# How often do you groom your dog? A mini-poll



## OutWest

How often do you groom your dog? I thought I'd ask people here. I'm talking about homebodies, not show dogs. So I thought I'd ask the following: How often do you?:

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? 
Brush your dog all over?
Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? 
Trim the toenails? 
Brush the teeth?

I brush Tucker as often as I can. He generally likes it a lot, especially if treats are involved. But I'm wondering if I should make it a point to do it every day, every other day? what??? Anyway, just curious. I'm sure others would be interested too. THANKS!

:--heart:


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## Jamm

I try to brush Joey every day.. if not its every other or every two days. I also try to bath him once a month. He isn't allowed on the upstairs level of my home so I have to take him to the groomer every time for his bath! he just gets a bath and a blow dry and his paw fuzz trimmed and nails. Sometimes he goes longer and shorter between baths.


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## quilter

Bath once a month.
Brush all over every other day. (It puts him to sleep.)
Teeth not so far. Ok, ok, I know I should.
I trim a few toe nails every weekend. I don't do them all at once.


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## aerolor

Answers to poll. 

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? - _as and when needed, but Bonnie gets wet and muddy nearly every day, so she goes under the hosepipe to clean off. I only bathe with shampoo about 1x six monthly._
Brush your dog all over? _- approximately every two days. I use an undercoat rake usually_
Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? - _approximately every two days. _
Trim the toenails? - _never needed to - she wears them down naturally_
Brush the teeth? - _I rub Bonnie's teeth with a cloth or a finger brush as a treat when she is relaxing, probably I do them twice a week - she loves it._
Just to add, I never take my dogs to a groomer and I also trim up the hocks, ears and other bits when they look untidy.


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## Megora

*Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?*

Every 3 weeks. 

*Brush your dog all over?*

Every week? Every couple days? Whenever I think he needs it? It's one of those things that if he's drooled on his mane, it dries up and looks kinda tangly and gross? So I brush that all out. Or if he goes outside and gets burrs in his coat. So forth. 

And when I brush him, I usually do brush him all over. Heheh. My system is mane, ears, feathering behind front legs, belly fur (brushed along the rib cage from back to front and then brushed down from back bone downwards), back just really quickly, the ruff around his neck brushed down towards his shoulder point, trousers very quickly, and then just tidying the tail. 

Whole thing takes less than two minutes. 

*Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?*

Nope. I always do the whole thing. As I said, it doesn't take that long and he's used to being groomed so it's very quick and easy.

*Trim the toenails?*

Uhhh.... every couple months? Not often. Our dogs are a bit like my birds when it comes to this. Some of my birds need trimming a lot more often (my yellow budgie needs his beak trimmed every few weeks). Some are only trimmed when it looks like they need it. 

Jacks really keeps his nails short. Plus, he's a digger (even if he's on tile or concrete, he digs a bed) so that wears his nails down. 

Arthur needs his nails trimmed every couple weeks. They are thin and grow way too fast. :uhoh:

*Brush the teeth?*

Whenever he needs his teeth brushed. This generally isn't often because he's healthy + chews bones and gets his mouth on a lot of toys throughout the day. His teeth are usually shiny white. 

Our collie has chronic digestive issues, and this has had it's toll on his gums and teeth. So he gets his teeth brushed every night. 

*Clipping*

I added this one, because it's part of grooming.... 

We do this every month or so. 

A session usually involves:

1. cleaning up the fluff on his ears and under/around them and trimming around his actual ear. I only use thinning scissors. I try to keep this cleaned out to prevent ear infections. So far :crossfing he's gone 2 years since the last ear infection, so it seems to be working. 

2. cleaning up his whiskers. I don't remove them! But I do clip them back if they are bent or broken. The broken whiskers happen because sometimes he rubs his face like a bear - using his front paws to wipe his face. And this usually happens when he's eaten and goes off to have his "I feel good" roll on the floor. :bowl:

3. trimming up his toe fur. I use regular scissors for this. It's usually a quick trim around the paw and then clip upwards using his knuckles as a guide. 

4. cleaning up his hocks. The fur that grows there is the same fluff that would grow on his ears if I let it. It would get matted if left be. I use thinning scissors here. The regular scissors would be too blunt a cut. I don't want him to look like he was trimmed back there.

5. tidying his tail. I trim it to his hock and then try to trim it so it looks natural. I don't want it to look like a blunt chop at the end and it shouldn't be a sharp cut either. 

^^^^ This happens every month, and usually takes me about 10-20 minutes.


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## Sally's Mom

I do toenails weekly... if I am trying to shorten them up, it is twice weekly...


