[LabMan2]

Determining how often you should give your dog a bath can be somewhat tricky and it really depends on a number of factors, some of which include the breed of your dog, their living environment and daily activities, and their skin condition.

As we all know different breeds have different needs, and the same is true when it comes to giving dog baths. Dogs with coats that are thicker or longer may require bathing more frequently than a dog with a coat that is thin and short. In the case of a thin short coat, a bath every couple months or perhaps once every 3 months would do the trick.

Their living environmet can also play a factor in how often you need to give them a bath. If they live outside and get dirty quite frequently, then you'll want to give your dog a bath more often, perhaps once a month or once every couple weeks. After all, nobody wants a smelly, dirty dog!

If your dog tends to have skin problems or generally has dry skin, you would not want to bath him too much as this may lead to further skin irritation. Frequent bathing can also rob your dog's skin of it's natural oils which help keep the skin smooth and moist.

At the end of the day, when it comes to dog baths, the general rule of thumb is fewer is better!

[CorkyMax]

itchy cocker

The above thread in here posted previously tells much more!

[cigwyllt]

and found it really interesting. I would agree that with baths the fewer the better but surely every two or three months is "often".

I bathed my rescue dog the day I brought her home - she had been sleeping in an outside kennel with an exposed run (it was actually a pig sty) and as you can imagine, she was filthy. That was the first and last time she had a bath - and that was 10 years ago!

My Jack Russell has a very long coat and it is fully self cleaning. He will wade through the muddiest puddle and end up with mud encrusted hair all down his legs and under his tummy but by the time we get home from the walk he is clean. Bathing him is unnecessary.

The only time I would feel it was a necessity to bath my dogs is if they have rolled in pooh - fox was always a great favourite with one of mine. But even then rubbing the affected area with Tomato ketchup removed the odour and a good rinse removed the stain.

A good grooming routine will help to keep your dog smelling fresher as well -baths are for emergencies only where my dogs are concerned.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by cigwyllt

and found it really interesting. I would agree that with baths the fewer the better but surely every two or three months is "often".

I bathed my rescue dog the day I brought her home - she had been sleeping in an outside kennel with an exposed run (it was actually a pig sty) and as you can imagine, she was filthy. That was the first and last time she had a bath - and that was 10 years ago! Hey, glad to hear somebody else 'goes so long!' I am not even sure how long since my 2 have had a bath---at least a year or two! I put the info in this thread (Corky/Max) the way it was worded from where I copied it. Bet there are many members who will think we have both gone too long. But the truth is pretty simple---the dog doesn't need a bath (unless it gets sprayed by a skunk or reeks from something else--or could use a hosing to get rid of mud).
As is stated in this thread--a continual bathing with shampoo is just messing up the dog's coat and you are doing more harm than good. Dogs in the wild never took a bath ---swimming was enough!

My Jack Russell has a very long coat and it is fully self cleaning. He will wade through the muddiest puddle and end up with mud encrusted hair all down his legs and under his tummy but by the time we get home from the walk he is clean. Bathing him is unnecessary.

The only time I would feel it was a necessity to bath my dogs is if they have rolled in pooh - fox was always a great favourite with one of mine. But even then rubbing the affected area with Tomato ketchup removed the odour and a good rinse removed the stain.

A good grooming routine will help to keep your dog smelling fresher as well -baths are for emergencies only where my dogs are concerned.

Agree totally!

[DoggieVogue]

I only bathe Luca when he smells, which is every 2 weeks to a month. The wrinkles on his face can get smelly, and his feet reek after a couple of weeks. If it weren't for that I wouldn't bathe him very often.

[millsandbones]

I think bathing a dog once a week is good.

[cigwyllt]

Once a fortnight or once a week? Surely not. It does their coat and skin no good at all.

I know my dog smells sometimes and that is because he has been in the mud even though he looks clean. A good brushing loosens the deeper dirt and removes the dead hair - and the smell goes. Sure his feet smell but I guess he thinks mine do too and he still loves me lol!

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by millsandbones

I think bathing a dog once a week is good.

You may want to read up on dog breeds with regards to their coats before assuming "dogs" in general should be bathed once a week. You will find that in many breeds you will be doing far more harm than good. Single coated short haired dogs suffer severe skin irritation and dry skin issues no matter what the shampoo used if shampooed more than 4 to 5 times a year.

[pattimow]

I have a peke-a-poo who normally has long hair, however, I try and keep it clipped. I usually only wash her about every 6 to 8 weeks. IF she gets really dirty in between times, I will just take a wet wash cloth and wipe her down a little. Bathing too often is not good but when she gets really dirty she starts scratching only gets relief after a nice warm shower.

After she is dry I put her flea meds on her and she is good to go for another month or so. When I had wires, I rarely gave them a bath, it would blow their show coats. They usually just got the damp wash cloth treatment and a good brushing.

[Lara's mom]

My girls usually get 3 - 4 baths per year. Bailey goes to a groomer. At 42 pounds, I can't lift her in and out of the tub. I have a serious bath problem. Lara who only weighs 14 pounds gets bathed at home. My new son Lance is only 12 weeks old and hasn't had a bath yet. He still has that lovely "puppy smell". Unless he rolls in something nasty, he won't be getting a bath for a couple of months yet.

