Holistic Care : Grooming : Bathing

We recommend bathing your dog no more often than every two to four weeks. Every time we bathe our dogs, natural skin oils get stripped from their coats, which can create a tendency to produce more oils. Increased production of oils can then lead to more doggie odor. We suggest bathing your dogs before dog shows, as well as if they get into something really stinky! Generally speaking, simply brushing your dog on a regular basis will keep doggie odor down and easily maintain their coats.

For the times when you do bathe your Leos, we strongly recommend using a natural shampoo which will not strip your dog's coat and skin of their naturally produced oils. We exclusively use Tropiclean coconut-based shampoos on our Leonbergers with excellent results. Tropiclean produces all-in-one shampoos and conditioners, as well as Neem leaf-based natural flea/tick preventative shampoos.

We have been able to find the best prices for Tropiclean shampoos in the 2.5 gallon containers available online from UPCO. Tropiclean shampoos are highly concentrated, so we usually use one part shampoo to four parts of warm water.

We usually bathe our Leo puppies in the bathtub until they outgrow them. As adults, you can bathe your Leos in your driveway, or take them to a doggie wash nearby, or simply take them to a groomer and have all the work done for you.

We also suggest the following equipment to make bathtime easier:
• Zoom Groom
• Hose spray head with various spray adjustments
• Squirt bottle for your shampoo
• Suction leash for bathtub