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## Rainheart

Bathe- About once a month unless he needs it sooner
Brush all over- Once a week or so (though it depends on how much he is shedding)
Nails- Once every 2 weeks
Teeth- Try to do once a week
Clip- I've only clipped him up once. I guess whenever the fur behind his ears gets to be too much.


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## Bentley's Mom

*Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?* _Once a week-Saturday morning_

*Brush your dog all over?* _Every other day_

*Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?* _Every other day_

*Trim the toenails?* _As needed which isn't very often_

*Brush the teeth?* _Twice per week usually_


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## Deber

*Bathe your dog*: 1 X month & hose off as needed

*Brush*: Every night I go from head to foot. They love it and calms them for beddie-bye.

*Toenails*: Every other week, trim & dremmel (not all nails at once - takes a few days to get them all)

*Teeth*: Not good at this, but they get bones to chew and I check them regularly. So far no problems


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## Otter

I do pretty much the same as Megora describes.
Barkley is getting a bath/drying/grooming this weekend. But don't tell him...


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## Evie

* Bath every three weeks or so. 
* All over brush every day -- she loves it
* Toenails every week -- she lies back for the dremel like a movie star getting a pedicure. I trim the feet up then, too, w/regular scissors
* Brush teeth -- not often enough. Thanks for the reminder!
* Clip -- every couple of weeks


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## CarolinaCasey

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? 
*Once a week. We're getting ready to show and clean coat grows. *
Brush your dog all over? 
*I try to do it everyday... sometimes it happens, sometimes it doesn't. I mist him with a spray bottle with a few drops of conditioner mixed with water and then brush. *
Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? 
*I brush all over, forward and backward. *
Trim the toenails? 
*I'd love to say I do it weekly but not unless we have a show coming up. Usually it is about every 2 weeks. *
Brush the teeth? 
*I have a hard time remembering to do this. They do get raw marrow bones which I hope help a little bit. *


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## Megora

_*Once a week. We're getting ready to show and clean coat grows. *_

It also blows. 

In summer Jacks gets a bath every week or even more often because he's going swimming at the lake. I LOVE the way a clean coat feels and looks (he absolutely glows), but ohg he also leaves a bit of himself behind wherever he's been.


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## Dexter12

*Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?*
Once a week on either Saturday or Sunday afternoon, or a rinse in the tub if he's just dirty. 

*Brush your dog all over? Brush a certain part of the body?*
I try to do a complete brush every other day or every two days. If I see that there's a particular part that needs an extra brush I'll just do it. 
*
Trim the toenails?*
I'd say every other week it needs to be done along with trimming the hair around his paws, and we do it ourselves.

*Brush his teeth?*
We haven't come to that since he doesn't even have his adult teeth yet, but we give him lots of things to chew to clean his puppy teeth.


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## Jige

BaWaaJige has not had a shampoo bath since oct. I dont think he needs one either he isnt dirty and doesnt smell. I brush everyday mainly because I have so darn many thistle around my place he gets them in his coat. I have never trimmed his toe nails they dont need he runs on a gravel road everyday. We dont have snow this year so the road is almost competely clean. His toe nails dont touch the floor so I am not trimming them. 

I did buy some dry shampoo tho to use on him. I figured I would bathe( shampoo and water) him a few days before our first nursing home visit sometime in March. Then I could just use the dry shampoo before the next visit. As it will still be cold here.


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## Vanfull

I do bath, brush, nails once a week. If they dont need the nails I still "pretend" to do them and tap the clippers on them just so it is routine. 

I brush teeth almost every single day.


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## msdogs1976

*Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?*

Only when he needs it. Just bathed him as he rolled on top of a dead fish on our last hike. On average.......maybe every 3 months.

*Brush your dog all over?*

A couple of times a week.
*Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?*

Same as above.
*Trim the toenails?*

Not much as we walk daily on sidewalks and the concrete grinds them down. might have to trim the dew claw every now and then.

*Brush the teeth?*

Don't. I give him chewy treats/toys that helps clean. His teeth are still white as can be.


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## Cathy's Gunner

Gunner gets groomed usually every two to three months. I spray his legs and under belly after walks in the dirty, salty, weather or after summers walks if he walks through a lot of fertilizer. I bathe him after swimming in the summer or if he gets into mud.

Gunner gets brushed or combed maybe once a week.

Gunner gets his teeth brushed every night. He runs into the bathroom when I turn on the water and sits and waits for me to brush them. His teeth are beautiful and he loves getting them brushed.

His groomer touches up his toe nails but because of our walks on cement they don't grow very long.


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## OutWest

This is great info. Hope others will join in. And, I should probably answer my own questions! 

Bathe your dog: erratically--usually when he starts smelling "doggy", at most 1x a month

Brush all over: once a week maybe

Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.): I will often just brush both dogs' ears, or their backs, a couple times a week. My spaniel's ears are long and silky and get food caked in them. Very hard to keep clean. When I'm combing them out, I'll often just keep going and brush part of Tucker too, even if I don't do him all over. 

