# Can I bathe with hose/cold water?



## plumcrazy

I don't think I've ever bathed a dog with straight, cold hose water... I know *I* certainly wouldn't be comfortable with a cold water shower! We used to bathe our Irish Setters outside when I was a kid and my mom always provided buckets of warm water from the bathtub for wetting and rinsing. Sometimes hose water can be downright "icy"!

Maybe I'm being too conservative, but I don't think I'd do it; just keeping the comfort of the dog in mind - probably wouldn't HURT them physically, but it certainly wouldn't feel GOOD! IMO...


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## Olie

In the south our water comes out warm even hot at times for about 6 months out of the year. 95 this weekend. So I may do this from time to time this year.

At first I was thinking it would be pretty cold. But we go swimming in some pretty cold water and poodles/other dogs do too......so I am sure it does not bother them as much as we think it would bother us! My dogs will shake in the tub with warm water....so you can try it and see if how the reaction is.


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## Rockporters

I did it a few times with my GR when she was too gross to walk through the house to the tub. I'd try another approach if the water is really cold. Perhaps hook the hose to a spigot inside the house and still bath outdoors? 

Then again, Jasper walks right into the ocean and it's unbelievably cold. He's even been known to do it on a freezing cold day no less. My GR used to be the same way. Maybe the idea of cold water bother us more than them?


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## plumcrazy

Olie said:


> In the south our water comes out warm even hot at times for about 6 months out of the year. 95 this weekend. So I may do this from time to time this year.


OK, I'll amend my post to say it depends on your weather outside! It SNOWED here last night and we're still under a winter weather advisory... I shiver just THINKING about hose water right now! :lol:


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## Cdnjennga

It's probably fine. Ziggy heads into the lake as soon as the ice is off and doesn't seem too bothered by it! If the air is warm, they'll probably even find it a relief. I would try it and see how they act. If they're shivering and unhappy more than usual while being bathed, it's probably too cold for them.


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## puppylove

My doggies swim in the dead of winter when the pool is cold and we're wearing jackets. So yes, I do wash them outside (on warm days) with cold hose water. They sometimes will jump into the pool before their final rinse!


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## KPoos

Dogs have a higher core temperature than humans do. Cold water isn't going to bother them the same as it would a human. With it being in the 80s here, I bathe the dogs with the water hose all the time.


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## *tina*

If I'm going to wash outside, I put the hose box in the sun. Of course, our hose water comes out at about 78 degrees (as I found out to my horror last week when changing out the fish water, since their tank is supposed to be at about 68! and the thermometer kept raising as I added in new buckets of water). My poodle gets in the sprinkler, etc and soaks to the skin all the time and loves it.


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## spoospirit

_I don't see why it would be harmful to them if the temperature is warm and your water isn't too cold. Our spoos go right into water with ice on it too.

However, I won't bathe mine with the hose because we have an artesian well sunk deep into the ground with ice-cold spring water. Even when the water in the hose has warmed up from the sun, it isn't long before the really cold water starts to flow. It's rare that we get a very warm day so I just stick to the tub. I would love to be able to wash the spoos outside!
_


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## pudlemom

I wash my spoos outside in the summer time, here the water coming out of the hose is never real cold our well in not very deep and it is already almost 90 here today they love it,it's hard to bath them as they are always wanting to play with the water.


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## partial2poodles

Jumping in and swimming in cold water is fine. But as a professional "bather" of dogs, cold water closes the pores and the hair is not OPEN to accept soap, whiteners or even conditioners. You need warm water. When I do a bath, I make the water a tad bit hot....I like to see it be warmer than 102, the dogs natural body temperature. Its skin pores are wide open, I get the best results. This is most true on the shedding breeds but really all breeds.


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## Pamela

Thanks everyone! I decided against it - that day anyway - in the summer i put them in the pool to get wet and then shampoo them and rinse with hose - our water is pretty cold so its probably too soon to use it - they never seem to mind though - I just wondered if it could hurt them. Actually I have been doing a lot of gardening and getty hot and sweaty and you are right - jumping in a cold pool is one thing but hosing yourself off - or taking a cold shower - yikes!!! lol


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## grooming goddess

Most shampoos are not designed to perform their best unless you use warm water. Cold water also makes it more difficult to rinse it out.


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## neVar

well as to hurting them. Before the olympics in atlanta a lot of study went into cold hosing of horses. Previous old school thought was that cold water on a warm animal= muscle spasms. Results of thes tudy was that no- you don't cause spasms with cold water. and for cooling a hot animal- cold water scraped off put on and scraped off cools the horse the fastest. 

So i'm guessing after that huge study that it won't HURT a dog (obviously outside of doing it for so long that you lowered abody temperature to a dangerous point)


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## flyingduster

just a note that someone commented on dogs having a higher core temperature than humans, which is true, but I don't believe for a second that it means they don't feel the cold as much! If anything, cold water will feel darn freezing to them!!! Think about when you are hot and sweaty, you could use luke-warm water and it'd feel cool to you, or switch it around and when you're freezing cold, luke-warm water can feel burning hot. Dogs are naturally warmer than us, so I have found that they do react a lot less if the water is 'hot' for me; it's a lovely warm bath to them!!!


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## bigpoodleperson

I did this to Riley last summer. We went to a river and played around. He had so much sand in his coat that it would of clogged our septic system if i bathed him in the house. It was 85-90 degrees out and we were in the sun. Our hose water was really cold. By the time i was done the poor boy was shaking! We stayed outside until he was dry, and he was still shaking when we went inside. I will try and never do that again to him unless its a quick feet rinse. He was freezing!


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## poodleholic

During the summer months here in FL, the "cold" water isn't very cold (more like tepid), and the outside heat is such that a bath with the outside hose is a welcomed treat to my crew. . .you can see it in their body language, and almost hear that sigh of "ahhhhhhh!" 

I get the coat soaked, and then fill a 5-gal. bucket of warm water - once for the sudsing, and again for the rinse. I rarely use conditioner, as their coats don't need it, but, I've actually washed and conditioned my hair with outside hose water, and my hair looked, and felt great! No problem with getting the hair clean and/or rinsing out conditioner. In the summer, I will often use ACV and water as a final rinse (fleas and bugs don't like it), and no, they don't smell vinegary! Leaves the coat shiny and nice.


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## Harley_chik

Very warm/hot water can increse histamines, which lead to itching. I always use lukewarm water on my dogs inside. During the summer I frequently bath Harley outside. I don't think he minds it at all and it is so much more convienent. I don't have to get him in or out of the tub, we both have more room to manuver and I don't have clean the tub afterwards. Washing human hair in cool/cold water is healthier, reduces frizz and helps to retain color. I assume it's same for for dogs, particularly those with hair instead of fur.


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## Pamela

I keep my dogs hair short in the summer so they are not under the hose very long - I wet them in the pool to begin with - then suds them and rinse - then they are back in the pool so they get a good rinse - when the day is done they get a leave-in conditioner for them-soft coat - no itch - and for me - sweet aroma! lol


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