[Shasta220]

I know coat health is almost solely up to diet, but even dogs on 5 star foods will need a bath once in a while!

I’m just curious, what are your favorite shampoos that “degrease” without any stripping? I haven’t been on one bottle yet! I think I have 4-5 kinds right now. So far, one of the best for me is actually a 1:2 mix of Dawn and Pal Dog organic shampoo. I have tried just the organic stuff by itself, it doesn’t seem to do any amount of cleaning or leave a good smell for more than a few hours.

I have a bottle of oil based shampoo that was given to me, and it’s one of my favorites as well. I think the brand is Young Living “Animal scents” shampoo. It has a delightful citrus-herbal smell that lasts a long time (my boy was bathed w it a couple weeks ago, and I can still smell it when I sniff really hard!)
I’m really sad since it’s almost gone, and it’s quite expensive and hard to find. So I bought another oil based shampoo at the feed store. Ack! That stuff is awful! It lathers up wonderfully, but it leaves the coat completely greasy!

Anyway, like I say – I’m just curious about your guys’ favorite shampoo/conditioners that leave a long lasting fur-friendly scent and give an extra shine boost. Believe it or not, I use ShowSheen and Mane n’ Tail conditioner on my dogs if they’re going on a special outing the next day, LOL! Figured that it works on the cow, why wouldn’t it work on the dogs?

[kvee]

I like Burt’s Bee Buttermilk. Her fur is shiny, and my boyfriend says that the smell of her fur is simply fresh (I have anosmia so I cannot account for that).

We’ve never had issues with any residue. If you do, I’d do a rinse with a bit of ACV – I do that to my own hair to eliminate residue!

Good luck!

[Shasta220]

Ah, I’ve not even thought of trying acv for residue. I don’t think it’d work on that oil based stuff though. I will have to look into the Burt’s Bees. I’ve tried a few of their other products and loved them!

[aquariangt]

I like Earthbath, and there are a lot of varieties to pick from-depending on fur type, climate, etc…I live in a dry climate, so use one that is extra moisturizing, etc…

[pugmomsandy]

I like Earthbath, too. I’ve been using the Mediterranean formula. Also picked up a gallon of Zymox shampoo which I haven’t used yet. I also have some Mercola pet shampoo and Dr Bronner’s.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by pugmomsandy.

[InkedMarie]

Whatever the groomer uses 🙂

[theBCnut]

I use a locally made essential oil shampoo or human essential oil shampoos like Desert Essences.

[Hound Dog Mom]

I use Earthbath. Tea Tree & Aloe shampoo and the Creme Rinse and Conditioner.

[Melissaandcrew]

I am probably in the minority here, lol. I use a bunch of shampoos and my all time fav is TopPerformance Sea Breeze. Its fairly inexpensive, and dilutes out. They did change the formula a few years back so it does not dilute out like it used to- I think it was 19 parts water to 1 shampoo and now its like 9 parts water to one. I use it full strength on particularly grungy rescues that come in.

My dogs do not require bathing very often, but many of them are breeds that require clipping, so therefore all get bathed and/or clipped every 6-8wks whether they need it or not. The shampoo leaves a nice scent that lasts a long time-you can still smell it after several weeks, and if it rains and they get wet, its even a touch stronger. My fav conditioner is Nova Pearls for the same reason. The scent smells awesome and lasts forever.

I have tried other “organic” and unscented shampoos, but did not find the scent to be “fresh and clean” nor long lasting. If I am going to the trouble to groom and bathe them, I want that “fresh from the groomer” smell. The conditioner is a bit pricier, but does dilute out as well. If you find it on sale, you can get good buys and that is when I stock up. Otherwise its in the $70 or more a gallon range.

I have never had a dog have a reaction to either, and they come out clean, fluffy, and shiny. For coats that are longer and tend to tangle(shihtzu) I use Coat Handler as an “after rinse” and leave a bit in.

[weezerweeks]

I use Yorkie Splash and Herbal Defense organic Shampoo and conditioner.

[Sheltie_Pom]

I use the Hartz brand from Walmart just because I have 4 dogs and the rest of my family uses it as well (While I pay for it all) so I can’t really afford more expensive stuff.

