I know there are a number of people that wash their dogs themselves instead of opting for going to the groomers when its a short haired dog that doesn't need as much maintenance. I've washed my dogs a few times in the back yard in a kiddie pool, and it can get kind of messy. I have thought about going to one of those center where you pay $15 dollars where you can use a high tub so you're not stooping down but didn't want everyone else to see me get all messy trying to wrangle with one of my 50 pound dogs lol.
I bathe my dog often, sometimes I do it at the pet shop only if it's really cold outside, if he needs a trim on the fur or if I'm really not in the mood or too busy. I find that whenever I bathe him at home he smells good for longer... And also he doesn't get as stressed out as he would in the pet shop getting bathed by unknown people. I try taking him to the same pet shop every time so he gets used to it but still there are several different people there. I actually enjoy bathing him, what I hate is drying him with a blow drier!!!
I bathe our dogs on my own. We have 6 dogs mind you. They take a bath every two weeks or so because it is very hot here in my country. It's not really messy because they are used to taking a bath already. Also, I make sure that I bath them in the morning, so I will be able to take a bath for a long time afterwards.
I don't bathe our dogs, someone else does them over here, but they do it near the faucet and they squat while doing it. Over here, our dogs gets baths only once in a blue moon. They don't seem to stink that much eventhough they rarely get bathed.
I like to do it myself. I enjoy picking out the type of shampoo my dog is getting. Plus they trust me more and don't get afraid when they are getting a bath. It's a win-win situation
Honestly, I can see the dilemma, because smaller dogs are probably easier to handle than bigger-sized dogs when it comes on to trying to bathe them ourselves. But at the end of the day, I think that it all comes down to two things: the training that we've been able to afford our dogs, and whether our dog tolerates water and being bathed well. It's actually quite funny, but the smaller dogs might actually be harder to handle when we try to bathe them ourselves, because they're so fidgety, and it's much harder to get a good grip on their bodies, because they have the capacity to "wriggle free" out of our grips, even when we're doing our best to restrain them. Furthermore, they're more likely to give us small bites when they are trying to "escape the treachery of being bathed"! On the other hand, our bigger dogs are more likely to stay in place, especially if we make use of tools such as buckets and hoses, in trying to give them a good bath. They tend to be "stronger mentally", so they are actually less likely to fidget, and we can actually foresee their moves better, because their bodies are bigger and we can see when they are about to move around. I tend to use a gardening hose to spray my big dogs, and I dilute some soap in a bucket, and just pour it onto them gently. I've gotten them properly trained, so they know not to get into mischief when I'm trying to bathe them. I love my dogs, and I'm not gonna harm them in anything I do, but I'm gonna be as wise as I can when it comes to cutting excessive expense.
I just noticed recently at one of our local pet stores that they have washing rooms in the back that customers can use to wash their dogs. I didn't know if they charged to use these rooms or not, since it kind of seemed like a good opportunity for them to offer samples of their products for you to try out. But at the same time, if they kept letting people use the rooms free and get free samples, people may not bother actually buying the products I suppose. This also seemed like a great option for people with pets living in apartments, since they can't really take their dog down to the laundry room and wash them in a utility sink, without angering the other residents. My only apprehension would be getting my dogs in and out of the store without causing too much mayhem, fighting with other dogs, running out in front of the cars, knocking over store merchandise and such.
I for sure give my dog his own bath. I took him to a groomer and they literally cut his hair. I have a siberian husky who is all white. Huskys hair should not be cut because it will not grow back right if you do. I trim around his paws and his butt but she cut his maine.. I was so upset. She thought she knew what she was doing. It is a hectic mess trying to give my dog a bath because he has long fur. I usually have to take a shower once I get done getting him all cleaned up. It is a pain. We can not even give him a bath outside because then he will go roll around in the grass. My dog is crazy hyper though so I think groomers would have a hard time with him because I sure do.
I've always done it myself just because it seems to be a lot cheaper and I don't want to be taking my dog to somebody I don't know, I mean, I'm sure there are great people out there that do it, but I would just prefer it to be somebody I'm more comfortable with.
I have a small Yorkie-poo and I always bathe and groom him myself. He is 10 years old now, and one time, I took him to the groomer, and she called me to come and get him because he was so scared and shaking there ! He doesn't like it all that much when I bathe him, and I think that as he is getting older, it is harder on him than when he was a younger dog. Plus he just grumbles more about everything in his old age. I guess I do that, too.....
I prefer to bathe my own dogs as it is really useful in many ways. You know your dogs way better than any groomer hence you would exactly know how to behave with your dog. It also teaches you how to be really patient and connect better with your dogs. Dogs also enjoy getting a bath so it is a win win situation.
I bathe smaller dogs only (puppies). I let my husband do it when they become full grown dogs. I like playing with dogs and so they tend to be playful also when I'm the one bathing them. But with my husband they're just steady and does what my husband tells them to do. They are also uneasy with strangers so taking them to dog groomer is not really a good idea.
We don't have many dog grooming services here so bathing the dog ourselves is pretty much the only option. In richer communities there might be one service store but even then they don't get as many customers since all the rich people have house helpers who would do the dog grooming anyway. I don't mind bathing my dog if I did still have one. I am a lot more apprehensive about dealing with the other stuff than bathing.