How Often Do You Bath Your Dog?

sam b · 10-13-2007, 01:29 PM

Hi Guys, it is so cool to read the different posts in this thread.

I bathe Mel (chocolate lab) about once a month. Under the cold power shower in the yard, with local coconut soap (here in Brazil people use it to wash everything, from clothes, to people to dogs.) Mel loves swimming but she hates the shower (anyone else find this with labradors?). So I get really wet and covered in soap too.

Sol, the yorkie, gets different treatment: She goes under the warm shower every two weeks with dog shampoo and conditioner, followed by grooming with blow dryer and brush. She gets way dirtier way more quickly than Mel.

Addison · 10-13-2007, 05:12 PM

I take Addison to petsmart for a bath every other month to help controll her shedding.

Breona · 10-13-2007, 06:57 PM

I give Tito a bath 2-3 times a month.... He does fine with them. He doesn't try to get out or anything but he is pretty small and hard to control...

nlkeple · 10-13-2007, 08:45 PM

Lady gets a bath every Friday night. She is an inside lap dog so I try really hard to keep the doggie smell to a minimum. If my nose wasn't so sensitive I don't think I would do it as often. My tub and shower are separate but I got a water sprayer that attaches to the tub faucet (it was like 10 bucks) so I could have a nozzle that sprays for rinsing. I like doing it in the night because after her bath she only has 1 more walk for the evening and if I can keep her from rolling, by the next day she has forgotten and doesn't remember to roll.

battlemonkey · 10-13-2007, 11:18 PM

I don't bathe Jesse as often as I read on the boards. I bathe her maybe once every 2 months, and I usually do so at the local dog washing parlor. We have a u-wash place that have very large tubs so the dog can't get out easily but have ramps for the older dogs to get up without difficulty.

She's an inside dog but doesn't have a smell. I've heard that some dogs do emit an odor, but I have never noticed with my dog.

RonE · 10-14-2007, 07:44 AM

Your supposed to bath your dog?

Chikadee · 10-14-2007, 07:51 AM

My lab only gets a bath maybe once or twice a year so her oils in her coat don't get ruined, but she gets brushed daily.
My plott hound gets a bath once a month cause he's a puppy that likes to play in mud, dirt, dead things, you name it

And my Shepherd usually gets a bath every 3-4 months but she definately gets brushed once or twice a day cause of all the hair!!!

dane&cockermom · 10-16-2007, 09:30 PM

buddy the cocker gets groomed about once a month. in the summer, it's more like, every 2 weeks cause he's black and it gets too hot for him. he's like velvet...thick and hot. gwen, the dane, she gets done about every 6 weeks. because work at a grooming salon, i can do them there any time i want for free, so i like to keep them looking ggood, especially since i can do it for free!

hungover · 12-31-2008, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RonE

Your supposed to bath your dog?

Nice one RonE- so exactly how long ago did your friends stop visiting you at home

We have bichons that are always in the bath.

From a health point of view there is nothing to stop you bathing on a daily basis provided that you use safe shampoos.

I would recommend a natural shampoo- they cost more (quite a bit more) but don't have nasty chemicals (sodium lauryl/ laureth sulphate) that will be absorbed into the skin.

If you can justify the cost then get a forced air drier (aka blaster)- so much faster and a must have for long haired dogs!!!

myminpins · 12-31-2008, 11:19 AM

I never bathe my minpins unless they get into something stinky. Their coats are shiny and they don't smell at all.

I'll be bathing the sheltie only when he gets filty. He'll be brushed all the time which keeps most of the dirt off.

hungover · 12-31-2008, 11:48 AM

"Not true. The more often you bathe, the more you strip the body of its natural oils. It won't kill them but it's not GOOD for them, either. Same with us humans but, since we are so scent sensitive, we've had to decide to bathe often

LOL"

We humans suffer more from drying our hair with hot air than washing it per se.

I would much rather use a less aggressive natural shampoo on a regular basis than use a more powerful shampoo less often.

A good quality natural shampoo will compliment (and improve the skin condition) the body rather than stripping it of the natural oils.

