Bath time for the boys. I changed up this time and decided to bath one of them each day. It is quite a chore. Yesterday was Yogi's day, Moose stood by and watched. It takes a good hour each dog, not including dry time. Poor Moose, he looked so sad when I finished bathing Yogi yesterday and took them both back in to the house. Yogi was feeling pretty good after his bath and kept pouncing at Moose who just didn't get it. This morning was Moose's turn. Moose is a tough one, he has a very thick coat, especially for being a Florida dog. The big challenge with bathing them is getting them wet! The water just repels right off of them. They are water dogs and have an under coat of fur and longer coat of hair. I don't have a tub and use the hose sprayer. It is hard to get them wet enough for the soap to even lather up. Most importantly of all is rinsing! You must be sure to rinse thoroughly or the residue will dry out their skin and cause itching. Dry time can be up to 24 hours without any help of a dryer or towels! Many Newfie owners have powerful blow dryers for dogs which blow only cold air, this keeps the oils from drying out of their fur. Unforturnately the $250. blow dryer is not in my budget so towels and sunshine help out a bunch here. I will say the boys look great after bathing. Newfoundlands should not be bathed more than a few times per year unless they are being shown. Regular grooming will keep them looking good and cleans their coat. I use a no rinse spray moisterizer on themseveral times a week, it is by Nova Pearls and it smells great too! The photo is of Moose, doesn't he look like a sweet little baby boy?
