# Bathing after swimming?



## Piper_the_goldenpuppy (Aug 26, 2016)

Piper gets a quick bath after she goes swimming--but we don't have access to a pool, so she's swimming in ponds or the ocean and can get grimy because of that. I do clean her ears out every time she goes swimming. I use some ear wash that I got from the vet, and make sure I dry the area around the ears well with a towel. I have a microfiber towel that gets a lot of water off, so I dry her ears with that. After baths, I'll blow her dry (but I don't use it around her ears or face). 

If your lucky pup is swimming in a pool twice a day (I'm totally jealous), I might just rinse him down after each time and maybe shampoo once a week. But I'd probably clean ears more frequently than that--ear infections are a pain. You could ask your vet if they have a recommendation for something gentle enough for daily use if you're swimming every day.


----------



## puddles everywhere (May 13, 2016)

I used to rinse my guys off, chlorine is tough on their coats ... Everyone would line up for a quick squirt of OTC swimmers ear solution, kids included  ... no ear infections ever, kids or dogs. 
Of course backwashing the filter had to happen a little more often but it was worth it. Enjoy!


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

I've always taken my guys down the little beach at the end of my street to swim in the Inter Coastal Waterway which is salt water, several times during the week in the summer months. I normally just rinse my guys off afterwards, then once a month bathe them unless they found something dead to roll in while there.

Since you let your boy swim in your pool, how does it hold up to dog hair in the filter/drains? I've always wondered about that because I would love to have a pool.


----------



## Lambeau0609 (Aug 3, 2015)

I live in AZ where lambeau can swim in our pool almost year round. But more so now during the summer months he's in our pool constantly with the heat. I used to worry about the effect of chlorine on his skin but if I had to rinse him after ever swim it could be non stop all day for me. He gets brushed every morning where I check him close for any kind of rash or hot spot which he has never had and I chose to not rinse him every day. I give him a bath roughly every 6ish week with a good conditioner but nothing special. I also prefer to keep his hair cut shorter than most GR. And yes the filter needs cleaning very often which is a very easy task. The pool vacuum is a great tool.


----------



## sdain31y (Jul 5, 2010)

Thanks for the replies. I won’t worry so much when we don’t get a good shampoo on him each day. Carolina Mom, we’ve never noticed any major issues with the pool as a result of the dogs swimming in it. In fact, one of the major reasons we installed the pool was our last female had TPLO surgery and we thought it’d help with her recovery and ensure she’d have access to lower impact exercise. We’re in coastal GA and the summers are beastly hot so it’s a nice way for the dogs to cool off and get some exercise. We did add some indoor/outdoo4 rugs to the deck because crazy boy, Casey does zoomies on it when he’s wet. Worries me to death.


----------



## Prism Goldens (May 27, 2011)

CAROLINA MOM said:


> Since you let your boy swim in your pool, how does it hold up to dog hair in the filter/drains? I've always wondered about that because I would love to have a pool.


Three pools in to pool living, I've had two sand filters and one cartridge. By far the cartridge filter was easier to clean (hair just stays in sand, backwashing never leaves a layer of the hair I know is there) and I used to do that once a week in about 30 minutes start to finish.


----------



## CAROLINA MOM (May 12, 2009)

Prism Goldens said:


> Three pools in to pool living, I've had two sand filters and one cartridge. By far the cartridge filter was easier to clean (hair just stays in sand, backwashing never leaves a layer of the hair I know is there) and I used to do that once a week in about 30 minutes start to finish.


That doesn't sound too bad.......thanks!


----------

