FDL is dock diving on your wedding day – Issue 5

Best of FDL 10/19-10/25: bathing dogs, getting out burrs, best flooring, FDL wedding

Oct 26, 2020

Welcome to the Fine Dog Living weekly newsletter – curated content from the FDL Facebook group + a little editorial riffing by me, Lisa Murnan.

How often do you bathe your dogs?

Thuan T. asked the group “Just curious…how often do you bathe your dogs? Is it ok to do it weekly?”

Last I checked, the post (from 10/23) had 270 comments. 😲

There were two clear camps of FDLers – the people who loved sparkly soft clean dogs and bathed their dogs regularly (weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly), and the people who only bathed their dogs if they got skunked or rolled in dead stuff. 🦨

My household falls squarely into camp 2. We have a 6-year-old Malinois who has never had a bath. Our Goldens get a bath once or twice a year because they have lighter longer hair (but I hate doing it because I just use a regular bathtub with no sprayer and it kills my back).

Many groomers and conformation folks weighed in to say that bathing your dog frequently is okay as long as you use high-quality dog shampoo and conditioner to protect the dogs’ skin.

Some of the top comments and advice:

You don't want to use a shampoo like Hartz. When I was grooming professionally, I used The Coat Handler products on all dogs, pets and show alike. It's also economical as it dilutes 15:1 (15 parts water to 1 part shampoo or conditioner.)

Dogs shown in conformation are bathed before each show weekend and sometimes again during the weekend. You could literally bathe daily and it’s fine. HOWEVER, you must use a high-quality dog shampoo...a dog’s skin has a different ph than human skin. And I would suggest a shampoo aimed at show dogs. Many of them are concentrates and are very reasonably priced. I can recommend Nature’s Specialty shampoos. I especially like the Plum Silky one, as it has a wonderful, long-lasting scent. $19.99 for 16 oz. on Amazon, it dilutes 24:1. I’ve been using it for 15 years.

I think it's a matter of preference, and how the dog, its coat, and skin react. I personally bathe mine when they are smelly or visibly dirty. When my husky mix is blowing her coat, I bathe her weekly as the different parts of her coat loosen, lol. So, depending on the time of year and situations, they are bathed infrequently to "as needed". I'd probably do it more frequently if it were convenient, though!

I’m a dog groomer and find my dogs that have the healthiest skin and coat are bathed every 2-4 weeks. I have known dogs who were bathed weekly for full coated coat care purposes and their coat and skin were perfect. You do need to use a good conditioner if you are bathing often though.

If I had the time and energy I would fully bathe/blow out all of my BCs weekly or biweekly. I grew up around dog shows and later worked in a groom shop. I like clean dogs. Use good products and dilute your shampoo and your dog should be just fine with weekly baths. Right now I tend to wash my young dog every couple weeks (he gets stinky at herding and he likes to sleep on the bed) and my older dogs every month or two when they get stinky.

Does a dip in the pool count? 🤣

Only when they do something stupid.

Only when they roll in stuff or need to look ~fancy~

Every two weeks, both of my dogs are white and complete dirt balls

When it rains. They get wet. Bath done. 🤷

When they smell like fish or Fritos?

Wait, you guys bathe your dogs?

Top product suggestions:

Nature’s Specialty (Ann B. recommends the Plum Silky scent and I second that! It’s what I use on my Goldens)
Best Shot
Coat Handler Clarifying Shampoo and Leave-in Conditioner
Artero hydrating shampoo
Isle of Dogs
Chris Christensen

Cornstarch for the win

Rochelle M. asked “Does anyone have a good method for getting burrs out of long fur (golden)? My prevention method of Show Sheen failed me and my poor girl’s tail is FULL of them. 😢”

(You might remember in a previous FDL newsletter we raved about using Show Sheen before hiking…oops. Sorry, Rochelle.)

The surprising solution? Cornstarch!!! (and brushing). Slicker brushes were also recommended several times.

Top comments:

You have to do it outside because it is messy but cornstarch. Liberally apply, work in a bit & comb out it & the burrs….I've used it, successfully, to get mats out of my Beardie's chest. It adds "slip" to everything. I also like that it's not a chemical & won't dry the skin or coat.

Former groomer here - Slicker brush - wait till your dog dries then just brush brush brush! My oldest boy had hair like a horse and always found a way to get huge burs/little burs and cactuses all tangled and mangled in his hair! This was the only way I could “safely” get the burs out without ripping hair out

I hate goopy stuff. I use cornstarch, a slicker and then finish with a comb. Comes out SO easy….Just make sure the coat is dry, apply to the problem area and start combing it out.

