# How often do you wash?



## Rexandbaby (Aug 4, 2008)

How often do you wash your dogs bedding, crates, toys, and most important their dog dishes?
I was told by a friend that she didn't want to give pumpkin to her dog, because she fed kibble and would have to wash the dish every day. I said,"You don't?"


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## Oz'sMommy (Sep 9, 2008)

oz has two bowls one for kibble and one for canned (he drinks water from a giant rabbit bottle). the kibble one gets emptied of anything left over every morning and washed out (hot water & soap). and the canned bowl gets washed after every meal (so for oz that's twice a day). his bedding gets washed once a week. his rubber toys that seem to get lint and hair clinging on them regularly get washed at least every other day. anything hard plastic gets rinsed in hot water maybe twice a week. i don't wash his rope toys. they don't get really dirty and if they do i just chuck them and get him new ones...yeah...he's that spoiled. plush toys get washed twice a month. they don't get that dirty either.

oz however gets a bath usually once a week...now that the weather is cooler and he's less inclined to go running through water or wet grass and the like i'm going to try and wait two weeks. :smile:


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## lorih1770 (Jun 17, 2008)

I wash food and water bowls daily- at least (I have a St. Bernard!). I know a dogs teeth are important in their overall health and figure keeping the bowls clean keeps their mouths cleaner. I wash dog bedding and stuffed toys once a week. I bath my St. Bernard just about every week (he's gross), pit bull every 2-3 weeks and the old husky maybe once a month- pretty much to just get the dust off of him


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

My dogs get their raw food handed to them outside, so no bowl cleaning for them! My cat on the other hand, gets her raw in her bowl (stainless steel) and it gets washed after every meal. I clean out their water bowls about twice a week (they have one of those ones with the 3 gallon jug attached to it for constant water supply). 

Beds get washed every couple of weeks, dogs don't get washed very often because they don't get very dirty. If they're dusty, I use my Earthbath pet wipes to wipe them down. 

On a side note, my little dog just laid down at my feet and rolled over for a belly rub, cutest dog ever!


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## Rexandbaby (Aug 4, 2008)

My JRT Baby gets a bath when she smells, (hopefully with Raw she won't need as many) About every 2 weeks. My GSD hasn't had a bath for I don't really know, a year? But I use daily grooming spray every time I brush which is about every 2 days. He always smell nice, and loves the grooming.
Their blankets get washed about twice a week, and I also try to vacuum every other day. (Must vacuum tomorrow, it is day 3)
I wash their bowls, water and food bowls after the afternoon feeding. Everyday.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

Rexandbaby said:


> How often do you wash your dogs bedding, crates, toys, and most important their dog dishes?


Bedding gets washed when it begins to smell which is maybe ever 6 months or so, maybe longer. I don't really keep up with it. Don't use crates. Never wash toys. I feed my dogs maybe twice a week in bowls. The bowls get washed maybe once a month. The dogs do a pretty good job of cleaning them themselves. 

Abby hasn't had a bath in almost 5 years and 3 1/2 year old Thor has never had a bath in his life. They get weekly brushings with a curry brush.


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## Rexandbaby (Aug 4, 2008)

It sounds like we should all say,"GO RAW!"


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Haha, my dog used to get a bath every six months when she was on kibble just because I felt like maybe she needed one even though she wasnt particularly smelly or anything. Now that I've switched to raw the only reason I had to bathe all my dogs 5 times in one week is because they killed a skunk in my backyard and the stench was horrendous! And of course, every time I'd let them outside to play or go potty, they'd go roll in the spot where the skunk had been killed and be smelly again. 
Barring another skunk invasion, I really only wash my dogs to make sure they're staying clean. My roommate's poor dog is white and our backyard is dirt, so you can really tell if his coat isn't clean, she was washing the poor guy at least once a week if not more. I finally introduced her to the wonder of bathwipes because I was afraid she was going to mess with the oil balance of his skin and make him either super dry or super oily.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

I wash both of my dogs weekly (I live in a giant dust bowl so it's kind of a necessity), when I am watching dogs I watch toys daily, when it's just my two I wash them 2-3 times a week (most of my toys can go in the dishwasher so it isn't difficult), I don't have stuffed toys as they don't last with my dogs, I wash food bowls daily and throw the water bowl into the dishwasher probably 2-3 times a week. Bedding I wash weekly as it seems pointless to give a bath and not wash the bedding. The crates I don't wash, it's metal with a plastic bottom insert, I spray them down with Lysol and let airdry maybe once a month. If I use one of my crates for a guest dog I spray it down with Lysol after they leave.


