Giving big dog (Muttley) a bath

I am still having problems with fleas on my dog Muttley. I am learning more
about flea control as I read posts here, and also from some web sites and

pfoley...

club,

other sources. My vet sold me a tube of Frontline. She said it was much
better than the Hatz product I applied around the first of August, and

shelly...

Too bad that's not what you said in the first place.

apparently there have been lawsuits against Hartz about their product.

shelly...

I had a cat nearly killed (he suffered permanent CNS damage) from a

pfoley...

pressure,

cat-specific flea treatment manufactured by Hartz Mountain.
According to my vet, this was not by any means an isolated incident.
I haven't used a Hartz Mountain product since then, nor would I
recommend their products to others.

In dealing with your flea problem, remember that fleas spend only a
small amount of time on the dog. It is important to treat the home,
yard, etc. as well. Your vet should be able to provide, or at least
give you the names of, appropriated products.

She also suggested that I give Muttley a bath with flea soap or shampoo,
and then apply the Frontline about two days later. I have had Muttley since
mid February and have not yet given him a bath. So, I got some flea shampoo
and tried to get Muttley to get into the bathtub, but he would not. Even
when I got into the tub, he would not come in with me, so the best I could
do was splash some water on him and try to brush him a bit. Certainly not
satisfactory.

shelly...

I should think not. I don't know how big Muttley is, but did you
try picking him up and placing him in the tub? I wouldn't leave the
"to bathe or not to bathe" decision up to him, if it were me.

If you cannot lift him, I would recommend bathing him outside with
warm water (you can buy a very cheap hose adapter for your sink
wherever waterbed accessories are sold). If he is not cooperative,
make sure to restrain him.

Your only other alternative is to pay someone to bathe him for you.

Amy Dahl...

I use Frontline without bathing the dogs. It is supposed to spread in the
oil on their skin. It is plenty effective for me. If you can't give Muttley
a bath easily, I suggest you just apply the Frontline and not worry about it.

Amy Dahl

I do have an outside hose, but it is cold water with very high pressure.
Also, where it is located there is mostly dirt and no sidewalk or patio, so
I can just see him rolling in the mud if I try to bathe him there. I'm

shelly...

Who is in charge at your house, and why would you allow him to do
that?

thinking about getting a children's wading pool big enough for him to get
in, and maybe running a hose from inside the house with warm water. Is this
a good idea? Any other suggestions?

I'm really hoping to find someone who can adopt Muttley, so my cat can come
out from hiding and be my friend and companion once again. I am very fond
of Muttley, and he is slowly becoming more trustworthy and obedient, but it
will be difficult for me to complete my major renovation work with him
around. I originally intended only to keep him for a while, but my initial
efforts to find someone to adopt him did not pan out and I hoped to be able
to keep him. Now I need to control these fleas and give him a bath so he
will be more presentable.

pfoley...

===============
Years ago someone told me to never use Hartz, but I can't remember the
reason why. I never used it again, though. I don't know if it was because

shelly...

Years ago, someone told me not to eat Pop Rocks with Pepsi, because
it made Mikey's stomach explode.

shelly...

You don't know why you never used it again? Lordy!

they tested their product on bunnies' eyes or that it had something
poisonous in it or both.

shelly...

Please, sir, check your facts before posting nonsense to the Usernets.

pfoley...

==================
Take the dog to a groomer and have them bathe and groom the dog. Tell them
the dog has fleas. Then buy some Frontline Plus from your Vet and use that

Paul E. Schoen...

Thanks again for constructive advice. I have seen some of those training
collars, and they look rather fearsome, but perhaps they would provide
better control. You are correct in saying that more exercise, and maturity,
will make a dog more settled and easier to control. I don't know his actual
age, but we are guessing at about two years now. In dog years he is a
rebellious adolescent, but he is learning to obey my commands to heel and
sit.

Maybe I will add a web page about my experiences with Muttley and Photon,

pfoley...

with

and I'll include the story of how I got (as kittens) Photon and her brother

pfoley...

off.

Paul E. Schoen...

Thank you for your kind remarks and understanding of the situation. It
seems like most others have been very critical, and unwilling to see the
good I have done so far with this dog, and appreciating the effort I have

Shelly...

Unable would be more accurate, as far as I'm concerned. I don't have a
very high tolerance for BS, so watching you post over and over and over
again for help, then watching you come up with a zillion reasons why
that help won't work for you, is a little irritating. I just don't
understand why you are unwilling to do something as minor as attending
an obedience class with your dog. Because, like it or not, until you
find a home for him, he *is* your dog, and he deserves to be treated as
such.

made, and continue to make, to assure him a better home. He is becoming
easier to manage, and he has learned some obedience, even with the lenient
approach I have been using. He is a very smart dog, and was the alpha dog
in a pack of four surviving in harsh urban conditions, and as such he has a
strong spirit and a mind of his own. I originally helped rescue him from
being put down at the Baltimore City pound, and once again when I took him
to the SPCA, with the understanding that he would be placed in a "no kill"
adoption program, but finding out at the last moment that they were
overloaded with Katrina victims, and he would almost certainly be
euthenized.

I do not claim to be a "dog person", but I do like animals of all kinds. I
have not had a dog of my own since I was in high school, and then he was
taken care of by my parents. We never had to take any of our dogs to
obedience training, probably because we had them since they were very young
and they were very docile. Since that time, I have only had several cats,
and of course they have very different personalities and training methods.
Muttley is the first dog I have had that is so independent-minded and
difficult to train. I have learned some training methods and Muttley has
calmed down quite a bit. He certainly has a much better life than he had
running wild in the city, and he does not have too many obnoxious habits.

