Labs and baths...who bathes who?!

[Lured In]

I know this varies from dog to dog, but our female choc lab, Tess, is a water dog. We are getting ready to make a trip to my folks house and she was getting a little "gamie" smelling, so my wife suggested I bathe her before we go. Tess is a house/hunting dog, so she usually got a bath after our weekly duck hunting trips and she loves them.

So I start filling the tub and call her in. There is about 1.5" of water in the tub, up and over she goes....kerr-splash. Water is now everywhere including myself. She is pretty calm while I was her down, just sipping the dirty soapy water. ( :whazzup: ) But...as soon as I start to drain the tub, back out she comes with a half gallon of water in tow. :shocked: :grin:

Then begins the towel wrestling match. I grab one and and she grabs the other while I try to dry her off. (we are not playing tug of war, more like, "you can't dry me off before I get water everywhere.")

So now the bathing and most of the drying is complete. My now demon possessed/crack addicted dog begins running at Mach 5 through the house for no apparent reason. After a couple dozen laps, she decides its time to wipe damp shedding dog hair on the walls. This resembles a cat on a scratching post.

There is no real point to this other than to say, I love my lab and we basically bathe together. :grin:

[wetaline]

Solution1: Wash them at the river

Solution2: Garden Hose in front lawn... where your flip flops....

[skein]

I have the perfect (and cheap) solution. I keep a kids wading pool out back filled with water. When we train (play really hard) my lab gets hot and goes and gets in her pool to cool off. It's funny to watch her lie down in the water and roll from side to side. She will stick her nose in up to about her ears and blow bubbles. Too funny - but very important to have a place for her to cool down. She loves it in the summer too, and will let me know if it gets too warm to do her any good. I dump it out and refill it with the garden hose.

Then, at bath time - like when she rolled in the dead seal at Hammond - I put her in, soap her up, and use a bailing bucket (cut-off bleach bottle) to rinse her off. Works perfect.

Of course, Lured In, you lose some of that intense bonding time you describe, and that's gotta be worth what? A million dollars? Two? [img]graemlins/hearton.gif[/img]

Uh...have you ever tried to get seal goo out of dog's hair? Not pretty. Not pretty at all.

Skein

[Firedog]

As much as my Chocolate loves the water she doesnt really care for bath's. She does mind well and it is the drying off part that makes the biggest mess. Between the hair on the walls and the water on the floor. My best solution is to take her to the river let her swim a bunch and don't let her get dirty before we go home. She is also an inside dog so clean is always a good thing.

[Lured In]

Just so you guys know, I don't really consider this a problem. I was merely sharing one of my joys as a lab owner. When it's warm/prudent, the hose and kiddie pool are ready to go.

Skein...bonding big time. Particulary her hair bonding to everything it touches. :grin:

I think i'll do a wave off on the seal goo. That doesn't sound like much fun. Probably right up there with skunk stink. :shocked:

[1pump]

My chocolate also hates baths. She tolerates them, but hates 'em just the same.
I used to go to a self-serve dog wash in SE PDX. $10, and they cleaned up the mess. Plus they had Lab-strength blow dryers so my dog would be dry before I got home, although she looked kinda funny with her hair all poofed-out.
Sure do wish they were still in business. :depressed:

[Firedog]

1Pump, there are still a few of the self serve dog wash's around. I know of one on Mcloughlin at Jenning's road. It that strip mall and one on 42nd and Killingsworth in NE. I also take my dog over there because of the ease of clean up, worth the few bucks it costs.

[skein]

Hey, Lured-In is right. Getting the dog clean is a by-product. Havin' fun wrassling with your dog and laughin' over the "mess" is the real aim!

Thanks for the chuckle, Lured.

Skein

[STGRule]

The lab did this and the beagles do it too. I just don't understand the wilding when you finally release them from the towel wrestling.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

My chess will attempt to fet in the shower with whoevers in there, if you leave the door open. But the instant I say bath the slinking begins. By the time the bath is done I am soaked and dirty, he's mostly clean, until I toss his butt outside to dry off and he rolls in the lawn [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] . But if I leave him in the house he feels it is time to roll in the sheets on the bed. All in All though, I wouldn't trade him for the world.

[Firedog]

It is pretty funny when they finally escape from the towel and run all over the house. It is a happy run, at least it apears to be so.

I enjoy the bath routine also, seems like once it is over the dog is happy to be clean as long as you don't let them out to soon. :smile: mine will go roll and be dirtier than before the bath. Like lured in said it is amazing how well wet lab hair sticks to the walls though :smile:

[Boedy]

There is a self serve place in Kiezer that I like. lot easier then the bath tub at home IMHO. But more offten then not its the river for my Choc Male.

