Hi eveyone,
this might seem a funny question, but how often can you give your Husky a Bath ?.

I suppose it depends on whether you are considering showing them or not as obviously they need to be bathed and groomed prior to a show but if not I would say don't do it too often as it can damage the natural oils in their coat. Personally I would only bathe them once or twice a year - the only exception to this would be if they had rolled in something particularly smelly!!! Huskies have the type of coat that repels a lot of dirt but I think regular brushing is a must to keep their coats soft and glossy.

I think to keep from interfering with their natural weatherproofed coat they should not be washed more frequently than every 6-8 weeks. Of course if you're showing or your sibe gets dirty then it wouldn't hurt to bathe more frequently but many sibe owners get away with once or twice a year. Personally I bathe my sibe every 6-8 weeks or as needed.

A better question would be whether your dog is a "indoor" dog or an "outdoor" dog. That factors in with the regularity that you give it a bath.

For the record though, mine is primarily indoors and gets a bath twice a year.

Hi he is an out-door Husky !!!.

We got Sierra and Jack in Feb and March of this year and they both got a bath the day they came home with us to make sure they were clean, Sierra smelled a bit cause she went swiming in a lake a few days before we got her we were told and Jack because he was living out side at the rescue. they got their second bath just last sunday after our hike and i realized it had been like 6 months since they got their first bath. i would give them a bath if in fact they smelled from rolling in something but other wise i think the 6 month thing works for them. we are going camping in 2 weeks and we will see how clean they stay and might be getting another one at that time.

Huskies hardly require any bathing , or very little.
All mine get a bath every 6 months.
Husky have 2 coats...an undercoat that is the thick and soft coat that provides all the heat in colder climes ...this contains lots of oils to keep the skin not only clean but healthy.
Then they have the guard coat..this is the courser top coat ...this coat is water repellent.
Bathing too frequently will not only strip the undercoat of the essential oils needed to keep the undercoat soft and insulating but it always strip the top coat of its waterproof qualities which will result in the undercoat becoming dry , brittle and less insulating.
Husky fur has this amazing trick of self cleaning ( next time he gets muddy paws..leave them for a day and they will be white in the morning ) so the need for frequent bathing is not only pointless can be harmful in the long run.

When bathing for shows we use a very very mild shampoo available from vets to ensure that no damage is done to the skin and fur.
We also only use the unpurfumed kind as these are less harsh.

None show dogs...once or twice a year is suffice.


( This thread has been moved to help and advice )

Huskylove wrote:

Husky fur has this amazing trick of self cleaning ( next time he gets muddy paws..leave them for a day and they will be white in the morning )

I have totally witnessed this. It's amazing and I love it.

That was one of the huge pluses for me when I was researching huskies before we got Koda: their grooming habits. Huskies are one of the only breeds that "groom themselves." Very little bathing and maintenance if you can put up with the shedding.

I must not have a husky, mine requires more than bi-annual grooming. lol

Huskyluv wrote:

I must not have a husky, mine requires more than bi-annual grooming. lol

Really? How often do you have to bathe Dakota?

On average every other month, give or take a few weeks. I don't think I've ever been able to go more than 3 months without a bath. I also give him a blowout every few weeks with the high velocity dryer and you would not believe all the crap that comes out of his coat in between baths...even I find it hard to believe after seeing it with my own eyes. And the crazy thing is I only get the crap out of his coat by blowing or bath, no amount of brushing removes it and you can't see it b/c it's white. I'm thinking since he's always rolling in the grass, dirt, whatever it lodges itself in his undercoat. Believe me, when I researched the breed I looked forward to only bathing twice a year but with mine, I can't go that long. I'd also read in my research prior to getting a sibe that they clean themselves kinda like cats, not mine...maybe I got a dud.

Huskyluv wrote:

I'd also read in my research prior to getting a sibe that they clean themselves kinda like cats, not mine...maybe I got a dud.

Yeah- I read that too and Koda totally does that. Aww... I don't think Dakota's a dud! Maybe he just doesn't like it I can't imagine that I would enjoy licking myself clean...

I don't know, I've never caught him cleaning himself aside from the occasional lick yet I do find large amounts of his fur in his stool every now and then...

If he has white stuff in his fur thats dry dead skin. A bit like dandruff
Try changing the shampoo to something much milder or it could escalate to excema and trust me thats the last thing you want.
Only use shampoo every other bathe...on the time that you dont use shampoo a good rub will get rid of it for you.
If he is startin to smell in between baths ...thats the dead skin.

I've been waiting since Sunday for that "amazing trick". Turns out it doesn't work with tree sap. This will be the sled dogs' first bath of 2009.

Sinatra acts more like a pig than a cat. lol
He "wallows" in the mud or dirt behind our home.
I label Sintra as a half/half dog. He spends the days outside and evenings / nights inside.
Typically after 6-8 weeks he is too dirty (smelly) for my wife to allow him entry in our home.

Sinatra also has mild alergies, and washing him with Selsen Blue (or non-medicated dandruff shampoo) lowers his sneezing for about a week.

Harrise try some cooking oil on the coat to get rid of the sticky tree sap.

Huskylove wrote:

If he has white stuff in his fur thats dry dead skin. A bit like dandruff
Try changing the shampoo to something much milder or it could escalate to excema and trust me thats the last thing you want.
Only use shampoo every other bathe...on the time that you dont use shampoo a good rub will get rid of it for you.
If he is startin to smell in between baths ...thats the dead skin.

