We have been in the habit of about every 4-6 weeks simply because it keeps the fur down a bit, but I'm just wondering if it's better to do more often or less? She has no problem with baths but I wanna make sure I'm not over doing it!

I normally bathe them every 2 months or so unless they get super dirty. Like now with rainy season in Miami...they get super muddy very often. I just bathed them yesterday actually and probably won't do it again until late September. That's one of the things I love about huskies....they don't stink and "clean" themselves like cats..LOL!!! Their paws can be filthy and the next thing you know they're back to white!

you want to bathe them less, mine go months without baths unless they get muddy or start to stink

Hmmm....she wouldn't mind too much if we did it less...she hates the blow dryer.

Koda HATES bathing in bodies of water. I have to use a bathcloth & put the shampoo either directly on him or on it and scrub. Now I just use it to wash his paws off or if any dirt or doo gets anywhere on his legs.

Koda is super clean, I could probably not bathe him more than twice a year if there was not coat blowing. We can even go to a park and get him dirty and usually it falls off for the most part and then he cleans himself.

Rogue is tiny and a hot mess and gets filthy easily, but we try to use wipes on her most of the time. She has gotten bathed the day we got her as she was itchy, and then after her first part visit and after the meet up due to having tons of dirt, but we used water and a scrubby hand only for those.

During the summer with all the hiking and camping I would say every 2 months and the winter I think we wait till the spring to wash them! So in all maybe 2-3 times a yr... not more then 4 a yr.

Now that they don't do daycare at work with my anymore, they tend to not need baths as much. If anything I bathe them to help out when they're shedding really heavy or if they've gotten into something nasty

Is it bad for their coats to wash them?

I wash mine about every week or two weeks. Steve's a neat freak and won't let them roam free in the house if I don't bath them often. I just use a detergentless shampoo and put Ice and Ice conditioning spray on them afterward. Their coats seem healthy to me.

SaraB wrote:

put Ice and Ice conditioning spray on them afterward. Their coats seem healthy to me.

Is the conditioning spray leave in?

I think all spray on conditioners are leave in, I've never seen one that wasn't. I know the worry with baths is taking away the essential oils in their coat, I'm pretty sure there's something show dogs have used on them to put those oils back in but no idea what it's called.

Yeah, it is a leave in spray. Makes them so soft! Which isn't good for the show ring, so I can't use it just before a show. They aren't supposed to have super soft hair. But it does help repell dirt and water from their feet and legs and it has some sunscreen in it (not a ton, but at least it's something).

I need to get this conditioning spray! Where did you purchase it at? Mya's coat has been looking dry lately....

I ordered it online. Think I got it off of amazon. The one I use is called Ice on Ice, but I'm sure there are a ton of other ones. Maybe search coat conditioner on Petedge and see what all they have.

Our two get washed about every 3 weeks. I have allergies, and it's a big help. Plus, Frosti gets all stinky from wrestling with the other pups at day care - picks up their doggie smell.

We use the Furminator shampoo - which makes their fur all soft. And the salmon oil we add to their dinner makes a huge difference in moisturizing their coats! It starts working pretty fast too!

mheath0429 wrote:

We have been in the habit of about every 4-6 weeks simply because it keeps the fur down a bit, but I'm just wondering if it's better to do more often or less? She has no problem with baths but I wanna make sure I'm not over doing it!

Siberian coats are best off with less washing. It is generally advised that bathing be done no more frequently than every 6-8 weeks, unless necessary. Dogs that get themselves really dirty or are being shown tend to get baths a bit more frequently at times which is fine, but if your dog doesn't "need" a bath there's no reason to bathe on a regular schedule of every 6-8 weeks. Just bathe your sibe as needed, they are a pretty clean breed and most don't need but a few baths a year...if that.

mheath0429 wrote:

Is it bad for their coats to wash them?

It's not "bad" for their coats per se. However the Siberians have a weatherproof coat which effectively protects from the elements, i.e. snow and rain. Their coat is somewhat waterproof which you'll no doubt have noticed when you try to soak them during bathing! I know it takes FOREVER to soak my sibes coat with water, his waterproof coat is VERY effective! Bathing them frequently interferes with the natural weatherproofing and oils in their coat which can be undesirable if working and living in harsh conditions...not so much a problem for the common house pet. That said, the less frequent you bathe the better, but if you need to bathe more frequently it's not going to be bad or do any serious damage.

It's been 11 months since my sibe got his last bath and I see no need for one in the near future. He's perfectly clean, his coat is in excellent condition, and he has absolutely no odor. I try to bathe as infrequently as possible, if it's not absolutely necessary I don't do it...not because I'm lazy, it's just because he doesn't need it. Does that mean my sibe never gets dirty? Ha! Absolutely not! My sibe gets dirty all the time, he is a husky after all. I just use a quick hose down and blow out with my high velocity dryer and he can go from sopping, mud-covered husky to clean as a whistle in a matter of minutes.