I was petsitting a friend’s longhair standard Dachshunds and one found a gap in the fence and went for a little adventure in the woods by her house. Luckily she’s a well trained good girl and didn’t go far but she was COVERED in burrs. Thankfully I found a slicker brush and I am still amazed at how well and easy it was to get them out of her coat! So another for team slicker brush here. Lol

Best flooring for dogs

Jillian W., who just bought a new house (congrats!) asked the group: “Laminate flooring? Yes or no? I keep getting mixed reviews about if it will hold up with dogs or not. I don’t really want to do vinyl flooring. We will be doing about 1450 sq ft, and looking to buy materials for about $3,500 or less.”

While some FDLers shared their success stories with laminate, the group overwhelmingly recommended that Jillian go with vinyl plank instead.

Top comments:

I have laminate upstairs and vinyl plank downstairs. Would choose the vinyl plank over laminate, any time….I helped install both and could have easily done the plank myself. I don’t feel any difference between them but the vinyl plank is much more durable. The laminate is cheaper, so that may factor in.

I just switched from beat-up oak to luxury vinyl plank and LOVE it! I didn’t even know about this product when I started floor shopping.

I have some laminate and some vinyl planking. I now prefer the vinyl planking. I installed both

Luxury vinyl plank!! We had carpet...the upstairs toilet leaked and we had to replace the carpet. $.50 a square foot more for LVP. We researched and found with dogs and kids LVP was the way to go. We love it. It looks the same as it did 15 months ago when it was installed. And I have 3 shepherds. And 5 kids ages 4-14.

No no no on laminate. If it gets wet at all on the seams it will swell up. Drop anything on it and it chips. I spent quite a bit to do my dining room and living room with it and after having it for several years now I regret it. A couple of years ago I put down luxury vinyl. It’s waterproof and looks nicer than my laminate.

I had a contractor tell me to take a key and see if it scratches on the sample at the store. If it doesn’t, it will stand up to nails. I love laminate for that reason. I can take a dry mop around and gather up the hair. Washing it can be a pain as it leaves a streak. But that is due to the type of water and the soap you use. I love it!

I ripped out my laminate and replace with "luxury vinyl plank flooring" looks better holds up better and easier to install

If you do any sort of plank flooring, get the LVT. I used it in my dog training facility and it’s crazy sturdy and waterproof!

We did vinyl plank commercial flooring. Looks like stone. Holds up like a champ with our multi-dog house….We have 27 dogs and there isn’t a mark on any of it in 4 years. And it’s throughout the house.

If you really want to do laminate, look into the waterproof laminate option. I think it comes out more expensive than LVP and may not have as many color and texture choices, but it should hold up better than regular laminate.

Laminate is noisy with the dogs’ nails clicking all the time. High-end vinyl is much better.

I bought the LVP with the biggest wear layer from Lumber Liquidators a year and a half ago. About 1000-1200 sq ft for $2300 for the flooring and pad. Had a friend who does floors install, but I know many people who have done it themselves. It’s amazing. I have 5 dogs and regular extras as visitors. No scratches, super easy to clean, doesn’t show dirt, and still looks brand new. Would do it again in a heartbeat. Not sure why you are against vinyl, but you can find good stuff that is very affordable and water/scratch resistant.

I used to have laminate and now have LVP. The LVP is much more durable. Also it’s waterproof which is really helpful.

Does it hold up to dirt and scratches? Absolutely. Does it hold up to anything wet (potty accident, sick/vomiting, chronic water bowl spillover)? Nope. I have water dogs, so it’s a hard pass on laminate for me. Tile or vinyl are way lower stress.

Laminate swells bc it’s made of wood filler whereas Vinyl is 100% synthetic. Go for the vinyl planks! My laminate planks are a little swollen on a lot of the seams.

Laminate is fine but if you want something truly waterproof, durable, and will last a good long while get luxury vinyl planks.

Check out this beautiful vinyl flooring that Jody L. just installed (the brand is COREtec, color is Mornington Oak. This brand isn’t available in Lowe’s or Home Depot but most flooring stores sell it).

And this equally-gorgeous alternative to COREtec that Shantel J. posted - it’s called Cali Long Board.

FDL is dock diving on your wedding day

Nina R. won FDL last week when she posted wedding photos from a dock diving competition. On October 3rd, she and hubby Jason S. said their vows in the morning then went to the dock diving competition dressed in style with their Malinois, Grits (Ygritte).

Grits also got the last leg of Dock Masters during this particular jump. (Teamwork makes the dream work! Nina says Jason’s hobby is racing motorcycles – he should feel right at home running a Malinois...)