Can I get real with you for a minute? Let me start by saying I love my dog Bear, I really do. (No, that’s not him above, that’s just a cute stock photo I found because fitting a 115 lb golden retriever into a wash bucket for a cute picture was NOT going to happen!)
Anyways, back to Bear-he’s such a good dog, amazing and patient with our three boys, but I had NO idea how labor intensive the upkeep on golden retriever coats were! This dog sheds a chihuahua worth of dog hair daily around the house, needs neverending brushing to de-shed his coat, and given his propensity for rolling around in the dirt, gets pretty darn stinky pretty darn quick. Over the winter I had to fork over $70 every time he needed grooming-not ideal for my frugal ways. As soon as it warmed up enough here I took him outside and mixed up my DIY dog shampoo and gave him a good scrubbing!
Homemade Dog Shampoo Ingredients:
- 2 tbsp baby shampoo
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp aloe vera
- 2 tbsp glycerin
- 1 cup water
Bear has very bad allergies and his poor skin gets irritated easily so my dog shampoo recipe is tailored to be extra soothing. Both the glycerin and aloe vera help sooth the skin while the vinegar and shampoo gently clean away dirt and oil. Simply mix everything up in a jar or bottle and shake it up. Apply liberally and scrub, scrub, scrub!!
He was a very happy camper! But I’m not sure if it was because he was clean or because he knew what was coming, his favorite treats! (I get mine from Chewy.com, see my full Chewy.com review here!
Anybody else have a stinky dog in need of a bath? How often do you bathe your dog?
Catina says
We have a rescued Golden/Pyrenees mix and the shedding is crazy! White hairs Everywhere…How does she have so much hair? Anyway, I’m wondering with the ACV, this shampoo mix doesn’t seem like it would be gentle if it gets into their eyes. My girl does NOT like water, so we haven’t tried to bath her yet, but she’s getting a bit too doggy smelling and I’ll need to try something soon or pay to have her cleaned. 🙁
Carol says
I have a Pekingese who have severe allergies. She has to have her hair cut every 6 weeks during the winter and every 4 during the summer. I am going to try this shampoo asap as soon as I can find the glycerin and the aloe vera.
Melissa says
I hope it helps Carol! Both the aloe and the glycerin were in my grocery store’s first aid section if that helps at all!
Stephanie @ Sandpaper and Glue says
ooh our dog has super sensitive skin too- it never dawned on me to make a shampoo for him instead of the store stuff! thanks for sharing 🙂
Marion says
I have a bordeauxdog, once I had tree, but now just the one left, but we will get a puppy mastiff in May, I hardly bath them never, maybe once or twice a year. They swim a lot in the lake.
Sometimes when they bath themselves in mud or dirty stinky stuff they get a bath.
I will certainly try your doggy shampoo.
Greetings from the Netherlands
Rose Garcia Howerton says
Thanks so much for the recipe! I have three rescue dogs, two of which tend to get a little odor. The Pekingese has sensitive skin, so this will be perfect for him 🙂