How often does your dog need a bath?

[DDD]

Ace used to get groomed about once every three or four weeks. husband took him to a new place about ten days ago and I swear he came home lookin' GOOD with no dog smell and no perfume smell...Just Flat Out clean and handsome. Today I noticed he smells dirty already. Hmm! The weather is fine so there's no reason for him to sweat. I'm beginning to wonder if maybe he needs to go every two weeks. He turned five this week so it's not old age. No dietary changes. No hormonal issues. He just smells like a BIG DOG...yuk! Figured you "dog people" might have some advice. DDD

 

[Hound dog]

I never would consider doing it more than every 2 wks. Sooner than that can cause skin issues.

When my dogs are out playing a lot, it's every 2 wks. Otherwise? As needed. The latter is usually because I've petted them and my fingers come away dirty, or there is an odor. But......a dog is going to smell like a dog no matter how often you bathe them.

 

[witzend]

Er... two or three times a year? Mandy needs it more but at 85 pounds, it's just not realistic. Oscar goes in for a brush-up from time to time to get the knots out of his fur.

It really depends upon the breed. Labs aren't supposed to really need baths, and Mandy doesn't unless she rolls in something particularly nasty. But, when she needs her nails trimmed she gets a bath. No way am I cutting those black toenails! Oscar is mostly Aussie, so he should be bathed 2 - 3 times a year. That's about what we do. In the spring and fall when they blow their coats, they go to the groomer and get a bath and brushed out.

 

[Nancy]

It must depend on the breed and length of hair. My shih tzu goes to the groomer every 7 weeks and I don't bathe her in between unless she gets dirty or muddy outside. But then she's always in the house except for going out on the lease to do her business

 

[Jody]

I brush Broady a couple times a week, He is three and maybe had 5 baths. He plays in his kiddie pool outside, but he leads a pretty sheltered life in the house with me. He smells good to me. I am always complimented on his coat and how shiny and pretty and soft it is. He has never had dry skin or any of the allergies that plague a lot of Goldens.

 

[susiestar]

First, this just brngs to mind a funny about a cousin. At one point, everyone complimented my aunt on her toddler daughter's beautiful, soft, shiny hair. My aunt said it was teh Science Diet. they had to put their cats all on prescription science diet because one cat was getting sick from regular cat food. My cousin, maybe 2 years old, had decided that she was also a cat. Try as they might, she would NOT stop eating the cat's food! The doctor said she would outgrow that, and just to do their best not to let her eat it, but not to worry. She would grow out of it.

Sure enough, in 2 months they were happy they only had cats. She decided that she was not a cat. She was a cow. None of us could even LOOK at science diet cat food with-o laughing for several years. Esp since the thanksgiving meal where she got down, took her plate, and put a pile of science diet on it. My mom can not wait until my cousin has kids - cause seriously, who could resist passing that story on??

Anyway, I grew up with a half lab, half Irish setter. She had a labrador coat. A couple of times in the winter we hosed her off because she went and ran through every puddle she could find. She wasn't cold, but she was coated in mud about an inch thick in some places. So my dad hooked the hose to the utility sink faucet, made the water warm, and hosed her down in the basement. That was about the only time she ever got a bath. We brushed her a lot, and she never really smelled bad. FYI, Irish setters are just plain the idiots of the dog world. Her momma was, several of our friends who had them all had idiots for dogs, and ours sure was. After she was about a year old she flat out could not learn anything. She could relearn things she learned as a puppy, but she never learned a new trick. Not even some really good trainers could get her to learn anything. but she was sweet, loved everyone esp kids, would let you take steak out of her mouth, and that really was all we wanted in a dog.

I do know that my brother's border collie had to be bathed more, but not every two weeks. Brushing did a LOT though.

 

[flutterby]

Dogs don't sweat except on their feet. I really wouldn't give a bath every 2 weeks - it's not good for them. It dries out their skin and then you can have all kinds of issues which will actually make him smell worse. Isn't he a boxer? Does he chew on himself a lot? That could make him smell bad.

Jewel only got a bath when her skin got bad and we needed to use medicated shampoo. I've had the two I have now since January, and neither have had a bath, although Roo did get his legs hosed off once. He was not impressed. Unless they are filthy or have a need for a medicated shampoo, mine don't get baths. They smell like dogs, but that's what they are.

 

[KTMom91]

Buddy goes to the groomer when he starts smelling like several big dogs instead of one Jack Russell, about every 6-8 weeks.

