My dog smelled terrible today, so I took him to the river and tossed him a stick?

Question

Its really cold here and the wind his blowing, but this dog loves water. He is a brown lab. I just had a brainstorm. What do you think of me taking him to the river, tossing him a stick in the water and when he comes back out of the water, suds him up with dog shampoo then toss the stick back into the water so he will jump back in for a rinse?
The dog goes in the water anyways. He is not afraid of the cold. Right now he is lying on the floor beside me. in front ot the fire in my utility room. Do you think this idea of a bath would work? He still stinks.

Answer 1

To really give a proper bath for a lab, you need tepid or warm water. To remove the shampoo properly you need to very thoroughly rinse every part of the dog. Be warned the cold water will only wet the dog and he will smell, until he dries, worse than before you started. Failure to remove all of the shampoo will result in a residue forming, similar to dander and may cause skin irritation.
If it is too inconvenient to bathe the dog properly at home, call your local groomer who will not only bath him but make certain that all of the loose hairs are removed, trim his nails and clean his ears and make sure that he mostly dry and stink free before you pick him up.

Answer 2

No. That is a terrible idea. First of all, cold water doesn't get anything clean. Second of all, the shampoo will not all rinse away. If he swims in the river, that's why he smells in the first place.

Either give your dog a proper bath with dog shampoo and WARM water, or take your dog to a professional groomer and have them do it. Also if your dog wears a collar, wash his collar. A lot of the river stench seems to stick to collars so if you ahve a clean dog, there's no point putting a dirty smelly collar back on him.

Answer 3

Hmmm.. If you have a fire going, it's pretty cold where you are.. I wouldn't let him go swimming in water that cold.. I would think your sudsy idea would work, as long as you checked him to make sure that all the soap had come out of his coat..

I Have a better idea tho.. Why don't YOU go into the water with him and you can bath him there and make sure that the soap is out, then at the same time you can test the water to see if it is too cold or not.. If you have a hard time getting ashore, you might want to reconsider allowing your dog in the cold water... :)

Answer 4

Do you have a bath tub in your trailer? Tomorrow, when you first wake up at around noon - try giving him a real bath in a bath tub. You had the right idea using shampoo but river water will only make your dog stink more! Good Luck!

Answer 5

Jeez..thats an odd way to give your dog a shower. I think it's bad to do that because you dont know what was put in that river. It can be full of germs, and all this nasty things that can definately make ur smell even worse. And rivers do have that mudd in it and that can get all over the dogs coat.Well if the dog is still stinking..i suggest bathing him regularly with soap in ur tub. its simply the best way....or you can take him to a groomer to get a proffesional bath.

Answer 6

hmmm, good try. Rivers are not the cleanest of places for your dog to be jumping into. There is frequently chemical runoff, motor oil, fecal matter from both land-dwelling and aquatic life, a whole host of bacteria, worms, flukes, and other parasites in the water. Not to mention the dangers of discarded fishing lures, strong undercurrents, brambles, and hypothermia (which dogs can suffer).

The type of shampoo you use is most likely dangerous for wildlife and will be considered illegal dumping if you're caught.

Please be considerate of your environment, wildlife, and your own dog's physical health. Give him a proper bath with luke warm water in a tub or kiddie pool.

-RVT
(Registered Veterinary Technician)

Answer 7

A bath would but not in a river you don't know what might be in there. Also people swim in river the last thing they want is dog suds all over them. Bath him in the grass with a garden hose. Or perhaps a kiddie pool do the same thing with the kiddie ppol.

Answer 8

I'm sure your local environmental group would just love this idea. No, it's not a good idea. Part of pet ownership is responsibility. Give the dog a bath.

Answer 9

Don't be so lazy - give him a bath! Throwing a stick in the water will not get him clean, on the contrary, with the polluted waters we have today, he will just get dirtier and stinkier.

Answer 10

why not give him a nice warm bath in the the tub?