Last week’s Wordless Wednesday post sparked quite a few comments so I thought I would post on what is a proper bath for Thunder and Storm.  They have never had a get out the tub-soap-water-blowdryer type of bath.  Yep, you read that right, never a bath.  Most of their “baths” have been a rinse off with a hose and towel dry or this…

Splash!

The reason we don’t bath them often is because coat is one of the main things that makes a Chessie a Chessie.  They have a wavy coat, but there is more to it.  From the AKC breed standard:

Coat
Coat should be thick and short, nowhere over 1½ inches long, with a dense fine wooly undercoat. Hair on the face and legs should be very short and straight with a tendency to wave on the shoulders, neck, back and loins only. Moderate feathering on rear of hindquarters and tail is permissible. The texture of the Chesapeake’s coat is very important, as the Chesapeake is used for hunting under all sorts of adverse weather conditions, often working in ice and snow. The oil in the harsh outer coat and wooly undercoat is of extreme value in preventing the cold water from reaching the Chesapeake’s skin and aids in quick drying. A Chesapeake’s coat should resist the water in the same way that a duck’s feathers do. When the Chesapeake leaves the water and shakes, the coat should not hold water at all, being merely moist.

Chesapeake from 1915
Chesapeake from 1915 (Image via Wikipedia)

Soap can soften the coat, strip the oil from it, and reduce the ability of the coat to repel water.  Since the 2 brown dawgs are used in cold weather waterfowl hunting, we are very sparing with the soap, (I guess you could say we spot clean with it if needed :lol:).  Instead we usually just find a nice clean pond, throw a couple of bumpers and lightly towel dry them (to remover dirt).  No blow dryer needed.  We may occasionally spritz them with a natural conditioner which has been heavily diluted with water and again lightly towel it off.  This makes them smell pretty.  🙂

There are some dogs that need to be bathed with soap after swimming.  Some dogs have skin allergies which can be aggravated by swimming in pond water, (especially mucky stick ponds).  Luckily the 2 brown dawgs don’t have these issues.  So whenever they need a little freshen up, we just find a nice clear pond and…

 

Ahhh!
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27 thoughts on “A Proper Bath”

    1. Hey Finn thanks for stopping by. I guess we are lucky too since they basically bathe themselves, (no need to dirty the tub). 😆

  3. damn im jealous I want a chessie!! I have to bath Fred every two weeks!! Bloodhounds need to be stripped of their “hound oil” to keep a nice clean, soft and dandruff free coat. The “hound oil” is very oily and has a strong smell to it. I have to use shampoo made with sulfer in it to really strip him down – its like the pet version on the human shampoo t-gel. ha.

    Haylie …. the lake and the water hose is her bath 🙂

    1. I didn’t realize that you have to take “hound oil” off…lol. Maybe its best I never got my hound. Some people claim Chessies have a strong smell from the oil in their coat, but it must be love, because we never seem to smell it. 😆

  4. Very interesting information. What lucky woofies you are getting to jump in a pond to bathe…that has to be them most fun bath ever. Hugs and nose kisses

  6. Love the photos! There is such a feeling of freedom looking at them! Buddy and the Bear wouldn’t comment. They refuse to talk about water except for drinking!
    Buddy’s personal assistant

  7. Funny – I knew their coats were oily for water-repellency, but never thought about how one would keep them clean. 🙂 Cardis have a water-repellent outer coat, too (but not for swimming – just “weather”). Dirt also falls off, so they really don’t need shampoo much. I love it!

  8. Hi Y’all,

    I don’t get many baths but when I do I love them cause the medicated shampoo makes my skin allergies better for a little while. In between I get spritzed with Benadryl spray on my itchy spots.

    Y’all come by now,
    Hawk aka BrownDog

    1. Those skin allergies can be a drag. We have a pal with a lab with severe skin allergies. He has to be bathed with special shampoo after every swim, even at hunt tests. It is kind of a pain because she has to carry the shampoo and the water since usually we are out in the middle of nowhere.

  9. Moses, as you know, is also a water dog, and has a similarly oily coat. So his “baths” look just like the ones Thunder and Storm get. And when people ask us about bathing, we definitely get a bit of a stink eye when the response is “oh yeah, we just take him swimming”. And a little de-stinking conditioning spray in between swims or during the winter when it’s not an option. I should keep a copy of this post with me to better explain it to the skeptics!

  10. I never thought about the bathing aspect for hunting dogs! Thanks for sharing this information, I would of thought they got a bath regularly, but it makes sense that you wouldn’t want to strip the coat of its oil.
    So what did you do before sending Storm to Nationals?? Did she just get spritzed down?
    Inquiring minds want to know:)

    I have been instructed by our handler to give Leroy a bath every week in order to get him to grow more coat, I worry about drying out his coat, but so far so good!

    1. Getting ready for Nationals…well you saw her bath on the last Wordless Wednesday. 😆 Actually we dropped her off with her breeder on the way back from the hunt tests so it was their choice what to do. But she really didn’t stink, so I don’t think they did too much with her coat. Last Spring she was more stinky so they used a tiny bit of no rinse shampoo on her. It cleaned her up a bit and didn’t hurt her coat.

      I think the Newfies that are showing must be bathed regularly. They are so fluffy in the ring. 🙂

  11. Very interesting! Daisy has hair – not fur – that constantly grows, and so she requires constant trimming and a weekly bath. A full, all-out lathery bath. I bet she wishes she was a Chessie…. 😉

    1. The 2 brown dawgs like anything with water so they might like soapy baths. 🙂 At least there is less of Daisy to wash. 😆

  12. we learned a trick from a local gal here who used to brred, train, & show chessies for years with her dad before he passed away. 1:1 ratio of minty listerine to water in a spray bottle. mist ’em & then brush them down. that’s it, presto-change-o! from smelly coat to show-worthy coat! 🙂 it seems to be okay with our boys. and i love that i don’t have to wrestle ’em into a tub. lol.

  14. I always get comments on Miss Sadie’s ‘fur. Her coat is one of the many unique things about her. The wavy coat and great ‘smile’ Chessie’s are known for make them such a great breed. : )

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