should you bath your dog?

tenxmom · 06-11-2010, 01:47 AM

Mine get bathed as they need it - all are indoor/outdoor (as they see fit) and sleep in our bed/the kids' beds - Lucy and Lola seem to get dirtier (usually mud) than the older terrier, Tink.

All three use true blue pets conditioning shampoo - we haven't noticed any dry skin problems.

Mikey · 06-11-2010, 03:32 AM

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Bathing your dog is neccessary.But not often,if you bath yor dog once every few weeks then this will cause bad skin conditions if their skin is constantly being put in contact with water.Although if you bathe your dog once every few months then no harm should be done. It also depends on where your dog sleeps,whether your dog is a part time inside dog part time outside dog,full time outside dog or full time inside dog.It also depends on whether your dog sleeps in your bedroom,or elsewhere.Large dogs need to be bathed,they have a "big dog smell" smaller dogs don't carry the same whiffy smell as some large dogs do.If you bathe your dog to rid them of fleas then try bathing them then when they are dry,use some advantage.I hope I helped.Your mum is right,it is neccessary to bathe your dog!!

I wouldn't quite agree-Mikey gets bathed with soap at least three times a month-and my dogs have always gotten a bath at least every eight weeks. Using a dog shampoo that's gentle is important-no human shampoo. And although Mikey (right now-melt and now rain all the time) gets a bath almost every day-he does not get soap nearly that much -usually just a rinse. And sorry-he's already wet-the rinse just gets the gook off him

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akes me almost 2 hours to bath and dry him, his skin is awsome and not dry at all.

Ditto. Mikey is bathed with shampoo often and his skin is great. When we first brough him home, among being skinny, he had flakes and was itchy. He has great skin now, a softer coat and is healthy. There totally is such a thing as bathing too much. But I don't think we need to be scared to bathe

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I didn't mean that small dogs don't get the same smell,I mean that larger dogs often smell more strongly than smaller dogs.They smell dirtier.Depends fully on what they have been in contact with

I agree and disagree. I think big dogs smell because little dogs go to the groomers and big dogs are left in the yard. Typically.
And that's the reason.

The 'smell' is sebum (sebasceaus fluid-basically oil produced by the glands, that smells when in contact with water-and no totally cannot spell sebasceaus lol)

No-big and small dogs do not significantly produce in different quantities but how we treat them is different. Chi's to the groomer, huskies outside please

On an an aside...their skin is much more delicate then ours (we don't have fur)-our shampoo is too harsh. Baby shampoo or dog shampoo is ok. Ours may seem ok, but it's too drying. So be careful what you scrub fido with-and if you do it often ensure it's oatmeal based and for dogs. Just what I think though

Binkalette · 06-26-2010, 05:47 PM

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Originally Posted by tankstar

I think this falls in to owner preference.

I somtimes bathe my dog 2 times a week. and sometimes like now, havn't bathed him in about 1.5months. I like to try and keep a clean dog.

You could bathe a dog as much as you want. The problem you hear most is ripping the coat of nautral oils. and drying skin. but the myth with that is, as long as you use a good shampoo and conditioner and rinse REALLLLLLY well. you will not have a issue

Completely agree.

aud · 07-01-2010, 11:27 AM

I'm still trying to figure that out myself. My puppy has had 3 baths in the 3+ months I've had her. I don't want to bathe her too often because she got flaky skin after the first one, though now I think that was from the food she was eating because she was fine after the other two.

But she starts to get stinky after a while, even when she hasn't been rolling in anything. I will wipe her down with a hypoallergenic baby wipe now and then too.

The last bath I had no choice - we had gone to a park and she decided to lay in the muddy water for a bit. She was full of dirt when she stood up. Even though it wasn't visible once she dried, I felt I had to bathe her before letting her back on my sofa to sleep (a.k.a. my bed for the summer).

My Dog Sam · 07-19-2010, 05:32 PM

As others have said, it depends on the shampoo. You can bath as often as once a week, as long as you use a high quality shampoo that doesn't remove the dog's natural oil that's good for coat and skin. (Bad, harsh shampoos are why some people are afraid of bathing.) I really like the TrueBlue products-- they're all natural, no chemicals, and they dont' strip out the natural oil.

LDMomm · 07-19-2010, 08:03 PM

Depends. We bathe our dogs about once a month. We use a natural, soap-free shampoo.

sea · 07-27-2010, 07:16 PM

I think dogs need to be bathed even ones that stay indoors mostly. Dust circulate all the time everywhere and will make them dirty even if it is not all that visible. And plus dogs who do not bathe may attract more fleas and others insects.

animalcraker · 07-28-2010, 04:22 PM

My dogs get bathed every 2-4 weeks and brushed everyday. With the exception of when my dachshund had an allergic reaction to a carpet cleaner; they have never had any issues with their skin. I use Chris Christen shampoos, throughly rinse any excess shampoo, and use a high power blow dryer to get their skin & coat completly dry and to remove any dead hair that didn't come out with brushing.

IzzyRem · 07-28-2010, 05:52 PM

I bath mine once a month through summer and less in winter. I don't like smelly dogs in the house and both of mine tend to stink if not washed.

ScentHound · 07-28-2010, 06:05 PM

Going to have to bathe all of mine today. Cleo found a nice rancid thing to roll in, and she was followed closely by everyone else. They are all on the patio watching me right now with giant grins on their faces. They are so pleased that they smell like month old organic garbage.