Dozer’s human comes to help me on Sundays. Dozer is a pure bred “Blue-Nosed” breed. Weekly, no more than bi-weekly if the weather doesn’t cooperate, Dozer gets a bath. Not because he’s prissy or his master is obsessed, but by this time the mix of dirt and his natural oils have become annoying and offensive to everyone, including Dozer. His skin gets discolored, may have dandruff, and he bites and scratches a bit. More than a bit. Numerous shampoos have been tried. Last vet visit he was given pills to try, which did minimize the itching but still didn’t stop it.
I now consider myself incredibly lucky. I guess my dog (who had a good, long life) had some sort of a magical coat. He would go several months - even over a year - between baths. He didn’t like to lay outside. Even the 3 long-haired, WHITE dogs I had before that didn’t need a bath anywhere near as often as Dozer does. But they didn’t linger outside either. Dozer lays, sniffs, rolls, grazes... he’s in and out constantly whenever he’s here.
This video demonstrates the lather and rinse-ability of the shampoo. Like most natural-based shampoos, it didn’t lather or spread quite as well. After Dozer was dry, I could still feel the oils on his skin, which was unusual for right after a bath. But my hands didn’t smell, and I didn’t feel compelled to rush to the sink to wash, like I usually do. At first I thought of this as a negative, but it didn’t take long to realize that stripping all of the natural oils isn’t preferred, it’s just usually a side-effect of the not-so-natural shampoos.
When Dozer came over last Sunday, it had been 2 weeks since he’d been shampooed. The weather was fine. He didn’t NEED a bath! When I saw him itch for the first time, I didn’t even get to ask before his master told me that had just started that day. Normally I would have encouraged him to bathe Dozer just to keep ahead of things with the new shampoo, but I had another product to Dozer to test for in-between baths. I am not saying he NEEDED a bath, I mean everybody gets an occasional itch!! But according to his master, this was the very first time since his bath 2 weeks ago that he showed ANY signs of irritation. And that’s saying something! (It’s summer in Florida for what it’s worth.)
Although Dozer didn’t feel freshly cleaned, he didn’t feel much dirtier than he did after the bath two weeks before! He still looked clean and had his special blue sheen. After loving on him, I still wasn’t compelled to run to the sink and wash! I looked for hot spots when he rolled onto his back for belly rubs, but didn’t find any. Instead I saw healthy pink skin! His routine had not changed. His environment(s) hadn’t changed. He didn’t get a bath. We all enjoyed the break.
A couple of the shampoos Dozer tried were leftovers from my pup, and purchased from the bargain bins (although one was an oatmeal-skin one). I’m a poor senior, so my perspective is a bit skewed. This shampoo is not cheap to me. But even at my poorest, I’d do what I could to afford this for my pup if it helped alleviate any of the stress of bath time. I’ve never met a dog that enjoyed baths, and my last one made it an absolute nightmare for me since he hated baths and was literally as big as I am (smaller human).
If you can reduce the NUMBER of baths, that reduces stress, and that has real value! Is it perfect? No, so it gets 4 stars. But I do think it’s a better alternative than the usual perfumy, sudsy shampoos that may strip TOO many oils.