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## danesandhorses (Sep 14, 2008)

My dogs usualy get washed about once a week. I live in the country and have 3 Danes 1 Lab and one Boston. Sometimes I need to do a little spot washing. Depending if the dogs decide to run threw the cow field. There toys get washed when they need it. Usually evry other week. They have a large toy basket full of assorted toys in the living room. With so many dogs they get played with often. The dog beds get washed weekly since they lay next to our beds. There out door beds are large boxes filled with shavings. They get cleaned and filled about once a month. Bowls get rinsed daily and washed about once a week. They get kibble mixed with can.


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## BabyHusky (Jul 21, 2008)

I gotta wash my sibe weekly because she just loves mud. Absolutely loves it and insists on rolling in it haha. Since she lives indoors with me...washing is a must. Food bowl gets washed daily, water bowl a few times a week and toys get thrown in the washer along with her bedding about every other week.


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## chowder (Sep 7, 2008)

Rocky has a wading pool that he spends every day in, floating with just his ears and nose sticking out like a hippo so he's pretty much soaking wet every day. He gets a real bath about every four weeks but I've only had him 3 months (he's only 5 months old). Chelsy is an 11 year old Lhasa who is always covered in Rocky spit, plus she had back surgery when she was 3 because she was completely paralyzed so she tends to dribble a little. I try to wash her once a week because she gets filthy from being so short and being rolled around in the dirt by Rocky. I don't wash the dog bowls but I wipe them out with paper towels (they are stainless steel), I don't wash the toys, and I only wash the stuffed bears when I first get them from the thrift stores. I've seen what Rocky eats in the yard so I havent' worried about what's on his squeaky toys!


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

chowder said:


> Rocky has a wading pool that he spends every day in, floating with just his ears and nose sticking out like a hippo so he's pretty much soaking wet every day. He gets a real bath about every four weeks but I've only had him 3 months (he's only 5 months old). Chelsy is an 11 year old Lhasa who is always covered in Rocky spit, plus she had back surgery when she was 3 because she was completely paralyzed so she tends to dribble a little. I try to wash her once a week because she gets filthy from being so short and being rolled around in the dirt by Rocky. I don't wash the dog bowls but I wipe them out with paper towels (they are stainless steel), I don't wash the toys, and I only wash the stuffed bears when I first get them from the thrift stores. I've seen what Rocky eats in the yard so I havent' worried about what's on his squeaky toys!



I'd recommend you wash the bowls. Would you wipe the plates you eat off of with a paper towel and call it good and never wash them? Bacteria heaven!


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## miss sophie (Sep 17, 2008)

Dogs bodies dont respond the same to bacteria. Pretty soon dogs will have the same over sensitivity to bugs and viruses from over cleaning that humans do.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

miss sophie said:


> Dogs bodies dont respond the same to bacteria. Pretty soon dogs will have the same over sensitivity to bugs and viruses from over cleaning that humans do.


I agree but dogs can still get sick and I don't know about others but I personally touch my dogs bowls twice a day to feed them, my son touches them at times, etc. It isn't IMO, a good idea to have anything in a home that isn't washed sometimes. I'm not saying you have to sanitize them, but a little soap and water at the VERY least once a week wouldn't be such a horrible idea.


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## RawFedDogs (Jun 16, 2008)

BoxerMommie said:


> I agree but dogs can still get sick and I don't know about others but I personally touch my dogs bowls twice a day to feed them, my son touches them at times, etc. It isn't IMO, a good idea to have anything in a home that isn't washed sometimes.


My dogs wash their own bowls. :smile: They get them very clean, so I don't wash them very often. I don't worry about bacteria. BTW: I don't use bowl but maybe a couple of times a week. The rest of the time i just stand at the kitchen sink and hand out animal parts directly to the dogs.


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## rockymtsweetie82 (Jul 24, 2008)

My dogs are very messy sloppy eaters so I put their stainless steel bowls in the dishwasher twice a week. Their water bowl gets rinsed and washed every time I have to refill their water (which is a lot) because there's so much slobber at the bottom of the bowl, it's just nasty and I wouldn't want to be drinking that. The only toy they have is tennis balls and kongs. The kongs get washed if I put treats in them and I never wash the tennis balls. The only bedding they use is blankets or MY BED, and I was my bedding twice a week and when I do mine, I do theirs too. =D I have to bathe these dogs at least once a week because their dog pen is a DUST PIT!!!!! And when I don't want to bathe them so their skin doesn't dry out, I just hose them down out side and let them air dry.