Linzi, I took Dakota to my vet on Monday and she had a look at his skin and coat and asked me what shampoo I was bathing him in and how often. She was able to see the white stuff that I mentioned by going through his coat with a fine comb. I told her I bathe him about every 6 to 8 weeks or so and she recommended I use a Seborrhea shampoo on him and actually bathe him more frequently like once a month with that if I can. Does this sound like a good idea to you? I gave him a blowout with the high velocity dryer on Tuesday (yesterday, after the going to the vet) and I've never seen so much white crud come out of his coat before. It is definitely much worse than it has been.

Based on some other tips on another forum I've started added a little bit of extra virgin olive oil to his food every few days for his skin. I know an animal based oil would be better but I just can't stand the smell of fish based oils. He gets Nupro supplement added to his food every day, but I'm wondering if there are any other things I can do to help with his skin besides the Seborrhea shampoo?

I wonder if Husky skin is somewhat like our lips (yes, it's a strange analogy but it actually makes sense) in that if you never use ChapStick you're lips will hardly every get chapped because ChapStick wasn't part of our environment for millions of years. But once you start using ChapStick your lips become accustomed to the moisture and going any time without ChapStick they become chapped. This is why many of the "experts" are against even starting to use ChapStick.

What I'm trying to get at is maybe since you've bathed Dakota more often than is needed since he was a puppy his skin is reacting (or getting chapped) to the conditions that aren't natural to the breed.

From my understanding, the oils in the skin are a big part of why they can go so long without baths and why their fur is able to be such a good barrier to the snow (obviously there is a variance of their oils to "water dogs"). Washing your dog that often is hindering the oils from forming a protective barrier on the fur and outer layer of skin.

Thoughts?

Just thought of this after reading the flea/ticks thread. Do you think that the medication that he is taking is causing his skin to dry out? With humans there are quite a few medications that will cause your skin to dry. Did your doctor check for any allergies?

I totally understand the Chapstick analagy since it applies to me, I started using Chapstick way too frequently years ago and now I am practically dependent on it. lol

First off a little background on Dakota that may help. I don't know about his prior history but we adopted him when he was around 2 years old (the shelters best estimate). We used to live in Washington state and never had a problem with his skin, we had him for a year in WA. Then we moved to FL last September (2008) and still no problem. The issue started up about the time it started getting hot and humid in FL which starts around late March/early April and the skin issue has progressively gotten worse as the heat and humidity have worsened. I discussed this with the vet and she thinks he is reacting to the heat and humidity since everything, even his scooting, coincides perfectly with the environmental changes.

He started scooting a lot when the heat and humidity started up in the spring as well. I had the vet express his anal glands on Monday and they had very little so his scooting is not due to his anal glands bothering him. His fecal test came back negative so the scooting is also not due to parasites. She figures his skin issue and scooting is due to being itchy from the weather.

I don't bathe him on a set schedule of every six to eight weeks, I do it when necessary like if he gets dirty or has a smell but I don't bathe any more frequently than 6 weeks so as not to interfere with this skin and coat too much. If he gets really dirty in between baths I hose him down outside and blow him out with the hv dryer.

I just don't know if bathing him more frequently, even with a special shampoo, would be more helpful or harmful. Please keep the advise and opinions coming, I really appreciate it. There's nothing I can do about the weather but I do want to help him the best way I can with his skin issues. Even me and my chihuahua have been a little more itchy lately than usual. My skin is drier and itchier than usual too, I'm having to put lotion on more than I usually do. Neither of them has fleas just in case anyone's wondering, vet checked them over for that too.

No one?

Hi Val - now you know I am no expert but I vaguely remember reading somewhere in one of the forums that zinc deficiency can cause skin problems - have you heard of this?? I am probably completely missing the mark here as you mention you and Faith are also having similar problems - it could possibly be just down to the climate you live in.

Sorry val i didnt see this,
Try this
My recipe is for pets that have dry skin and itch a lot. In a spray bottle add 1/3 cup of baby oil, 1/3 cup of original listerine and 1/3 cup of warm water. Shake the bottle to mix and spray on pet. Works well especially on dogs with dandruff and real dry skin. Rub it in. The
pets fur will not be oily but sure makes him feel better. It is really good for dogs that get hot spots. Always shake mixture before spraying pet.
Trust me ...i know it sounds like a wierd mixture but boy will he feel instant relief with that mixture and it wont make the fur greasy.
Also a tablespoon or so of OLIVE OIL in his food 2 or 3 times a week.
It will help a treat with the scooting too

Thank you both! Really appreciate it. Cath, I know ZD can cause skin problems but I've never heard of it being like this.

Linzi, thanks for the 'recipe'. I will see if I can find some baby oil, if not I'll see about picking some up sometime this week when I go shopping. If you don't mind my asking, what does the Listerine do? I trust you but I'm just curious. lol Also, should I do the spray on his coat every so often until his skin gets better? Like once a week or something?

Thanks for the tip on the olive oil. I gave him just a little bit of olive oil mixed with his dinner three times this week. He's not scooted for over a week but I know his dry skin will take a little longer.

Despite my vet's advice, I am also going to try bathing him less unless he absolutely needs it. I think I will just try wetting his coat and blowing him out more often if I can instead. I do intend to pick up a different shampoo for dry, itchy skin for when I do bathe. I know my vet has good intentions but I don't think she's completely on top of the needs of sibes when it comes to bathing and skin/coat care.

Apparently on another husky forum someone is having the same issues I am having with their own recently rescued sibe. She shared what shampoo she is using to help his skin so we will plug through this together.