Although I have noticed it doesn’t work very well on my Pomeranian. So I’ll probably have to invest in something better for him. They had Oatmeal Naturals at Walmart and it seems okay. I would prefer something I didn’t have to order online (and isn’t to expensive). I’ll be going to Pet Smart next Saturday so I’ll see what they have.

I’ll be curious to see what responses you get.

Does anyone have opinions on I Love Pet Head, Hartz, Oster Oatmeal Naturals, Pro Sense, Pro-Pet and Bio Guard. I was thinking about using my Mane N tail Shampoo and Conditioner that I use for myself and my horses. I have no ideal how it would work.

[InkedMarie]

I personally wouldn’t use anything from Hartz. https://www.google.com/#q=Dangers+of+Hartz+pet+products

pick links from there to read.

[theBCnut]

I also use horse shampoo on my dogs. I’ve got that concentrated paste shampoo called Orvis. I mix a handful of it into a gallon of water and shampoo just about every animal on the property.

[Shasta220]

I am not a fan of most Walmart shampoos and I avoid Hartz as well. I know other shampoos are a bit spendier, but dogs only need baths every 3-8wks, and even my big dogs only need a couple tablespoons or so to do the job, so it’s not adding much extra to the monthly splurge.

I’ve used a horse shampoo once on my dogs (that Mane n Tail. Bought it for myself. Hated it. So now it’s getting used up on the dogs, cow, and pony). I’ve never thought of using essential oil human shampoos – I believe we have that brand even! I’ll look into that for sure!

You guys are so evil lol! Look at all these shampoos I’m gonna have to try! I think my dogs will be dead before I get a chance to try em all, and they sound so great XD

So, what is it about most human shampoos that’s “bad” for dogs? I’ve read all over to avoid them. Is it just because the cheaper ones with sulfates are too harsh on the skin, but sulfate-free ones would be okay?

Ah yes, climate is a huge clencher. We are on the humid Oregon coast. The average year-round is 58* with an overcast. Gets a bit wetter during spring/fall, really gross during winter, and maybe a bit warmer in summer with a chance of seeing that sun!

[Naturella]

I use Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap – Almond on all of us – myself, the man, and the dog, lol. For Bruno, I dilute it 1:1 with water and wash him. It has many essential oils in it and is supposed to wash without stripping. It also gives a nice, lasting, natural-almond-ish smell to his coat. For conditioning, I brought an oil-based solution of vitamins A, D, and E, and I just mix that with some slightly warmed and melted coconut oil, smear it on my hands and then rub Bruno’s still slightly damp coat until my hands are dry and his coat doesn’t feel like it leaves a greasy film when petted. I usually give him a bully stick or something of the sort to chew on while doing this, otherwise he tries to run away and just roll on the couch/bed.

[theBCnut]

The skin pH on a human is close to the pH of a horse’s skin, so they can trade shampoos without issue. Dogs have a different pH, so human or horse shampoos may cause a problem in sensitive dogs. However, that’s pretty rare and I rinse with a cup of vinegar in a gallon of water anyway. I’ve never had a problem with using vinegar and water on my own hair either, which is not the proper human pH.

[Sheltie_Pom]

OMG! I never knew Hartz did that I am NEVER buying it again unless I absolutely have to.

[Shasta220]

I remembered that about the pH balance. Humans, horses, and cows can intermingle. None of my dogs seem to be too sensitive, so I’m not terribly worried. Aleksandra, I’ll look into that one as well.

I’ve been on a random shampoo spree the past few months. I have 3-4 shampoo/conditioner sets myself as I’m trying to find something that works super well (my hair is quite irritating to say the least!), and I have at least 4-5 jugs of dog shampoo… I need to avoid the shampoo section until I’m down to 1-2 bottles lol!

[Shasta220]

Geez, I knew Hartz was bad….but wow. Why the heck haven’t they been shut down if there are so many deadly cases?!?!?

[InkedMarie]

I know Shasta, no idea why. I can’t imagine anyone anything they make after looking at that link. Theres no reason to. Everyone has a grocery store, department store, pet store or feed store somewhere within driving distance for something not Hartz made.

