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Dirt or Natural Oil?

4K views 14 replies 8 participants last post by  ben46valdez 
#1 ·
Me and my family had been looking for our first dog. Obviously we want to understand as much as we can before actually getting one. So we went to meet some breeders and dog owners. Today, we met a 5.5 years old Golden Retriever owner.

Sabre was LOVES attention and was asking for more when we stopped to talk with the owner. After a while, we noticed that our fingers are getting a little sticky and weird. It's as if there's a layer of "stuff" on them. It is easily rubbed off, but it feels a little like holding a crayon or oil pastel for too long. When we were back, I went straight to the sink to wash it off. Somehow contact with water made the "stuff" very soapy. And I didn't have to wash them off with soap.

Now me and my brother are really wondering what that was. Was it dirt? Or the dog's natural hair oil? Or combination of both? Since it was easily washed off and feels soapy, could it be soap scum? Hopefully someone understands what am I trying to tell cause it does sound a little confusing. English is my second language after all. ><

I really want to know what that "stuff" we got from Sabre was. When I asked the owner how often he grooms Sabre, he only told us that he brushed him this morning as we were coming to see him. And he sounds a little offended when I asked. So I'm guessing he rarely brushes Sabre? Will frequent brushing prevent that from happening? Or is that natural in dogs? Also, Sabre has a very strong doggy odour. lol..

Kevin
 
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#2 ·
lol I call that 'outdoor dog" slime....basically the dog you touched hadn't been bathed in a while...so a mix of oil and dirt. Bathing the dog monthy will keep the coat from doing that...I just tend to notice it on outdoor dogs that may not be getting alot of "attention" from their owners ;)



 
#5 ·
It's really easy to say you're going to give your Golden a bath once a month, but it often turns out to be less then that when reality sets in. It's not easy to wash a large hairy dog, believe me. Not like on TV when everyone is laughing and having fun washing the dog.

That's ok though, as long as you brush them regularly they don't need a bath monthly. If you don't brush them though, you've got a problem. Dogs shed their skin cells as much as they do their hair, and I'm betting the "slime" you felt was a combination of that skin, dirt, and natural oils what was "combed" through the hair since the owner said they'd just brushed him.

If you brush your Goldie every day, that should keep all that stuff from building up, so you won't have to bath so often. Even brushing daily is a big chore, but if you want the best for your new dog, try to do just that.

Or you could look for a breed that doesn't require as much grooming as a Goldie will.
 
#6 ·
Have you considered rescuing a dog from the local Shelter? I just did that and found a forever friend who's stolen my heart. He's also given me his love, as if he never had any other owner but me. Dogs are so appreciative when you rescue them from a shelter that they immediatly become your most devoted friend.
 
#7 ·
Thanks for explaining. I had considered adopting from SPCA or the local shelter. Problem is, the whole family is against it. And since this is going to be a family dog, majority over-rules minority. Not only that, as a first time dog owner, adopting from shelters might be a bad idea. We don't know the history of the dogs, health problems that will be inherited, or how their temperament is going to be like. Getting a puppy might be a safer option as we will know the history of it's parents. We did went to the shelters to have a look. All of the dogs were pitbull x or staffy x. I might be stereotyping but I just don't think a fighting breed is suitable with my family. Provided we have quite a young member of 7 years old.
 
#10 ·
lol... remember that the dogs that are in the shelters used to be puppies. ;) there are no guarantees with behavior, even from a puppy that came from a great breeder and has great parents... if you get a dog from a breeder, please make sure that you do your research and choose to support a responsible breeder.



 
#11 · (Edited)
lol I call that 'outdoor dog" slime....basically the dog you touched hadn't been bathed in a while...so a mix of oil and dirt. Bathing the dog monthy will keep the coat from doing that...I just tend to notice it on outdoor dogs that may not be getting alot of "attention" from their owners ;)
Agreed-and I absolutely hate that. Honestly I'll allow a lot that makes the dog happy and most people unhappy-like digging, chewing socks etc-all doggy stuff and fine in my books. But smelly oily dogs gross me out. Definitely simple basic grooming will keep MOST dogs from ever feeling like that. Nothing special -occaisional baths and some brushing. It's easy stuff and definitely not a breed trait-it's just an owner trait ;)


It's really easy to say you're going to give your Golden a bath once a month, but it often turns out to be less then that when reality sets in. It's not easy to wash a large hairy dog, believe me. Not like on TV when everyone is laughing and having fun washing the dog.

That's ok though, as long as you brush them regularly they don't need a bath monthly
And that I'd say depends on the person. I have a smaller dog now, but I still bathe Mandy for my parents who's 68lbs of uncooperative husky and I bathe most of my friends dogs for them (and do nails too since they never seem to bother)-it's REALLY not that hard to do.
Mikey is getting a rinse in the tub every single day right now because we have melting and he's swimming a lot-he simply can't have gross water drying on his skin =it's not healthy. Though neither is shampooing every day-so shampoo is reserved for dirt emergencies or once a month or so.

Once a month is NOT so much to ask to bathe a dog-and I think any less frequent then that you run the risk of having it become non-routine and scary-whereas if it's more frequent it's just something you do-you do have to strike a balance-too much and your dog will get dandruff and skin problems-they have very sensitive skin. But too little is gross too ;)
 
#14 ·
I have never gotten a dog from a breeder. all have come from the shelters or given to me. If you go to petfinders you will be able to get a young dog. I worked with the shelters a lot and could have had any breed of dog that I chose. People dump there dogs for a multitude of reasons and you may be able to get what you want if you are a little patient.
Welcome to Petfinder.com! The virtual home of 295,513 adoptable pets from 13,185 adoption groups Do you see the amount of animals that need homes
believe me when I tell you that getting a puppy from a breeder you still might not get the true history of your pet. The bonus is if you rescue a 6 month old puppy you get to skip all the carpet mishaps. I rescued Buckwheat from my local shelter He is a pure breed American Foxhound he was 6 months old and is now 5 and we could not ask for a more loving dog. The rescue groups know their dogs. I used to do it and we never adopted out dogs unless we were sure it was a good fit. The groups try there best because they want these to be forever homes. Please take a look at petfinders you will be surprised at the amount of goldens thy have to choose from. I just looked in my area and there were many babies waiting for a forever home
 
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