/Brightening Shampoo and their Botanical conditioner. I wash her twice and condition once. Just wondering if a soapy dunk would get into the hair more than just the sprayer or whether that's going to cause problems.

The dunk won't hurt, but not sure it will help, and it's really not necessary. That shampoo doesn't dilute much so it's probably harder to get down to the skin or make sure it's actually applied everywhere. that might be part of your problem.

I know you're a big fan of Coat handler. Do you use the 15:1 ratio shampoo or the clarifying?

I am a CH fan, you're right, but really I think any shampoo that dilutes down at least 10-1 is better cleaning because you get more coverage. It's easy to miss spots when shampoo is thick, especially on a full coated cocker.

Currently I'm not even using Coat Handler shampoo just the conditioner (gasp). I'm using something made by Envirogroom called Gentle Clean. It smells yummy and works just as well.

I'll never give up on CH conditioner though. Not that I gave up on the shampoo, this stuff is just more economical for use in my shop and works just as well and I don't like having a million shampoos around. Plus I get it delivered free by a local distributor.