Before i go to sleep i thought i would ask. We really only bathe Nova when he gets filthy from mud or digging in the dirt. He's not smelly, and grooms himself pretty well, and with the slicker and rake, most of the dirt comes off neways. Keep in mind, im asking for a puppy, not sure if that matters. I think we've bathed him twice in the 5 weeks we've had him, once because he dug a huge hole in the mud after a rain storm, and the other time was because he got dandruff from the previous shampoo we used when we first got him, so we did an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner to help his skin. So, how often do you, or would you recommend bathing a puppy?

That sounds about right to me. Too often and you can dry out their skin. Using the Oatmeal shampoo is good for their skin (not to mention it usually smells delicious).

No reason to bathe a dog that isn't dirty. Rogue got bathed more than a normal puppy, but that's because I would lather her up in coconut oil every other week since she came to us with such terrible coat condition. I bathed Koda once, the day after he came home with us, as a pup- I think the next time I bathed him he was 8 or so months since he kept up on himself so well.

I am going to have to moderate the bathing of my new puppy... She's already dirty (ish) and I just gave her a bath on Saturday!
What's the best thing to use to spot clean between baths? Baby wipes? Those doggy wipes at the pet store? A wet cloth? I am going to go crazy once Ahsoka starts digging. Her fur is going to get SO dirty SO easily. :/

I usually bath Buddy once every week or two. Goats milk dog shampoo. lol. smells wonderful haha. I try not to bath him too often but then i like him smelling nice. As long as you use a really good dog shampoo with conditioner everything should be fine. Prefer cuddling him when he's clean after a bath too...

We bathed Onyx twice as a puppy, once within the first 2 weeks of having him. The other time when we went to visit my in-laws and came back with fleas . After the 6 month mark we have only bathed him when he gets dirty as he doesn't really stink and he keeps himself pretty clean.

Lucian has had 2 baths so far. Once a few weeks after I got him, and then another one when he was about 4 months old. He needs another one. I'm just not looking forward to being soaked, and having to blow dry him. But he is a little stinky right now. I've tried the wipes, and they don't work, he smells good for a few hours, then he's right back to stinky, lol.

I only bathe when they are dirty, and will be bathing them soon for their first show. Outside of show bathing once a year unless there are some other circumstances that require additional.

Kay gets bathed more often then the others because her coat gets dirty and smelly faster. Sophie gets bathed more often then Maya, i think i bathe Kay once every 2 months, Sophie once every 4 months, and Maya whenever she gets dirty.

Heather! wrote:

No reason to bathe a dog that isn't dirty. Rogue got bathed more than a normal puppy, but that's because I would lather her up in coconut oil every other week since she came to us with such terrible coat condition. I bathed Koda once, the day after he came home with us, as a pup- I think the next time I bathed him he was 8 or so months since he kept up on himself so well.

I wanted to lather Kay up in coconut oil to try and improve her coat and skin condition. I heard you had to leave it in and let it soak for a while, i didn't think it was a good idea to let her run around the house like that. How did you soak Rogue in it?

Even more effective is to also feed the coconut oil too i do and it's an amazing wonder-oil. It hasto be 100% Organic, Extra Virgin and Cold Processed.

I feed coconut oil as well. I give about 1tsp 3x a week and Nikko's coat is great! Very shiny.

I bathe Rebel about once a week, due to him being constantly dirty. He loves mud, and water. I use an oatmeal base shampoo, and a whitening shampoo about once a month.

Indy hardly ever gets a bath unless his coat is super oily and smells.

ETA: I usually bathe Rebel so often because I was maintaining his coat due to shows. Now that I will no longer be showing him, he only gets a bath when necessary.

mheath0429 wrote:

Even more effective is to also feed the coconut oil too i do and it's an amazing wonder-oil. It hasto be 100% Organic, Extra Virgin and Cold Processed.

I had fed Maya coconut oil for a while but stopped when I got Sophie. Which is probably why Maya has such a nice coat. I've been meaning to start feeding all of them it.

I bathed Ava twice when she was a puppy. Once right after I brought her home - when she was all cute and fluffy and could still fit in my bathroom sink. The second time that I bathed her was interesting...Snickers was outside, lifting his leg on the edge of the fence. Ava saw the grass wiggling and went to pounce and, well, I ended up with a yellow-striped puppy

Now, we don't do baths very often. I think its been about a year since her last bath. I like to do it when she's blowing her coat because it helps loosen up the hairs and I can use my dryer to blast the hair away.

I tried to take my husky to Petco grooming services, and they would not groom him. I dropped him off, and they were already scared of him, and I hate the huskies are a misunderstood breed just because of how they look. I did some shopping and was driving home, when I noticed I recieved a voicemail. It was Petco requesting me to pick up Casey as soon as possible. When I picked him up they said that he kept on biting them when they were trying to groom him. I have brushed him before, and he just nips a little bit, but nothing aggressive. I thought taking him to a groomer they would know how to deal with that since the are licensed. Would it be easier for me just to give him a bath, and not deal with it?

gamachemaria wrote:

I tried to take my husky to Petco grooming services, and they would not groom him. I dropped him off, and they were already scared of him, and I hate the huskies are a misunderstood breed just because of how they look. I did some shopping and was driving home, when I noticed I recieved a voicemail. It was Petco requesting me to pick up Casey as soon as possible. When I picked him up they said that he kept on biting them when they were trying to groom him. I have brushed him before, and he just nips a little bit, but nothing aggressive. I thought taking him to a groomer they would know how to deal with that since the are licensed. Would it be easier for me just to give him a bath, and not deal with it?

Sorry you had to deal with that. A lot of people won't tolerate any biting, whether it's aggressive or not. I prefer to do my own grooming, because it's easier, cheaper, less driving around, and no liability to worry about.

