# Conditioners and Shampoo



## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

Use a good quality shampoo with botanical ingredients, and dilute it, even if the package doesn't indicate doing so. It will rinse out better, and you can make a bottle go further doing this. A great deal of lathering is not necessary to clean the coat, and can in fact strip it. All the suds are a visual for us humans, and really not needed. Conditioner is not necessary unless the coat is damaged, and in fact, can overly soften it and diminish it's water repellency - which the Golden coat requires. Washing your dog every week is fine, and promotes coat growth and healthy skin.


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## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> Use a good quality shampoo with botanical ingredients, and dilute it, even if the package doesn't indicate doing so. It will rinse out better, and you can make a bottle go further doing this. A great deal of lathering is not necessary to clean the coat, and can in fact strip it. All the suds are a visual for us humans, and really not needed. Conditioner is not necessary unless the coat is damaged, and in fact, can overly soften it and diminish it's water repellency - which the Golden coat requires. Washing your dog every week is fine, and promotes coat growth and healthy skin.


Great advice. Do you put cotton balls into the ears when you bathe your dog?


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

h2o_polo_boi said:


> Great advice. Do you put cotton balls into the ears when you bathe your dog?


I do. Just remember to remove them when you are done I drove to Toledo for shows one weekend, and Tiller always rode in a top crate,. I'd "chat" with him, looking at him in the rear view mirror. On this trip, I couldn't figure out why he was ignoring me. He didn't respond, didn't smile, no thump thump of the tail. I'd left the cotton balls in his ears - he couldn't hear me.:doh:


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## h2o_polo_boi (Mar 21, 2008)

Pointgold said:


> I do. Just remember to remove them when you are done I drove to Toledo for shows one weekend, and Tiller always rode in a top crate,. I'd "chat" with him, looking at him in the rear view mirror. On this trip, I couldn't figure out why he was ignoring me. He didn't respond, didn't smile, no thump thump of the tail. I'd left the cotton balls in his ears - he couldn't hear me.:doh:


haha thats funny. so how do you go about cleaning the ears? Just wipe it down as you take out the cotton balls or do you use some type of otic cleanser. That's the only part i'm concerned about because I don't want Oscar to get any ear infections. He already had to go to the vet for coccidia lol


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## Pointgold (Jun 6, 2007)

h2o_polo_boi said:


> haha thats funny. so how do you go about cleaning the ears? Just wipe it down as you take out the cotton balls or do you use some type of otic cleanser. That's the only part i'm concerned about because I don't want Oscar to get any ear infections. He already had to go to the vet for coccidia lol


 
I clean the ears FIRST. Using dilute Listerine. Then I put clean, dry cotton balls in. This way when I bath the dog I get any of the stuff that may have been cleaned/shaken out of the ears and gotten on the coat. I do the dilute Listerine 1 or 2 times weekly, and never have ear infections. My dogs are bathed weekly, as well.


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