How often do you bath your dog?

M

MissCandy

Well-Known Member
Joined
27 July 2010
Messages
1,087
Location
Sheffield
Visit site
Question in title!

I have a new pup, he gets walked everyday on a 'clean' walk but once a week we go out and get really muddy which inevitably leads to bath time. He's not showing any ill effects but I'm concerned a weekly bath might be to much.

So, how often do you bath yours? What do you do if you don't bath?
 
Ours is a tough GSD, he gets wooshed with the hose pipe if he is muddy. Sadly he loves the hose and whenever I have it out for horsey chores Talos tries to get in front of the jet! That is not a problem in summer, but it is a bit tiresome in winter.

Our other tactic is a swim in the river.

I think this is fine as there is no shampoo / chemicals involved.
 
It really depends on the breed and the type of hair...my rottie used to get a bath every two or three months .She had daily brushing,which would remove any dry mud...we used to rub a diluted vinegar wash to remove doggy odor.
my poodles however are a different story..the hair is like wool, so they are bathed every one to two weeks...I use a good conditioner,and comb/brush every day.

If your pup has a dirty belly,after his walk,try a rub with a hot wet flannel cloth..towel well,.allow to dry ,then use a slicker brush to get any mud out.
If you do bath your pup,the most important thing is he is dried well,before you go out again as they are very prone to catching a chill.
I would also recommend a waterproof coat to help cut down on the dog wash situation.
 
Last edited:
Our nearly year old lab hasn't been bathed yet, bar fox-poo-on-the-neck jobs.
Her sister comes from a very house proud home though and is always being washed, both seem to cope.
What breed is he? I wouldn't think it was ideal to be bathed weekly.
 
Bellasophia said:
If your pup has a dirty belly,after his walk,try a rub with a hot wet flannel cloth..towel well,.allow to dry ,then use a slicker brush to get any mud out.
If you do bath your pup,the most important thing is he is dried well,before you go out again as they are very prone to catching a chill.
I would also recommend a waterproof coat to help cut down on the dog wash situation.
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'll try this. He usually has a bath as soon as we get in, towel dried and then snuggles down for an afternoon nap so doesn't get cold.

Clodagh said:
Our nearly year old lab hasn't been bathed yet, bar fox-poo-on-the-neck jobs.
Her sister comes from a very house proud home though and is always being washed, both seem to cope.
What breed is he? I wouldn't think it was ideal to be bathed weekly.
Click to expand...

He's a crossbreed (Puggle) and has a similar coat to a beagle. My OH is house proud and dirty dogs aren't allowed!
 
my2 old boys (14 and 16) have had one bath this year, my lurcher ploughs through mud every day of her life unless we are in a drought, she isnow7 yrs loves a muddy puddle, to swim to play in mud she has not been bathed for well over a year, in the past i have toweled the dogs off,these days I chucked her in the kennel with the boys and the heat lamp till she is dry then she comes in the house and no wet dog smell.
I love dogs that love life so seeing them plough through the mud with a manic grin on their face makes my day but the heat lamp is great and I would never be without one by choice now.
I do a fair bit of neck washing to remove fox poop but nothing more-I dont have the time to be bathing dogs
 
My border collie gets 2 baths a year. One after his winter moult and one after his summer moult. I wouldn't want to bath too often as will affect the waterproofing of their coat if shampoo is used every time. My dog goes out for a run 3 times a day, so gets muddy quite often, so we just towel dry him then brush off the dried mud later. Or sometimes his legs and belly will get a sponging off with warm water :)
 
Interesting one MrGS maintains I am lazy because I don't bath the dogs regularly .
But I have never bathed dogs unless it's one of phew what have you rolled in baths .
 
My flatcoats rarely get a bath but they do go in streams and the sea. They are regularly groomed. If they come in wet or muddy they wear their equafleeces for a while. The ones with the polo neck and long front legs. The material wicks away moisture. The dogs dry very quickly and are rarely muddy afterwards. My smooth coated lurcher has a fit if washed, but mud never seems to cling, she is just sent into her vetbed lined bed to dry off.
 