[DriftR]

Hearing all the stories about bathing a lab or any dog for that matter really brings back fun memories. I bought one of those big black spun plastic (deep) water troughs that the farmers use to water their stock. I would hook up a garden hose to the water heater inside the garage in the winter and give my lab a good bath. Yup, those shakes after many baths finally did me (not her) in and I opted out. I just paid the money every two weeks and had her cleaned, ears cleaned, toes nails clipped, the whole nine yards. She was always happy to go to the bath lady and I was just as happy not to have to dry out the garage, towels, me or whatever she came into contact with. I finally put my foot down when the bath lady used some really terrible smelling dog cologne. I told her if she used that again on my dog no more business. Anyway, I had a great yellow lab for 14 plus years. I had to have her put down just last week (2-12-03). She collapsed on me. I rushed her to the vet and we think she had a cancer called HEMANGIOSARCOMA. This is known as the "Silent Killer". Really been a lonely place without my old buddy around to rub her ears and scratch that spot she always liked scratched. Take care of your buddies and you'll have many great years and memories to last you forever.

[norms gone fishing too]

sorry to hear about your loss i have had to put down two freinds and it is never easy
good luck finding a new one

norm

[ 02-19-2003, 04:17 PM: Message edited by: norms gone fishing too ]

[STGRule]

DriftR: I also am very sorry for your loss. We lost our yellow to cancer when she was seven. We still miss her, but we are starting to think about another. Go slow. You'll know when its time to get a new friend.

[Birdnest]

DriftR-- :depressed: , sorry for your loss.

My lab does the funniest thing after her reluctant baths. She does the "butt tuck run", and hauls arse around the back yard. She then makes straffing runs where I attempt to towel her off, then back to the butt tuck. She kills me.

[DriftR]

Thanks guys. I have to share one funny story about my lab buddy. I used to clean her ears and brush her teeth on a semi regular basis. Now my lab loved the toothpaste but not the brushing of her teeth. Man she would eat that chicken flavored dog toothpaste as fast as I could put it on. Well, when time came to clean her ears I would get out the rubber gloves. I would act like a doctor doing the annual "you know what exam". When I snapped those rubber gloves on my lab would put her head down and just walk off and hide. Could not for the life of me get her to come off her dog sofa. She would just lay there and look up at me and kinda say," No, No not that again." Those were some fun times and great memories.

[willametteriveroutlaw]

Driftr, sorry for your loss.

[foxer]

I had an unexpected visitor in the shower one morning. My wife snuck our 16 week old lab in the shower with me and then threw in the puppy shampoo..Cant keep her out of the shower now, she loves it...And yes, after drying, the hell bent butt dragging race anround the house..Glad to see that its no tjust my dog...Sure is funny to watch though

[Fishslayer]

My rott pup did the same thing. They start to follow you around and the next thing I know is he is in the shower with me. Makes it pretty easy! I always have mom ready with the towel so I can stay in and clean up. After a tug of war its off to the races. Have to love mans best friend/fishing partner

[Bill Monroe]

Oh good...I'm not the only one who showers with their Lab...without going into the details, she's not a big fan, but gets to smell good enough to stay in the house.

Molly Ivins' column in the paper this morning (Friday), is about the French and concludes with their reaction to 911 (she was in Paris) by hugging and patting every American the could find.
"I was patted so much I thought I was a Labrador retriever."

[Tilla]

A real treat is to use the tomato juice treatment when your female has decided she is old enough to wear "Eau de Skunk"!
What is the first thing a lab does when it comes out of the bath? :shocked:
I'm going to a different Klamath Falls Motel next time.



The yellow ones seem to enjoy the Skunks and Porcupines

DriftR, I am so sorry to hear about your bestest friend.

[ 02-24-2003, 09:35 PM: Message edited by: Tilla ]

[Lured In]

DriftR...I too am sorry about your loss. In the book "By Dawn's Early Light" (DU Press), there is a fantastic quote that I am now only beginning to understand.

Hunting isn't measured by seasons, rather by the lives of the dogs who shared them with you. (paraphrased)

That really got me thinking about what the future holds and how hard it will be to let go of one day. My only hope is that the future has a long "season" in store for her. Best wishes and happy memories.

Tilla...you must have been about 12 years old in that picture! :shocked: What happened to that spry looking young guy? [img]graemlins/eek13.gif[/img]

[Tilla]

That's my baby Bro, Tom, with Mia, Jayne,Mandy and Fly.

[DriftR]

Tilla,
That is some awesome picture of all your lab buddies. Of course I am just a tad partial to those two yellow buddies in the middle.
Thanks for sharing that picture, it really has made my day for sure. One thing, how in the heck did you get them all to stand still long enough to capture that shot!!!!!!
DriftR

[DriftR]

Lured In
Thanks for the good verse. It sure does ring true on my end.

[Tilla]

Driftr'
At some point in their lives there is some firm training involved. When we say sit, there is no other options. They can be obedient and happy too!