I’ve had my dog for 10 months, and in that time, I’ve only bathed her twice. However, this is my first dog, and I’m used to cats, who only need to be bathed if they somehow get really dirty. Also, it’s cold here, she’s a longish haired dog, and I don’t want to wash her, which she doesn’t seem to like, if it’s not necessary.
Experienced dog owners, how often do you bathe your dog? What is the best kind of dog shampoo to use? My dog has dry skin and I don’t want to make it worse. She’s quite itchy at times and has sensitive skin. Is it better to take my dog to the groomer for this, or can I do this in my bathtub just as well? My dog is very passive and doesn’t act out when being bathed, but she doesn’t seem to like it much at all. However, if it will help her skin, I’d try to do it more often.
Any dog bath tips you could share would be much appreciated. My dogSasha and I thank you for any advice.
We wash our dogs once every few months, probably more often in summer after we’ve taken them to the beach.
As far as shampoo goes, lately we’ve using the human anti-dandruff kind which I think helps with the dry skin thing. If dry skin is really getting to be a problem, try buying some flax seed, grinding it up and then adding it to Sasha’s food. As well as helping her skin and coat, it’s full of nutrients that will help with her overall health. Maybe a teaspoon every couple of days or so.
Beautiful doggie! I wash mine every few months as well – a seasonal bath. He’s a lab mix and sheds a lot throughout the year, so brushing is part of the (almost) daily routine. I take mine to a groomer because he will not tolerate me bathing him, but a stranger can do pretty much anything they want to him. He’s weird.
Some vets recommend adding certain oils to the food to help with dry skin. If I were you, I’d go to the vet and ask about the dry skin – there may be a medical condition or allergy that may be causing the itchiness. Also, gentle brushing and grooming can stimulate oil production that may help. As for shampoos, try something super mild specifically for dogs with dry skin. I think there’s a formulation with oatmeal extract. I also am not a big fan of heavily perfumed dog shampoos (some dogs have allergies to fragrance oils, plus, the smell overwhelms the poor super-sensitive nose).
Our Boomer is a lab mix, short hair, inside dog, sheds a lot. He shows some dry skin flakes in the winter, when the air is drier. Like Stinkum suggested, brushing and petting seems to take care of that.
We do a full bath if he rolls in something dead, and then it’s in the basement shower using baby shampoo.
Every few months, more if he’s stinky. We take him to the groomers every so often, so that counts also.
Since bathing him in the tub gets hair and water all over the bathroom, we take him to the dog wash in the back of one of the local pet stores. They have nice big sinks, water mixed with shampoo, tiedowns for him, and air blowers to fluff him dry. Best of all, they got to clean up the hair.
When he rolls in something, we hose him off outside with shampoo. He hates it, so he’s been better. In California it never is cold enough for this to be a problem.
We have two dogs; a lab-border collie mix and a Basset hound. They get a bath about once a month in the winter (they get muddy in the yard), and maybe once or twice during the rest of the year. Basically, we only bathe them when they get filthy.
Our (my parents’) little bitch got a bath only under the following circumstances - dire necessity (rolled in something unpleasant) and when she periodically got “scurfy” (altho’ this was only 3 or 4 times in her life). Nothing regular really . We did have a bottle of dog shampoo somewhere for the first category, for the second we got a mediacted shampoo from the vet designed to help with doggy dandruff.
In summer the baths were outside in the garden (small-ish dog, big plastic tub). In winter she was lifted up into the sink in the utility room and stood with her front legs in the draining board. (She wasn’t allowed upstairs so the bath was never an option.)
Have you tried feeding her fish at all ? Our animals (cats & dogs) got fresh fish once a week - tail end bits and bobs from the fishmonger poached in water and a bit of milk, cooled and served with dog/cat biscuits as usual (the ionly problem is making sure you get all the bones out). They all loved it and my Mum’s convinced this contributed to their healthy shiny looking coats. Those that died of natural causes lived long … cat 17, dog over 18.
Cute dog!
Mine were last bathed about two years ago, when they got skunked. :eek: What you feed makes a huge difference in skin & coat health - if you feed kibble (I don’t) try adding fish oil (better than flax oil for dogs because they don’t have to convert it to a bioavailable form)…the omega3 is very good for the coat & skin. You can also add canned mackerel, salmon, sardines - not tuna - to the food. Low quality diets make for poor coat and doggie smell, and I imagine that would necessitate more frequent bathing.
I think more than once a month would be too much, and unecessary too.
Mild oatmeal shampoo for dogs is really good, though. A friend has two Briards and both are show dogs. She bathes them every couple of months, and brushes them out often.
I have two Rottweilers, one has a long coat. They do get brushed and rubbed down with damp towels, especially in spring. In summer they get to swim regularly…I don’t know what it is, but lake water seems to make their fur really soft and shiny.
This may be a dumb question, but is it possible to condition your dog’s hair, like humans do? This might moisturize Sasha’s skin and make her feel less dry and itchy. Is baby shampoo the way to go, or are specially made dog shampoos better?
Generally dog shampoo is better; different pH.
I can’t recall the reason conditioner doesn’t work on dogs like it does on people…something to do with the difference between hair and fur, I think. There’s plenty of dog shampoos on the market though; wouldn’t hurt! And some of them smell really nice.
The best way to maintain good coat is through diet & fats, though.
Almost never… the last time I bathed him was over a year ago. He’s got a self-cleaning coat, so if he gets dirty, even downright muddy, it all just sloughs off as soon as it dries. A clean, dry towel swiped over him pretty much finishes the job.
If he gets really dirty with something smelly, I’ll wash him, but that’s about it.
I use an oatmeal shampoo when necessary.
We also feed him a raw diet high in fish oils and omega 3’s and 6’s, so his skin is soft and clear, and coat is healthy and shiny. He has zero “doggy smell” to his skin.
For what it’s worth, I used to manage a pet store which has a self-bathing area, and we would have people come in once a week or twice a month to bathe their dogs–bathing too often will strip their skin of necessary oils, and stimulate it to produce more oil and dander, in effect making it necessary to wash more often.
quincy and nordberg (both beagles) get sbathed differently. quincy hates baths, so he’ll tend to get bathed less. when he gets into something that deserves a bathing, he gets it.
nordberg should give up her beagle license. she likes to romp through any and all sorts of water. so, when she jumps into very large puddles and comes out less dirty, we tend to count that as a half-washing.
long story short, wash the animals when they smell/need it/have done something to warrant it.
quincy got skunked a couple years ago. that smell didn’t qo away for a while.
How much trouble is it to feed a raw diet? My dog is a pretty finicky eater for a dog… when it comes to dog food. People food she loves and will pretty much eat anything remotely edible, including an entire container of Metamucil. What do you feed?
