I heard the same thing! Jewel gets a bath once a month or so & that seems to be enough for her. She doesn't smell bad after a month, but I just like to make sure she's clean. When her "bangs" start looking a little clumpy, it's bath or grooming time.

JM :aimeeyork

I would suggest a bath every week to week and one half. When I cannot bathe the doggie smell out, they go to the groomer, which is usually once a month or every 6 weeks. Twice a week is too much, in my opinion. I use baby shampoo on their faces only, the CC products are good, sometimes I use Pantene and the CC conditioner. I brush mine every day, with Ice on Ice, brush their teeth and put their topnot in. If you start young and keep the routine up, they usually get used to getting groomed, although I guess some might not. My two do not jump with joy at bath time, but once we get going, I talk softly and encourage them, stay real close and give them a hug. By the time it's over, they are wet and I am too. I blow dry on low, which can take some time but the loud noise of the dryer on high is what causes mine to dislike the experience. Then, it's fun and games because they feel so much better and they get a treat for being good. I use my kitchen sink, it's higher so my back doesn't hurt.

Bentley hates his baths right now but we do it every week to week and a half, the hairdryer is also an experience but I believe that w/ patience and time he'll get better w/ it.
As for the toenails, I just had my vet show me how and she explained it pretty well...
Look at the nail from the side and you'll be able to see a slight bump on the bottom, that is the quick...then look at it straight on and you'll notice it is kind of half-moon shaped. Snip a tiny bit at a time until you get used to it. As you clip you will notice the nail starting to get more round when looking straight on. Youll want to stop right when it rounds out and you should see a tiny black dot in the center...that is right before you hit quick. Be sure to keep some kind of quick-stop handy just in case. I use a styptic filled q-tip, just break the tip and apply, it instantly stops the bleeding. This also comes in a powder or gel formula.
Hope this helps and good luck!!

Wow, there are just so many good ideas here! I just got my Yorkie pup, Lilly, a week ago and therefore have wanted to give her some time settling in before bathing her (she was washed just before I got her last Friday anyways). My poor girl has been through a lot in the last two weeks as she originally came from Germany, then lived in Delaware for a little over a week, and is now with us. While she is settling in really well and seems to be very happy, I just didn't want to add anymore stress right away. My oldest however, is my bathing buddy. He is a 1 year old Japanese Chin / Poodle mix named Gizmo. When we first got him, he was a tiny 3 pounds and I noticed that he was scared of taking baths, so one day I decided that after I did all of my own washing, I would just hold him in the shower and wash him that way. Well, he didn't mind that at all and so that is how I continued to bath him. Of course after being pampered like that, he decided that normal baths by himself were just out of the question and who am I to tell him no, right? So, now every 2 weeks or so after I take my shower, you will find me holding a 14 pound dog in the shower and washing him down. I simply point the shower head down quite a bit, so that it is only hitting at the front of the shower. Gizmo will stand at the back of the shower and let me lather him up, and then I just hold him under the water to rinse him real good. While I don't know the name off hand of the shampoo I use, it is the stuff that the groomers at Petsmart use. I took Gizzy there to get his hair cut one time (he goes every 3 months or so) and while I didn't like the haircut they gave him (and have never gone back because of it), I noticed that his hair was very soft and he smelled really good for almost a full week. Well, that sold me and I went quickly running back to get some for myself. It is a little pricey, but well worth it!

Kelsey doesnt mind getting a bathe and she loves to be brushed and she loves the blowdryer. She'll just stand there with her nose up to the air and let me groom her. She cracks me up. When she's done with that I clean her ears w/ Q-tips. I just gave her a bathe last night and she was so dirty and her hair was so knotty. I was suprised..i had to cut some of the knots off they were so bad.

Whats a good doggy conditioner? I have a detangling spray but I'd like a conditioner too. :confused:

I give Susie a bath once a week and a partial wash in between. She gets REALLY dirty when we go to my mom's and she plays with her sister. They run all over the yard, play in the flower beds and play fight and get slobber all over each other. Susan comes come with her hair stiff and the rest of her limp with fatique. She's a case. But if she didn't have Little Bit to play with she wouldn't get nearly as dirty. She wouldn't have nearly as much fun, either.

The very best I have tried is the After Bath Conditioner by Chris Christensen. It leaves my girls so soft, smell nice to boot. She's on the web, her products are not in the pet stores.

I do mine the same way only With Mickey I have to use a wash cloth with clean water to rinse him he wont let me spray any water around his face , so I have to soak the cloth and slowly wipe the soap out. Hes my little chicken lol.

If you happen to hit the quick and have no quuik stop on hand, flour works just as well. Sometimes on my birds, it works even better. Seems to adhere better!
Pat

I'm glad to know that my lil guys aren't the only babies that don't like to be bathed.

We live in the south and spend a lot of time outside, so Benji & Peewee will have to get bathed once a week. I use an oatmeal shampoo as well; though, thus far, I have only bathed them once. They also don't like to be brushed or blowdryed. I'm sure they will warm up to it eventually; I hope.

Tonia

I was using a baby scented puppy shampoo on the babies. I love them to smell like baby powder. I have started using my shampoo (Dove) with the pump button on top, easier to manage, and conditioner. I still use the 8 in 1 puppy tearless on the faces, cause I feel bad for them anyway. I also use the spray 'crazy pet, baby dog grooming spray' to dampen and brush inbetween baths. I have heard you should never brush them dry. Hope that helps some.

Piper doesn't seem to like his bath too much. I bathe him in the kitchen sink and he just stands there stiff as a board. I use a wet washcloth for his face and eyes. I have Royal Treatment tear-free green mint shampoo or vanilla scented. Each scent comes with leave-in conditioner. I also blow-dry him. He cuddles up against me while I do it...usually I'll just sit with him on the bathroom floor or sit him up on the vanity and he snuggles up against me on there. He LOVES the brushing part but not when he has a knot. As soon as he's done though he'll roll all over the place and mess his newly cleaned and brushed hair all up. And then my Boxer will slobber all over him so my baby doesn't stay looking or smelling good for very long. :(