[Shasta220]

I think the reason is because they can also go to they can easily get to a store for something that /is/ made by Hartz. Spreading the word via internet doesn’t seem to help, as (sorry for being rude) people are idiots. They can’t decipher truth from lies – they see a story that’s obviously fake, and believe it. They see one that is just as obviously real, and they disbelieve it.

Sorry for random vent: but they once laughed and disbelieved a picture that I posted of Shasta and me when he was a puppy. It was because he did something called changing colors and growing up – pretty common with a /lot/ of dogs/breeds. I even added a pic of him and me at 6mo (in the transition period) and they still laughed and cussed me out for having a different dog. Smh.

Ah, here’s that pic: believe it or not, he’s got little-to-no GSD in him. That coloration comes from his hound, he was the only black/tan pup in the litter (others were tricolor, gray, or black)

[theBCnut]

That is an extremely common sable color change, extremely common.

When I was working we used to have cats, Yorkies, and Maltese come in poisoned from using Hartz products. Some animals are extremely sensitive to toxicity and the only way to find out if your dog is one of them is to take the risk by exposing them to something toxic, like some of the Hartz products.

[Amy R]

I recently tried Stinky Dog by Bobbi Panter and I really liked it. It rinses out easily and the drying time on my Shih Tzu was 1/2 of what it usually is.

[Shasta220]

Thank you, Patty! I didn’t know it was called sable, but I knew it was a very common thing. Although since Shasta was my first dog other than a solid black one, and I had no clue on that change, so I was a bit surprised; but after we got Shasta, I saw dog after dog that went through the same color change.

[theBCnut]

In certain breeds, sable is the dominant color, GSDs being one of them, bloodhounds another. If you stroke the hair the wrong way, you can see bars of tan and/or gray on black tipped fur. Often they still have patches at the shoulders that are solid black, sometimes in a couple other places too, but the majority of the black is not usually solid black.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by theBCnut.

[Shasta220]

Yep. That’s Shasta. A very small amount of his black is truly black. All of the black hairs have either tan tips, or a steel-gray undercoat.
Here’s w better recent pic: I know, it’s hard to believe, but he’s got little to no GSD in him. Evvvvryone looks at his color and automatically says “Look at that GSD!” But his personality doesn’t resemble one at all, and he was the only pup in the litter to be black/tan, so color doesn’t say too much when it comes to mutts. His dad was a lab/wolf, and his mom’s line was mutts (I knew his grandma, and even she was an absolute mix lol)

(And there’s Cassy in the background, being a blob LOL!)

[theBCnut]

It’s still the dominant color, no matter how thin the blood, I guess. He does look like a GSD mix, not lab/wolf at all. Maybe there were 2 dads in that litter.

[Shasta220]

Only one dad. It was the only loose unaltered male that hung around the owner’s property. Neither his mom or grandma (or aunt or litter mates) resembled GSD at all. I used to think he was one, but he really looks much different in real life, and he has zero GS personality whatsoever.

His personality is quite unique, for sure. I know dogs don’t have many emotions, but he is the most emotional guy ever. He gets offended if you don’t pet him enough, and he always makes a ham out of himself by nuzzling up to you, leaning on your leg, then collapsing on his back, completely limp. He was able to reach 35-38mph in his prime. Running was definitely his favorite, he could have done it all day. But he was able to go from cuddly couch potato to lure-coursing crazy mutt and back to lazy in just a few moments.

He loves to please me and learn new tricks (he learned “circle” in 5m, and knows tons more), but as soon as that leash comes off and I say “okay!”, he is off, sniffing around, doing his own thing. He completely forgets what “come” means until he’s sure every pebble has been sniffed.

His prey drive is insane. If he sees an animal run by, he speeds after it, screaming and bailing the whole way. He’s never caught one yet, but I have no doubt he’d tear it to shreds…

He has crazy long legs, too. He’s only 45lb (and pretty solid), but he is taller than 90lb Otto was (pics if Otto are in my One Year Since post. You can see Otto was no stubby n short guy at all….he could have gained 5lb and stayed healthy). His paws match as well….they were about the size of Ottos paws, and roughly twice as big as 43lb Loki’s paws.

• This reply was modified 10 years, 7 months ago by Shasta220.

[Shasta220]

*autocorrect: Baying, not bailing.

[Author]

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