As for the OP, Nanook had one proper bath when we first got him. He reeked horribly! This pup we've been watching had several when she first came here. She peed in the crate a few times and rolled around in her poop outside. If it's just regular dirt, I'll brush it out and maybe hose it out without shampoo.

Qannik is groomed every 6 -8 weeks, but only because he goes to daycare twice a week and starts to get really stinking from all the puppy play and mouthing. Otherwise, we wouldn't bathe him on any kind of regular basis.

My adults get baths maybe 4-5x a year, approximately seasonally. As pups, two or three times or so, usually before a vet visit or if they got into something.

Our backyard is mainly dirt so when it's nice out in the winter/spring/fall, they play hard and get really dusty/dirty, so if it's warm enough I'll just do rinses. They love these because they get to play with the hose/kiddie pool/in the mud before being rinsed off in the Booster Bath (the greatest invention ever, btw). In the summer in AZ it's crazy hot so it's nice to not have such dusty dogs since they don't play as much, haha. They mainly just bask in the sun for a while and then come back inside.

And I agree, regular brushing really keeps them pretty clean, because their coat is so thick the dirt mostly stays on top, so you can brush it right off. I am amazed how dirty my whites will look, but then later on in the day they look white again (tho they do get yellower as time goes on, haha). Too bad all that dirt that falls off is all over my house though!

You should only bathe them twice a year. If you have to bathe them more you should use baby shampoo

Cato is bathed for every show, delilah hasnt had a bath in about 8 months. She doesn't get dirty and I use Self Rinse as a dry shampoo.

I used to rarely bathe mine unless they were really dirty. Maybe once every 2-3 months.

Lately my allergies have been bothering me and I believe it's due to having two dogs and the build-up of dander. I've always been fine with one but with the second I think it's just a little too much. There's no way I'd ever get rid of my pups so I decided to deal with it.

As of two weeks ago I've started a new routine of vacuuming every single day and bathing the dogs once a week. Also invested in allergen covers for everything (pillows/mattress/comforter/etc). It seems to help quite a bit. According to the Humane Society bathing pets weekly can reduce fur allergens by up to 84%. Just a note if any of you guys are allergy sufferers.

I have only bathed shadow 3 times in 9 months. Only when he is really dirty. They stay very clean, and you dont want to ruin their coat with constant baths weekly.

I often see many people mention that constant bathing will dry out their skin or damage their coats, but I never see any evidence or studies to prove it true. Unfortunately it mostly seems to be heresay....just something that's been passed along.

Personally I believe that dogs are as unique as humans--some have dryer skin than others, so all of them should be a case by case basis. Either way, if the proper shampoo isn't used then I could see a problem arising.

I researched this for a while and came across a vet who does an "Ask a Vet" series. The way he puts it makes perfect sense:

Quote :

In twenty-seven years of veterinary practice, I have dispensed a lot of advice. Yet, I find myself returning time and again to a message that is so simple and basic, that to ignore repeating it would be the biggest disservice to my patients as well as my clients.

Two of the essential principles of pet ownership are to always apply common sense to any situation and to observe for cause and effect relationships. By utilizing this advice your stress level will be lower, your pet will be healthier and happier and your veterinary bills will be dramatically less.

For example, let us examine the issue of how often to bathe your dog. Very often I see clients who have been told by well meaning advisors that to subject their pet to any more than one or two baths a year would be harmful to the well being of the dogs skin and coat. When asked if they thought that the advice was correct most would reply that they had wondered about it but yet ignored their gut feelings and lived with their unwashed and odiferous companions.

In order to gently point out the error of their ways, I would ask about their own shampooing patterns. Most people would admit to washing their own hair several times a week. Why did they feel that to wash their dog even once per week would have a dire consequence??

Forty years ago the shampoos that were available for pets were essentially detergents that stripped the skin of dirt (which was good) as well as all the oils that were important for a healthy coat. Hence, the myth began that to bath a dog would lead to a dry coat. Over the years, the formulations of the shampoos changed and conditioning agents were added to the detergents thus allowing the skin to be cleaned without damaging the precious oils.

I tell my clients that ninety percent of the dogs could be bathed every day with ninety percent of the shampoos on the market without any problems, although I routinely recommend bathing every one to two weeks. But, here is where the cause and effect principle comes into play.

Bathing may not cure a skin problem but it should never make it worse. However, there may be times where a particular shampoo may cause a reaction particular to that individual. If you are observant enough to notice redness, flakiness or increased itching after a bath, don't condemn the institution of bathing, just use a different shampoo.

Specific skin conditions often require specialized medicated shampoo. Consult with your local veterinarian for the professional advice, which will benefit your pet.

I agree that huskies are a very clean breed and don't need baths that often. For allergy sufferers, though, bathing will reduce the amount of dander substantially. Just food for thought.

When we first got Cadance from the breeder, her whites were kinda yellowed.
The breeder had only bathed the puppies once and we got her at 12 weeks old lol.
Being a groomer, Cadance is at the shop with me almost every day... its too tempting to throw her in at the end of a day. I bathed her once a week for the first couple weeks until I was satisfied that her whites were true white lol. It was tempting to wash her again a week later, but I held out for a week and a half because we were having family visit I had to have her squeaky clean.
I just went another week and a half, she had her first visit at our favorite vet today lol.
I am determined to keep her baths to every 2 weeks / twice a month at most from now on.. I'll try my hardest anyhow. ^_^
To not impose so much on my boss, at the very least.

At one point my GSD needed medicated baths twice a week.

Anyhow.. we bathe / groom dogs on a every 4-weeks schedule Frequently, and none have had a problem.

If anyone is looking for a GREAT shampoo we highly recommend anything by EZ-Groom.
Never thought I could love a shampoo so much. <3 lol