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## domari (Jun 17, 2008)

I rarely give the dogs baths, maybe in the summer if they get really gross from something like rolling in poop. Normally they just get brushed, it gets the dried dirt out. 

As far as bedding, I don't wash it. Only one dog has a real dog bed that only he sleeps in, the other dogs don't like his bed. They also have a futon mattress they sleep on in one of the bedrooms. I can't wash that, but will do spot cleaning sometimes because one of my dogs will throw up on it every now and then. If the mattress gets trashed, I'll throw it out and get a new one. Some of them rather sleep on blankets which I wash when they get dirty. Most of the dogs sleep on the floor, they don't bother with the dog beds. 

Four of the dogs eat outside, after they eat we rinse the bowls out then fill the bowls with water which they'll drink when they are outdoors. Everyday we dump the water and feed them from the same bowls so it never sits full of water more than a day. We have water bowls in the house too. 

The cats have one of those containers which I fill with dry food and they can eat whenever they want. I put their canned food on a paper plate once a day and only feed them the amount of canned food they eat at that time, then toss the paper plate.

I never wash dog toys. They like to chew on real bones and rope toys more than anything else. They have kongs but I don't wash them either. There are outdoor toys and indoor toys, the balls and things they play with outdoors get pretty dirty in the mud and the dogs don't seem to care if they're dirty or not. Dogs will eat poop, I dont think they care if their toys get muddy.


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## Luvmypups (Jul 3, 2008)

My golden mix has a lot of hair so gets a bath weekly, the dane and boxers once a month, beding done weekly and food dish's after every meal water dish a few times a day as I'm always filling it up.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Milo peed on Pennywise's head this morning so she got a bath. I forgot how she could be even softer and shinier than usual, I don't want to stop petting her! Can't do it too often though, or her skin gets too dry and flakey. Lame, I know. Any suggestions for that? She's already on raw with some Missing Link and salmon oil, so I don't think diet is the problem.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

rannmiller said:


> Milo peed on Pennywise's head this morning so she got a bath. I forgot how she could be even softer and shinier than usual, I don't want to stop petting her! Can't do it too often though, or her skin gets too dry and flakey. Lame, I know. Any suggestions for that? She's already on raw with some Missing Link and salmon oil, so I don't think diet is the problem.


I use Fish Oil capsules (human kind) and a Vitamin E capsule daily and both of mine have great coats and skin.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

Maybe I can try adding the vitamin E too. Like I said, it only happens after I wash her, so at least its not a constant thing.


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

Maybe try a new shampoo? I have also heard from many that most dogs are not rinsed well enough and it is recommended to rinse the ones with skin issues with vinegar to make sure to get everything off of them plus it helps their skin.


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## rannmiller (Jun 27, 2008)

I use an oatmeal shampoo. That's a good idea about the vinegar, what kind do you suggest?


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## BoxerMommie (Jun 26, 2008)

You can either use white or ACV


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## LoveNewfies (Jun 18, 2008)

Not rinsing enough is a pretty common problem. Regular white vinegar, I've found, works the best for skin issues.

The shampoos I've had the best results with for my sensitive dog are Shiny Paw, NuHemp and Bobbi Panter's Itchy Dog. Both clean nicely without stripping all the oils, are great for sensitive skin and rinse very nicely.


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## EnglishBullTerriers (Sep 10, 2008)

When I had 5 puppies, their mom, Abbi and Owen, I was washing 'bedding' AT LEAST twice a week because of someone smelling bad at some point. Now that I am down to just Owen and Abbi I just washed the 'bedding' and I think I won't have to do it again for a while because neither one of them like to 'mess up' their crates.  Toys get washed when they are too dirty for me to want to touch them!  I don't wash my water dish even though Owen drools in it almost as much as a st bernard, because he will just walk right back over and do it again as soon as I put the bowl down again. As for the food dish, I only wash them if the dogs aren't able to get them clean all the way!! (Yeah right And I feed raw now as well.) Abbi gets a bath about two to three times a year because that is when she gets trimmed down. Her hair is so long that it almost hurts her to be pet. ( Not thick hair, just long and scraggly) Owen hasn't had a bath yet cause he doesn't like them but he will get one soon because I have been having alergic reactions to his hair. That only happens when the dogs get too dirty. That will be a fun day!!


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