 

[donna723]

My Bostons almost never "need" a bath! They don't get dirty or outside to roll in any nasty smelling stuff and they really don't have a doggie smell at all. With them, once a month would almost be excessive. If they have more of an odor than is usual for them or seem to develop an odor sooner than what they previously did, it could be some kind of skin irritation or infection. They can get yeast infections on their skin or in their ears that produces an unpleasant smell. You might want to check with the vet if it keeps on.

 

[Hound dog]

Mine get bathed that often during summer because they're really gifted about getting dirty...........and I mean dirty. If I don't want my carpets/furniture coated in dirt........they have to be bathed. There is a lot of dirt in my yard still.

Molly is also a nervous chewer........and if you let her go too long she will literally reek. Then I have no choice but to bathe her as that odor transfers onto anything she touches.

Maggie is almost 8 months old and has had 2 baths.........both due to accidents in her crate when she was much smaller. She somehow managed to stay fairly clean over the summer, but then the fence wasn't fixed so she couldn't play in the yard much.

When I bathe........I also rinse and rinse and then rinse again to make certain all the soap is out of the fur.

 

[DammitJanet]

My Buddy is a party colored havanese so he should be bathed more often. He isnt. The only time we bathe him is when he gets into something really dirty. This year for Xmas we are getting him his first real grooming since we got him in 2008. All these years Tony has clipped him himself. We figure we would like to see him how he should really look...lol.

Abby has been bathed once or twice I think but that was when she was younger. Well..she did get hosed off the one time she got nasty in her pen but it wasnt a true bath. I just cant see me putting that huge dog in my bathtub. No way. I am also gonna have to take her in to have her toenails clipped once or twice a year I guess. She is just getting too big for me to handle myself. She is 8 months old and weighs about 55 lbs now.

 

[buddy]

I only bathe JJ after the horse ranch. He rolls in the dusty horse poopy rings and I have to get it off....the water is dark! But if we dont go he seems not to need it (lab mix). Buddy (toy poodle ) maybe once every other month , but I do face and feet more.

 

[DaisyFace]

I do a lot of "spot baths"...my dogs have long hair - so if the hair drags thru something messy or dirty I often just wash that part. They make wet wipes just for pets that are wonderful for cleaning messes and leaving dogs smelling nice! And then they get a full bath every 2 or 3 months, or sooner, if needed.

 

[Kathy813]

I bathe and groom my two shih tzu's once a month. It saves me a lot of money.

~Kathy

 

[DDD]

I've always had very sensitive hearing and my sense of smell is almost acute. Guess it's just me because I'm stressed lately. Ace is a big boxer (over 90 lbs) and the only smelly thing he comes in contact with is, lol, himself. He has blankets and comforters that are in his crate and SIGH next to my bed for during the night. I spend as much time washing/drying his laundry as I do for ours. difficult child#2 said "Mama I don't smell anything bad but maybe you need to Febreeze him." LOL DDD

 

[DammitJanet]

oh I wash bedding more often than I was Abby...lol. I wash her pillow at least once a month or more if she needs it.

 

[hearts and roses]

I bathe our two dogs usually once a month, sometimes every other. They are very small and drag in a lot of road dirt from their walks. The little Yorkie is always itching lately and has tiny bumps (No fleas, it's an allergy) so I have to be very careful with her. I've been trying to find the right shampoo. They always get baths after swimming in the river and clean all couch covers and their bedding about once a week. Our vet told us to add vitamins E and C to their food to help protect their skin. We also give them oily fish once a week. That helps keep the skin/fur nice and prevent the constant chewing and licking of their feet.

DDD, I also have a very acute sense of smell...it's amazing at times!

 

[flutterby]

Yorkies' fur is almost like human hair in texture. They do need bathed more frequently because their fur gets greasy. My mom trims Oliver's fur just like she would give a haircut to a person. And dogs who have fur that tends to get matted if not taken care of need bathed and groomed more frequently. But for other breeds, it's not necessary to bathe them more than a couple times a year, unless they are filthy or have a skin condition that requires special shampoo. I have a very acute sense of smell and most smells make me nauseous, but I guess I'm used to normal dog smell. If they smell more than the usual dog smell, then they get a bath, and then I get to deal with wet dog smell which is not at all pleasant.

 

[Lothlorien]

I've seen those grooming wipes for dogs.....no idea if they'd be helpful or not. I wonder if they'd help with the smell if you just used them on the dog when they come inside?