Toenails: I'm really bad about this. I used to be scared to clip them, like a lot of people. Tess's nails are black and it's hard to see the quick. Always afraid I'll hurt her.  I bought a dremel-like nail trimmer but haven't used that yet either. Tucker's nails are getting long. He runs every day, but mostly on astro-turf which does nothing for wearing them down. 

Teeth: I'm really bad about this, too. Want to get marrow bones on a regular basis but can't find a butcher who'll provide them. Guess I'd better keep looking. Did get dog toothpaste but haven't used the brush yet.


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## BriGuy

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? 
Whenever she is muddy - at least once a week in the summer. In the summer, I use a small kiddie pool outside, but in the winter I put her in the tub.

Brush your dog all over? 
Every night. Cookie loves it and it is our pre-bedtime routine.


Trim the toenails? 
Almost every night I hit a couple with the dremel. 

Brush the teeth?
Several times a week. Cookie seems to like having her teeth brushed.


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## Ranger

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? 

In the summer, he gets bathed once a week. I rotate between earthbath shampoos, absorbine medicated (if he's in the woods and gets itchy) and 1 out of 3 baths he gets conditioner, too. 

In the winter, he gets brushed and sprayed with a 'dry groom' bath in a bottle product once a week or so. 

Brush your dog all over?

If not every day, then at least once every two days. I usually do 'quick' grooms during the week and then a long 45 min. brushing session. Ranger looooves getting brushed. It's his favourite activity ever. He won't even chase squirrels if I'm brushing him. It's hard to say 'no' and NOT brush him.

Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? 

I might brush his tail feathers if they're looking ratty and stringy (happens more often in the winter) but usually his quick grooming gets everything. 

Trim the toenails? 

At least once a week, usually twice. 

Brush the teeth?

Never! He gets marrow bones, nylabones, antlers and eats edible bones every day. The vet said his teeth look better than most 9 month old dogs he sees! (Ranger is 4 this year)


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## Wyatt's mommy

Wow I am just amazed at how often some of you trim the toenails.....once a week? Wyatt is 21 months and the only trimming he needed was his razor nails when he was a puppy and that was it. 
He gets a bath when he needs it.....summer time about every 3 weeks as he swims alot. Winter time maybe every month or 2. We are lucky with this one he is not a smelly dog at all. He gets burshed about once a week. 
Now my Cody looked like the lion king. He was bathed and trimmed at the groomer every 2 weeks. Had to stay on top of him because of his thick coat as it would not dry out easily after swimming and he would smell like a wet towel.


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## Muddypaws

I try to do a light brushing everyday, Darby especially mats otherwise.



OutWest said:


> How often do you?:
> 
> Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?
> Monthly​
> Brush your dog all over?
> Daily brushing if possible
> Weekly - Undercoat rake and a good combing
> Trimming up fur as needed​
> Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?
> See above​
> Trim the toenails?
> I use a dremel - weekly​
> Brush the teeth?
> Just started a routine
> Brushing 2x week
> Oral Gel 3x week​
> 
> 
> :--heart:


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## Merlins mom

*

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? At least once a month
Brush your dog all over? Twice a week
Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? same as above
Trim the toenails? Couple of times a month
Brush the teeth? Whenever I remember to. Maybe 1-2 times a month. Should be more!


*


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## Ranger

Ranger's nails grow really quickly, especially in the winter when the sidewalks are covered in snow. The snow stops the sidewalks from filing down his nails on our walks so I need to trim more often. I also try to keep them short enough that he doesn't click on the hardwood floor. Right now, his side nails on all 4 paws are short enough. His middle claws need trimming constantly to keep the quick receding.

If I go a week without clipping them, he gets scary raptor nails and I'm clipping off 1-4 mm of hollow nail at the tips! I just do millimetres at a time. Not big chunks. My brother's dog goes to the groomer to get them done once a month and that works for them. His nails don't grow as fast and he's not as good at getting them done. Ranger sleeps or licks peanut butter when he gets his nails done so he loooves it.


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## Lucky Penny

*

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?
Once a month is my goal, but it is always a couple times a month because my dogs go on a lot of walks and need them! 


Brush your dog all over?
About twice a week.

Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?
I brush everything.

Trim the toenails?
I trim toenails when they look like they need it. I also clean ears and trim the paws, ears and other hair here and there. I make sure to check all of these weekly. 
Brush the teeth?
My dogs brush their teeth every night. In fact they like the tooth paste and are used to the routine, that they will not go to bed with out doing so. 
*


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## MikaTallulah

I bath mine as needed. I brush them every day. I have yet to need to trim any part on Buddy other than nails. I trim the yorkies as needed. I brush teeth at least every few days and as needed.


