Jack Russell Terrior question??

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bluejedi79
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Jack Russell Terrior question??

Post by bluejedi79 »

I have a 4 year old Jack Russell Terrier. She's an indoor dog, only goes out to go potty. Doesn't care for walks. How often should she get a flea dip and be bathed? What shampoo is good to use?
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Nettle
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Re: Jack Russell Terrior question??

Post by Nettle »

She doesn't need to be bathed at all, and no point in flea treatment if she doesn't have fleas. :)
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Suzette
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Re: Jack Russell Terrior question??

Post by Suzette »

I'm personally not a big fan of flea dips at all anyway. When you put your dog in bath full of pesticides, the fleas tend to run for "dry ground", which is up around your dogs head/ears/etc. (And of course, never, ever submerge their heads or faces in a flea dip bath.) As Nettle says, if you're not seeing fleas, no need to dip your dog anyway. If you are seeing fleas, consider applying a topical application, like Frontline.

As for bathing, I don't think a dog needs a bath on a regular basis, "just because it's the third Monday of the month" for instance. But every now and then, when my dog does need a bath, I use a very gentle oatmeal based shampoo. She's a year and a half old and only had two baths (both times it was after a romp in some very stinky, very icky muck -ugh!), but I could see her going years without one. I just don't see the point unless they are pretty gross. :D :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
gwd
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Re: Jack Russell Terrior question??

Post by gwd »

i'm the exception to the forum.......my dogs get bathed about every 7-10 days. most people don't have to do frequent bathing and the reason i do so is because i have springer spaniels in full coat. to get the length needed to be competitive in the show ring, you need to keep the the skin and hair clean, any dirt tends to break coat.

with a short haired breed, you'll find you don't need to bathe frequently. however, the 'rules' for bathing apply so i figured i'd outline them. you might know all this but perhaps it will be useful for others that might read the thread.

if you have a coated breed, make sure the coat is tangle free before you get them wet.

when you start the bath, wet the dog completely. ........don't just dampen them, i'm talking really make sure that the water gets all the way to the skin don't just wet the top layer. ......and speaking of water, make sure it's the temp that you'd be comfortable washing your own hair in. cold water is just darn uncomfortable, and it doesn't get the dog clean.

shampoo, use a mild shampoo that is formulated for dogs, then dilute it. you want it pretty darn watery. massage the shampoo in with the same gentleness that you'd use to shampoo a little girls long hair. .......when washing the face and ears, you might want to use a wash cloth or sponge as you don't want to get any soap in the dogs eyes any more than you'd like it when you wash your hair.

rinse throughly..........and then rinse some more. .........and when you think you're done rinse again.

can you tell i'm slavish to the rinsing??? many people don't realize the action of cleaning hair and skin isn't about the shampoo. the shampoo acts as an emulsifying agent to lift and hold the dirt and oil, but its the water that removes it from the coat via the act of complete rinsing.

depending on coat type, you may want to follow up with a conditioner. ......it shouldn't be needed for short coated dogs but it's nessary for long coated or thick double coated breeds.

now you've got a clean and soggy dog. .........let the little cherub shake as much as he wants to........then start towling. your goal is to dry the dog as thoroughly as you can with your terry towels. ........again, with this process, be gentle.

for the rest of the drying, i recommend a hair dryer set on low with either a cool or a just slight warmish setting. dryer differ .......do not use high heat as it can burn your dogs skin if you're not carful ,and even if you are careful the dryer can create dry skin from the blow drier.

depending on the weather you might be tempted to let the dog air dry. if' it's a particularly warm day this should be too much of a problem being you've done a ggo job of towelimg. if yu're in cold or humid conditions, you'll wan them amost completely dry. you can get a nasty fungal infection by allowing the dog to air dry if it's going to take all afternoon.
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Suzette
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Re: Jack Russell Terrior question??

Post by Suzette »

gwd wrote:i'm the exception to the forum.......my dogs get bathed about every 7-10 days.
I respect all takes on this subject, from the "never ever's" to the "oh sure, once a week for us". :D We each just do what's right for us and for our dogs. I fall somewhere in the middle. I have no problem giving Piper a bath if she needs one, but for us, it's not on a regular schedule.

I think in the end, the most important thing is to bathe them with something very gentle and soothing, especially if you're going to bathe them often. :D :D
My avatar is Piper, my sweet Pembroke Corgi. b. 5/11/11
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