This is silly but are there instructions anywhere on how to wash a gsd, lol? I usually do this in the yard when it's warm with the hose and a little mild dog shampoo... I avoid the head, wash the body, and wash the legs as far down as they're fuzzy. I guess I'm looking more for what is done if a pro groomer does it vs. the at home clean-up.

Thanks

Wash a GSD????? People do that???

When I wash GSD pups the place I take them to has a 3ft tall wash table with straps to strap the dogs to the ceiling.

Start at the butt, water, soap, rinse, then the back, then the left side, then the right side, rinse, then the neck, then the chest, etc. Work your way up and do section by section. To dry them they have a dog hair dryer. It takes a while to dry the dogs, but if you take your time and do it right it blows all the loose hair right out of their coat better than brushing would ever do.

My adults just get brushed, maybe bathe once a year if they really need it, but they don't really as they are house dogs. Kennel dogs sometimes get that "kennel dog smell" if the kennels are stinky.

I moved into a house where the old home-owner let his 4 dogs live in the backyard 24-7. There was only mud and weeds!! It's getting better, but last summer during all that rain no matter when I let them out or where I walked them we all came back a mess. That was the only time I just couldn't take it and christened the bath-tub. Yuck!!!

The other three or four times I've done it they just got hosed off in the yard with some soap in the really bad spots, lol.

Gently brush out the dog. Dirty hair breaks easier, but you don’t want to set in the mats by wetting them down. You will never get all of the shampoo out of them anyway. And you don’t want to be washing all of that dead hair you are trying to get out anyway.

I always started at the head, right behind the ears, and worked my way back. If the dog has fleas, the fleas will try to get away from the soap and will converge on the head and face if you start at the back. Starting at the head sends them to the back where you are gonna wash anyway. Really only a big deal if you have a flea infested dog. I would wash the face last and rinse there first. Mixing shampoo with water and putting it in a squirt bottle (one with a pull top) makes the process much quicker than the thick gel-like stuff that gets gooped up in the hair.

Rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse, rinse . VERY important! What you leave behind can cause itchy irritation and even worse if it has chemicals in it. Start at the face/head and work your way back.

Towel dry in the tub if you can to help with the shaky mess. It will also help you check the dog over to make sure you didn’t miss any soap.

Blow dry. If you have a hidden blonde, (see the mutt below) they can love it! Don’t get too close to the skin if the dryer has any heat to it. The doggy kind have a ton of force behind them and really blast the hair dry and remove most of the dead hair.

After the dog is completely dry, then brush again with a clean brush to get the dead hair that was loosened with the wash. You only want to cut a clean, dry dog (there are some exceptions) so if you will be doing any clipping or trimming, now is you chance.

I like to spray (very lightly) with a horse spray that has a fly repellent and shining agent in it. Makes the look even glossier and keeps the fleas at bay for a couple of days. We have lots of fleas in this area…

*** Groomed in high school and a little in college, so I am certainly not a pro! ***

that horse spray sounds good....wheres a good place to get it?

my dogs get washed in the tub, i have a detachable shower head. most of mine will actually hop in the tub when i say "tub" and point-and will be very nice. Capone tries to jump out, and requires me to *eherm* strip down *eherm* and hold him with my legs.

I just wet them down all over really well, shampoo line down the back, rub in. I squirt it in my hands and rub together to get the legs. Then i rinse, and do nails in the tub. Some of them get a oatmeal conditioner, so i do that, then another rinse(and another), then i "wring" them out-squeeze the excess water from the legs, pars and tail, then wring the fur out some, and towel dry. None of mine have long hair-so i just close the door to my bedroom, and let them run around like crazy and rub all over things(i throw some towles on the couch, they rub on that too), and let them air dry.

If it is really warm and sunny out-i will take them on a walk to let them sun-dry.

BUt i really only bathe(the dogs) like once every 3 months. if that. Mostly, they go swimming, then they rub on the grass to dry off. So we do hiking, then a swim, then hike some more not close to mud to let them dry.

If they roll in poop, they go in the creek, if they run in the mud, they go in the creek.....

they have to be real bad(smelly, dingy, etc) for me to give a bath.

Collin, you can get it at just about any tack store and farm supply store. And a ton of places on-line as well. Some have just a glossing agent ( Show Sheen and Vetrolin are some that come to mind) and others have just a fly spray ( Bug Block is long lasting and SuperShield Green is all natural) and some mix the two ( Ultrashield has worked well for me).

The shiny types have a sunscreen in them also. Just keep in mind that less is more.

There are many ways to keep fleas off dogs, and some are beter (or safer) and this is just what I do. I like to spray them down before we go on a hike or trail ride, or are going to be around unknown dogs.

I like the fly repellant idea.

I'm with Mallory, if my dogs get dirty instead of the creek they go into the lake and the way my GSD dives into the lake (several times if I start skipping stones), she comes out squeaky clean. She loves to swim.

If there is absolutely no alternative but to give them a bath, I pour the shampoo on a washcloth, lather it up and then use the washcloth to distribute the shampoo all over the dog (much easier that pouring it right from the bottle onto the dog). Rinse throughly, towel briskly and here is where the "zoomies" take over until they are dry.

I work for 3M so I use the 3M brand dog shampoo (excellent) and also use the 3M Towel Wipes for dogs (also good for a quick cleaning and they smell good afterwards).