His main fault is leash manners. When he gets outside, he immediately
lunges on the leash, and I have to physically restrain him. He seems mostly
very excited to be outside, and he wants to explore every new scent. He is
particularly difficult when he senses that my cat is hiding somewhere. He
responds to my command to "heel", but has a short attention span. He is
getting better, though, and I am learning to be more consistent with him.

His other problematic behavior has been that, when I release him from being
tied outside, he will run down the stairs and find my cat's feeding bowl or
an empty can of cat food, and he will triumphantly carry it to his
downstairs dog bed, and spend a lot of time and effort licking the bowl and

Shelly...

Why aren't you picking up the can/bowl before you release the dog?
Honestly, you are not a victim here. You *could* take a little bit of
control of the situation!

actually chewing on the can. He will also sometimes *carefully* extract
something from the trash can and try to lick out any residue of food it
might contain.

Shelly...

Put the trash out of his reach.

When he wants my attention, he will scratch at my leg with his paw, or put
both paws on the arm of my chair or in my lap. If I am sleeping, he will

Shelly...

Bad! When he does that, give him a command that he knows and make him
comply before you give him attention. You're letting this dog call the
shots, and that's not a good idea, *especially* when the owner is
wishy-washy. Your dog knows you are a push-over, and you can't blame
him for exploiting your weakness.

fairly carefully jump into bed, and will sometimes settle down after some
hugs and petting, but usually he just needs to go outside. Most of the time
he just sleeps on one of his dog mats, or at my feet, and he is not really
much of a bother. He used to insist on climbing into the bed with me, but
more recently he only does that occasionally. He is allowed essentially
free run of the house, and has not done much mischief. He did "eat" a
rolled up telephone cord, and actually chopped it into small pieces. He did
not seem to suffer any ill effects, but he may have become "more wired" :)

I don't think he will be a real problem for adoption. He is fairly "cool"

Shelly...

He'd be a better candidate with some obedience training, or at the very
least, a few manners.

toward new people he meets. He does not show any major signs of aggression
toward people or other dogs, and he is even fairly OK with cats unless they
run away, at which point it seems to become a game with him.

I just applied a dose of Frontline to Muttley, and hopefully his flea
problem will diminish. I will also more diligently vacuum the house and
apply flea spray as required. Hopefully I will soon find someone who can
give Muttley the proper home and love he needs. He will make someone a good
pet, and I will certainly miss him, but Photon will certainly be happier
when he is gone.

Thanks for listening, and I appreciate your advice, even if I may not
follow it as you would wish.

pfoley...

==He sounds very cute as well as very intelligent. He just needs some
obedience training and lots of exercise to wear him out. I think you are
doing a great job with Muttley.

Paul E. Schoen...

Thank you for a few words of encouragement. I have been struggling with
conflicting feelings about Muttley, and have been frankly somewhat
depressed and overwhelmed. I may still look into obedience classes for the
two of us, but I don't think that will ever settle the problem with my cat,
and I feel bad when I must tie Muttley outside so Photon can enjoy her
dinner in peace and have a few moments with me. Most of the time, Muttley
has free roam of the house while Photon hides under the floor or fends for
herself outside.

I feel that it is inevitable that Muttley must go to another home, and he
is not so horribly obnoxious and disobedient as others assume him to be.
Perhaps I choose to allow him a few liberties that others would immediately
subdue, but he has come a long way from his much worse behavior when I
first resigned myself to taking care of him. I have learned a lot, probably
most importantly that I do not have a place in my life for a dog at this
time, and no amount of obedience training will change that in the near
future. Others may continue to criticize me, or choose to ignore me, but I
really think I have done my best for Muttley, and I am committed to finding
him a proper home.

I rejected an early adoption offer from a young couple with a young child,
because my friend (who originally rescued him), and I, felt that they would
not be able to give him the sort of home he would need, and they were also
unwilling (or unable) to compensate us (and the local Rescue Mission that
had helped out), for his considerable veterinary expenses for vaccination
and neutering, etc. They also seemed fixated on the need to get a "crate"
to put him in, and from experience we knew that he hated to be confined. He
is constrained when I tie him to a tether outside, but he seems reasonably
content. When I had him in a fenced kennel, he barked and whined, and
eventually he worked his way out of it. He seems mostly relaxed in the
house as well, but again this is at Photon's expense.

It is time to put an end to this thread. I appreciate the advice, but not
the criticism. You do not know all of the situation, yet some of you feel
it is OK to sit in righteous judgment of someone who has saved a dog's life
and is willing to devote time and effort to assure his eventual adoption by
the right person.

sighthounds & siberians...

Paul, lots of people here do rehabbing and adoption of dogs every bit
as difficult as, and more difficult than, Muttley. Many of us have
saved many dogs' lives. People who do this on a regular basis know
what's necesesary to get the dogs adopted by the right people. Quite
often, at least part of it is training. Asking for advice, not being
willing to follow that advice, and whining about everyone being
critical and judgmental is ignorant and short-sighted, to begin with.
I do agree with you, however, that it is time to put an end to this
thread.

Mustang Sally

Meson. He was actually a lot more affectionate (he almost gave me a
hickey!), but he was a bully to his smaller sister. One night she had
enough, and she attacked him as he came onto the porch, and chased him away
so she could be #1 queen cat. I'll put the story on a page of my personal
site, www.peschoen.com.

once a month.

pfoley...

=======
I was also told to never use flea collars. I guess their potency does not
last long, since they get wet in the rain and damp grass and most people
don't replace them , and they can irritate the dog's neck.