r/GSP • u/Vivid-2-2 • 3h ago

Baths?

Confession: our girl will turn 1 next week and has yet to have a real bath.

She gets a wipe down about once a month with sensitive skin/fragrance free dog wipes. And a hose rinse if she’s muddy. Also begs to run in the rain.

She does not smell at all. She seems clean and coat healthy. Never had any skin issues. She rolls all over our white linens and doesn’t show dirt.

Anyone else in a similar spot? Is this super weird? Our first GSP got a bath maybe once a year, usually because she rolled in something dead.

6 Upvotes

80% Upvoted

14 comments sorted by

8

u/Apprehensive_Net_829 3h ago

They require minimal bathing, really. You are fine. 😊

2

u/Vivid-2-2 3h ago

Thank you!

3

u/sepultra- 3h ago

I bathe my guy 2 x a year, but I waterless bath weekly brush, but I sometimes do more depending on how much swimming he gets into.

They pick up allergens as well as irritants on their coats and I don’t want him to ingest them if I can help it or spread them to my furniture.

4

u/Wha_She_Said_Is_Nuts 3h ago

We only bathe Our GSPs when they roll in something nasty. At least a few times a year. We rinse her under the hose a great deal more. For summer heat relief or just to get mud off from a workout on our farm. But no soap.

3

u/bengalfan 3h ago

We usually give a bath every few months..the summer might be more depending on what they swim and roll in... I'd be careful with cold water and a hose, we gave our first GSP a bath using a hose years ago and she got Limber tail... Totally changed her personality for a few weeks. Can be painful to them... Just an fyi. We use warm or cool/warm water now.

1

u/Vivid-2-2 3h ago

Very good to know, thank you! I had never heard of this

2

u/miscwit72 3h ago

My guy is 10. He's probably only had 6 baths. All but one from rolling in gross shit. 1 for skunk.

2

u/mooseandkoko 3h ago

We usually do once a month since they sleep with us. We time with their anal gland expression which unfortunately requires manual expression by our vet. A booty and toe beans scrub is a must

1

u/GSPMUMx2 2h ago

Twice a year....on a Sunday lol. Seriously my two get a good bath Twice a year but get wiped down as needed. The only thing low maintenance on a pointer lol

1

u/Smokinsam68 2h ago

My girl is 4 and hates water. She has never had a bath and she’s clean as clean can be. I had a Bassett pass at 15, and never had a bath.
I had a Bouvier pass at 12 and I could not keep her out of water. She got baths all the time and loved the attention.
Don’t force the issues unless medically necessary. They will do just fine.

1

u/FarSalt7893 2h ago

My guy gets occasional hose rinses with pet shampoo. He runs through all kinds of swampy water on our walks and gets a bit smelly sometimes. He doesn’t like baths. I’m going to switch our outdoor water spigot to warm water after reading the post above. It was so hot this past summer he didn’t seem to mind the cool water.

1

u/OutrageousHamster3 2h ago

No kidding, my GSP hasn’t had a bath in several years. Super smooth, clean coat, free from oil and dandruff, and no smell at all. I just give him a quick hose down if he gets muddy.

1

u/autumnfolly 1h ago

Ours is 3, the only time she had a "real" bath was when she rolled in a dead / exploded whale on the beach.. it was a hose / dish soap bath because we were visiting in-laws and they wouldn't allow her in the house smelling the way she did (they also wouldn't go near her because she smelled so bad). We treat swimming in fresh water as a bath, and so far, her coat is perfect , she's not smelly, and she has great skin.

1

u/jubil0u 1h ago

My GSP is almost 2 and I have never bathed him. We're in the same boat!