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## Muddypaws

Wyatt's mommy said:


> Wow I am just amazed at how often some of you trim the toenails.....once a week?


I should clarify I am not really taking that much off, I dremel once a week to keep the dogs comfortable with the dremel. It's become a quick and easy routine now.


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## OutWest

Thanks a lot everybody. I'm not as bad as I thought, but could definitely step up my game on the grooming.It should be easy--Tucker really likes it; Tess not so much.


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## GoldenWoman

OutWest said:


> How often do you groom your dog? I thought I'd ask people here. I'm talking about homebodies, not show dogs. So I thought I'd ask the following: How often do you?:
> 
> Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?
> Brush your dog all over?
> Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?
> Trim the toenails?
> Brush the teeth?
> I brush Tucker as often as I can. He generally likes it a lot, especially if treats are involved. But I'm wondering if I should make it a point to do it every day, every other day? what??? Anyway, just curious. I'm sure others would be interested too. THANKS!
> 
> :--heart:


I brush our dogs every day. It bring out their natural oils and is stimulating for the skin. As far as bathing, I only bathe when they e rolled in something awful. Otherwise it can be drying to their coats in the winter months. Every other month is probably fine. 😊


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## Maggie'sVoice

I give a bath every 1-2 weeks. I use a soap and detergent free shampoo so you dont need to worry about drying them out causing dry skin or coat issues.

Nails, I tip them every 7-10 days and also trim the hair on the paws each time I trim nails. I generally do nail right after a bath since the nails are soft, they wont ever crack/split just after a bath. I also clean ears after a bath (most important time to avoid ear infections)

Brushing, most every day. I would say 5 or 6 days a week. It takes 5 min to brush them out.

trimming, (ears, neck/chest, tail, flags and pants) overall just when needed, about every 4-6 weeks. I use thinning shears on everything but the tail and back edge of the ears where I use straight scissors.


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## JulesAK

I pretty much do the same as Eric. I don't notice any skin issues with bathing every couple weeks. I also brush teeth at least 4 to 5 nights a week.
Jules


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## Blu1004

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? *Once a month*
Brush your dog all over? *Daily*
Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? *Daily*
Trim the toenails?* Biweekly*
Brush the teeth? *Morning and Evening*


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## Mary Elizabeth

Bathe your dog using shampoo or other? As needed approx 2x/year

Brush your dog all over? Never

Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)? 2x/week (behind ears)

Trim the toenails? As needed

Brush the teeth? Never


One thing that is different about my dog is that she hardly sheds. Her coat stays clean and mat-free with just her self grooming and occasional swimming. I’m not sure what makes her do low maintenance!


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## GoldenWoman

OutWest said:


> How often do you groom your dog? I thought I'd ask people here. I'm talking about homebodies, not show dogs. So I thought I'd ask the following: How often do you?:
> 
> Bathe your dog using shampoo or other?
> Brush your dog all over?
> Brush a certain part of the body only (ears, tails, etc.)?
> Trim the toenails?
> Brush the teeth?
> 
> I brush Tucker as often as I can. He generally likes it a lot, especially if treats are involved. But I'm wondering if I should make it a point to do it every day, every other day? what??? Anyway, just curious. I'm sure others would be interested too. THANKS!
> 
> :--heart:


I bathe my two Golden’s in the summer every 2-3 months. I use shampoo minimally. They do also swim in a Lake every 2 weeks. In the winter I might bathe them once as the oils in their coats help protect them in the cold. I brush and comb them every day to keep them tangle free and ensure there aren’t any critters trying to make a home in their fur. Plus, they LOVE being groomed! 😊 I check their ears once a week and clean my male’s ears once a week as my he gets yeasty. I haven’t brushed their teeth but they chew so much wood it’s like a natural dental floss so they have no plaque or tartar.
And I trim their nails as needed. Vet visits are annual unless something happens out of the ordinary. Fortunately that doesn’t happen (yet).🤞🏻


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## Megora

Megora said:


> _*Once a week. We're getting ready to show and clean coat grows. *_
> 
> It also blows.
> 
> In summer Jacks gets a bath every week or even more often because he's going swimming at the lake. I LOVE the way a clean coat feels and looks (he absolutely glows), but ohg he also leaves a bit of himself behind wherever he's been.


I normally CRINGE whenever a very old thread comes up because I hate to see some nonsense I wrote years ago.... but generally, my take is still the same except for toenails. My guys get their nails trimmed every 2-3 weeks. 

And the above is still the same. I love how much the dogs GLOW when they are clean. 

Other people who do not bathe their dogs very often, you can feel the grease in their dogs coats. >.< And usually they don't know the difference themselves.


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