[rickh67]

Geez...and here I bath my Manchester Terrier atleast once a month!!! He doesen't get dry skin or scratches himself but you saying that that is too much? Where you getting these guidelines from?

[Marco]

I bath Enzo when he needs it, normally once in 3 months, but that depends on where we walk, when he rolls in the cow pat, when he gets flaky fur, etc. Bathing two often can cause skin problems, I was told, by my vet and more experienced owners, to bathe him when he needs it. "There's no point hauling a 5st. Doberman pup into a bath - getting smelling and splashed - when he'll need it after the walk anyway."

Enzo's very clean. If I dog sit the neighbours dog and she wees on the floor, Enzo tries to cover it by rubbing his nose across the spot if I don't see it. This is how he usually gets a sore snout. He's not a fan of water, nor is he a fan of mud, cow pat, fox poo or anything that may stink. Baths are a rare thing here.

[CorkyMax]

Originally Posted by rickh67

Geez...and here I bath my Manchester Terrier atleast once a month!!! He doesen't get dry skin or scratches himself but you saying that that is too much? Where you getting these guidelines from?

Did you read this thread: itchy cocker ? If not please read. In post #4 of that thread---Even though I don't remember where I got it (prob. a newsletter by a vet)--It makes common sense!! As to post #9--That is from a book called Dog Owner's Home Veterinary Handbook---A well written and widely read book by James M. Giffin, MD & Liisa (Yes-2 i's) D. Carlson, DVM--You can find it on Amazon/Ebay.

[Dirky47]

I only give a bath to my dog when I smell him bad. Maybe, after a week.

I guess I need to have a weekly schedule of taking him to a bath.

[OrangeDog]

most dogs should be groomed every 6-8 weeks including ear cleaning, nail trim, bath, blow dry, and a really good brush and comb out. I have some clients that are every 3 or 4 weeks but i think 6 weeks is a good amount of time between groomings.

Show dogs are bathed MUCH more often and suffer no ill effects but it depends on the products you use, how you dry them, etc. Dog shampoo has changed a lot over the years and quality products are not harsh or drying to the skin. I find that dogs that are not groomed often enough usually had skin that is in very poor condition, dry, red, etc. and those that are bathed on a regular basis are much healthier.

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by OrangeDog

most dogs should be groomed every 6-8 weeks including ear cleaning, nail trim, bath, blow dry, and a really good brush and comb out. I have some clients that are every 3 or 4 weeks but i think 6 weeks is a good amount of time between groomings.

Show dogs are bathed MUCH more often and suffer no ill effects but it depends on the products you use, how you dry them, etc. Dog shampoo has changed a lot over the years and quality products are not harsh or drying to the skin. I find that dogs that are not groomed often enough usually had skin that is in very poor condition, dry, red, etc. and those that are bathed on a regular basis are much healthier.

With regards to most breeds, this is true with regards to the nail clipping etc.
But with regards to the bathing, there are breeds that are in fact greatly subjected to dry skin issues and no matter what the shampoo used they should not be bathed that often. In my breed I have seen the results far too often of people taking their dogs into groomers and having them bathed when they have the nails done every two weeks and without fail the dog ends up with flaky dry skin. No matter how many times I have told them that this is going to happen they do not stop until ironically a vet tells them to discontinue the over bathing. How ironic, the dog conveniently stops the flaky dry skin and returns to a healthy coat in short time. In Miniature Pinschers it is recommended no more than 4 to 5 actual baths a year. In between we recommend and baby wipe or towel with warm water and wipe down. Granted, my Aussies now that was a totally different story as well as my Papillons.
I should note that those I know who take their Miniature Pinschers to groomers now only do so for nail trim and no longer have the dog bathed but once every 3 months. Outside of nails, checking anal glands and ears, this is one breed that requires little to no maintenance with it comes to grooming. A wipe down will remove any blown coat hair very easily and they never need to be brushed, unless in the case of the rare long coated Miniature Pinscher.

[Todd]

i agree with Yogi. It really does depend on the breed of dog you have. I have a labrador mix and bathe her once per month with an herbal shampoo. Do you think that's too often?

[Yogi]

Originally Posted by Todd

i agree with Yogi. It really does depend on the breed of dog you have. I have a labrador mix and bathe her once per month with an herbal shampoo. Do you think that's too often?

The only way to be sure is to check her coat, ie: the oils. If she is not really dirty and being that she is a short coated dog you also could get by with just a wipe down unless she simply is really dirty or is carrying a dirty dog odor. In Pins the odor is very rare as there coat is extremely short and single coated ie: no guard hairs.

[Todd]

Originally Posted by Yogi

The only way to be sure is to check her coat, ie: the oils. If she is not really dirty and being that she is a short coated dog you also could get by with just a wipe down unless she simply is really dirty or is carrying a dirty dog odor. In Pins the odor is very rare as there coat is extremely short and single coated ie: no guard hairs.

ok thanks. do you think bathing her with the herbal shampoo once a month would dry out her natural oils? Also, she starts to smell like dirty feet after about a month. At least her feet smell lol. Anyone have this problem. Guess I could just scrub her feet.

[Lunareclipse]

I give my dogs a bath whenever they stink. For some reason they reek worse in the winter than in the summer. So they get bathed every few weeks in the winter and every few months in the summer. I don't show my dogs so I don't worry about shiny coats. But I cannot sleep in bed with a dog that stinks.