I have always wondered if the whole principle of regular bathing/hairwashing being bad is a throw back to the days when hot water and cleaning products were a luxury.

In nature animals are always getting wet. granted it is dangerous for animals that live on or in water to be washed using degreasing products.

And as an aside- I am soooooo glad we humans bathe regularly (especially when on the Tube in the summer!!!).

marsha=whitie · 12-31-2008, 01:23 PM

My dogs are primarily outside dogs. Even though they have longer hair, it doesn't tangle at all, so they only get worked over with a good comb and brush about twice a week.

When they get into some mud, I wait for it to dry then I brush it out.

They only get bathed once a month: that's our de-fleaing day. They get flea baths, and while they're chillaxing in the house, all of their bedding gets washed with bleach and some area flea spray.

The one dog smells like, well, dog, but the other actually has a pleasant smell... almost like a natural doggy perfume. lol.

For being outside dogs (running through the feilds and going to the pond), they're remarkably clean.

dleggs15 · 12-31-2008, 02:57 PM

Rosie our bulldog gets a bath usually every 2-3 weeks

Peewee the Min Pin gets washed off when Rosie gets a bath and he gets a real bath every 2 months or so!

Chuckles · 12-31-2008, 06:43 PM

I have one of those stand-up showers in the basement. I put on my own swimming trunks and lock us both inside, she whines a bit and wants to get out but it's usually not a lot of trouble. No water splashing everywhere and just usually over in 10 minutes. Twice a month for an inside dog, BTW.

Pai · 12-31-2008, 10:29 PM

Once a week with mild shampoo, in the bathtub. =)
Otherwise, without a hair coat to protect the skin from dirt and oil, she'll start getting zits all over... ugh.

Willowy · 12-31-2008, 10:38 PM

I've never bathed my current dogs. Penny actually smells nice. Toby smells OK. Moose smells a tiny bit "doggy". Not bad, though. They do go swimming in the summer, and once I put Toby in the bathtub and washed his back end, because he had diarrhea and was icky back there. I didn't wash the rest of him, though.

My mom's dog was bathed once a week by her former owner. My mom has never bathed her. For a while, Shug really smelled bad, but now she smells OK. I have no idea what caused the smell, but I'm glad it went away

.

I know one dog who is bathed regularly, and he STINKS!!! I wonder if bathing him less often would be better for him.

trumpetjock · 01-01-2009, 02:31 AM

Once a year, and that is probably completely unnecessary. I do it after winter because he starts smelling just a little funky in the spring. He would probably shed the smell quickly enough, but I'd rather not wait to find out.

Tmarie423 · 01-01-2009, 04:24 AM

I normally bathe my dogs only a few times a year unless they get absolutely filthy and it is desperately needed. Bathing too often isn't good for a dogs skin or coat. A good diet will help keep them clean and will keep that dreadful 'doggie' odor away : )

deege39 · 01-01-2009, 12:23 PM

I bathed Donatello the day I brought him home from the animal shelter... It was probably extremely traumatic, but I just couldn't take the smell. My truck reeked (sp) for nearly a week after that truck ride home. He smelled like the animal shelter, doggy doo, urine, and a bunch of other crap. I was surprised that they didn't bathe him, at least give him a quick wash before I picked him up, but oh well- I can understand their reasoning on why they wouldn't have.

Since he's been having all these skin problems I've bathed him every other week with a mild&gentle shampoo, and it's really been helping to keep his skin moisturized. Once these skin irritations clear up I'll bathe him less frequently, but frequently enough to keep him familiar with it; There's nothing worse then your dog getting into something stinky and having him freaking out when you have to give him an emergency bath. lol!

I also blow dry his fur after the bath. I've heard good and bad things about doing that, but I have yet to see any "bad" side effects... Seeing it's the winter time, even though he has short hair, it takes too long for the fur to dry and in case I have to take him out, I'd hate to take him out with wet fur. I've also noticed that drying the fur yourself gets rid of that "wet dog" smell and leaves their fur smelling like the shampoo, which is another plus!

rosemaryninja · 01-01-2009, 01:35 PM

Once a week, with diluted shampoo. The climate here is so hot and humid that oil and grease starts building up really quickly if I don't.