Chiffy said:
My flatcoats rarely get a bath but they do go in streams and the sea. They are regularly groomed. If they come in wet or muddy they wear their equafleeces for a while. The ones with the polo neck and long front legs. The material wicks away moisture. The dogs dry very quickly and are rarely muddy afterwards. My smooth coated lurcher has a fit if washed, but mud never seems to cling, she is just sent into her vetbed lined bed to dry off.
Click to expand...

Ohhh that equafleece sounds like a good idea, thanks.
 
Dog #1 is only bathed after rolling in fox muck - I don't think she's had a bath this year. :o She'll have one in spring at the end of the coat blow to help shift the last of the undercoat.

Dog #2 is mainly white, pees on his front legs and has a longer topcoat that gets slightly greasy. He's bathed about once a month.

They're just rubbed with a towel if muddy, they dry quickly and the mud drops off, I have to hoover daily anyway due to shedding. If they're properly soaking wet they have their equafleeces on for an hour which produces a clean dry dog.

The (show type) cocker puppy has to be towelled and brushed thoroughly every day and bathed weekly - I cannot wait to strip his coat out!
 
Mine only gets a fairy liquid cold hose wash to remove fox poo! That vinegar wash sounds a good idea. He does swim if he can and we'll hopefully have a day at the beach over Christmas so he'll get washed then too
 
I have two labs who rarely get bathed - maybe once a year on a warm summers day. I usually just wipe them down and they dry off in their beds on an assortment of blankets, towels!
 
Last edited:
My dog gets bathed about 1X a month. She is a tricolour phalene (papillon) so has a long silky coat with feathery legs and a long tail and ears so gets muddy very easily- especially as she is so low to the ground. She gets her legs and tummy sprayed off quite regularly but only a full bath once a month when she starts to get a bit yellow and smelly.
 
depends on the dog - when my girl was swimming regualry (hydrotherapy for arthritis) she was bathed everyweek as part of her swim session with no ill effects - she's a long coated border collie
 
After a walk our jrt gets a dirty belly and legs so I put about 2 inches of water in the butler sink stand her in it and sponge off the mud then a quick dry with a towel, she gats a proper bath with shampoo about twice a year, so I suppose its how big the dog is some are too big for a sink wash.
 
my rottie is 5 and has never had a `proper` bath.
he goes in a stream most days and is towel dried when we get home.he likes the trough in the summer.

he has a fantastic shiney coat and doesn`t smell.

I believe a great coat comes from within :) (he loves his sardines)
 
very rarely....usually just when they have rolled in something very smelly..give them a good groom at least once a week, usually 2 or 3 times at coat moulting time.....not a fan of bathing too often as I think it could make the dogs skin more sensitive and once a week sounds too much to me ..just let any mud dry and brush..does the job.
 
My old boy get showered every week when he goes to Hydrotherapy and the others if they get really dirty or when they are clipped.

As they are working Springers they often get wet while out working and they are towelled dry with a Dry Cloth that I got from my local rehab centre and then put in their equifleece coats. Would not be without these coats / jumpers.
 
Bobby, my staffie cross, steps into a plastic bowl of water on the kitchen floor (in return for biscuits) to have mud washed off his paws and legs after a run.

Every now and then (about every other month), he seems to suddenly go smelly, and when that happens, he gets put in the bath and shampooed. His very short coat dries in minutes in front of the fire and I avoid letting him get wet in the rain for a couple of days afterwards (he has a raincoat). :)
 
Haven't bathed mine since they puked and pooed in the crate on the journey from breeder to me and then lay in it. It strips essential oil from their coat and IMO, just isn't necessary. My lot get hosed if necessary but mostly have towelling coats and get left in them for an hour, after which they are remarkably clean!
 
Last edited:
Dogsincoats-Copy_zps193b12d0.jpg
 
Really interesting thread, because I worry about this.

My dog is a Bichon, and her coat is quite long at the moment. Despite daily grooming I do have to bath every fortnight.

I have invested in some professional grooming products though to help keep her coat tip top.
 
Very rarely. Only when they're wearing eau de fox poo. They swim a fair bit in summer. On muddy walks I try to have them on the lead for the last half mile home and stay on cleaner tracks or lanes.

We have equifleeces for them, but although they work well the dogs hate having them put on ( pulling legs through leg holes, perhaps some elbow issues deep down?)

It must be difficult with lower down dogs and longer coats though!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top