I've been reading that you are not suppose to bath Bernese. So If you don't bath them how do you get rid of the doggy smell?

Storm is not only a mountain dog, but a swamp dog and Joe dirt dog. if he can get dirty he will. we also live at a lake and he loves to swim. no he is getting a skin condition. so can you shave BMD's . I heard that their coats don't grow in right if you shave them

hello there,

not sure where you heard that you couldn't bath a berner but i bath 'Darby' on a regular basis. He loves getting towel dried after his bath! I find that if you bath them too much then you will dry out there coats (removing the natural oils).

I give darby a good grooming session 1st to get rid of the knots and tangles and them bath him with a gentle puppy shampoo, followed by a puppy conditioner... making sure to completely rinse the dog afterwards.

after this he gets dried off and when he is completely dry i give him another brushing to remove any loose hair.

Berners are a house dog really and so they require regular bathing* (darby gets it about once or twice every 3 months or so depending on the dirt) unless you like the wet dog smell!

if the dirt is only on the surface of the coat it will fall away naturally - one of the benefits of the oily coat. but if it from - say dirty water - then it is deeper in the coat and may need a bath.

...hope this helps

thanks that helps.

storm loves the water and now he has a skin condition. now i'm not sure how to prevent this. he stays wet forever.

he too loves to get toweled dried, but hates the bathtub. But i hate the doggy smell worse.

Only thing to be careful of is that bathing them too often can dry out their skin and coat.

Try grooming more often instead, it gets the stray fur out and prevents it from matting or holding in the oils that can cause them to smell.

I only bath Toa maybe three times/year now. But we brush him almost weekly and it makes a huge difference. But, he doesn't care much for swimming or getting too muddy. In the spring we just wash his paws and legs and in the rain or snow we keep a towel to dry him off with when he gets in the door.

But, if you're ok with bathing yours more often, and there doesn't seem to be any adverse affects to the skin or coat then have at 'er

Also there are "doggie colognes" that you can buy that you spray on the coat and brush through that makes them smell nice. I use that between baths for Toa so that he doesn't get smelling too bad!