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How often to bathe a puppy??

Kimberly

Active member
Hello All!

How often is recommended for bathing a puppy (mine is 5 months) ... I've read once/month and I've also read once/week is OK. I gave mine a bath 2 weeks ago and would like to again soon (maybe tonight) b/c some friends are coming this weekend and he's smelling a tad doggy (prob due to the dog run!). Ok to bathe or should I hold off another week or two???
 
Kimberly said:
Hello All!

How often is recommended for bathing a puppy (mine is 5 months) ... I've read once/month and I've also read once/week is OK. I gave mine a bath 2 weeks ago and would like to again soon (maybe tonight) b/c some friends are coming this weekend and he's smelling a tad doggy (prob due to the dog run!). Ok to bathe or should I hold off another week or two???

I bath every two weeks, I can't stand that doggy smell.
I know some people who have puppies that bath them every week.
I would just use a puppy shampoo which is very gentle that is what I use
and I Dudley is almost 2 1/2. :rah:
 
I normally wash mine once a month but I find that a really good brushing is good in between.
 
I brush Dudley every day too, but now that the weather is getting nicer
he is outside more and of course it is still a bit mucky I hate that smell.
I have bought fresheners too, but he sleeps in our bed so I prefer
him to be fresh.
 
I find that Twinkle is much smellier than Daisy Boo and I do have to resist the urge to throw her in the bath more often. Daisy Boo has a lovely spicy smell and any dirt seems to roll off her. Twinkle is just a mucky pup icon_star

Loving the star emoticon for Twinkle :D
 
i know what you mean about the doggy smell! Bailey sleeps w me too ... so its nice to have him fresher! I do have a puppy shampoo, so it sounds like I'm OK to give another bath ... its been 2 weeks :lol:
 
Kimberly said:
i know what you mean about the doggy smell! Bailey sleeps w me too ... so its nice to have him fresher! I do have a puppy shampoo, so it sounds like I'm OK to give another bath ... its been 2 weeks :lol:

Go For It, nothing nicer than a beautiful fresh puppy. :jump:
 
I normally wash them when they smell - which is 3-4 months, mine are quite clean (Woody is white and it brushes straight off), except for Busta's belly were wee gets on it - but if we are out walking and its wet normally washes itself - but if there is a special occassion they do get a bath.
 
Cody gets a bath every 6 weeks or so, she's much too lady like to get dirty unless i drag her through the playing fields. Gavin terrier is another story, i'm sure i could bring him to a desert and he'd still find a mucky puddle to wallow in.
 
Abbey is bathed every 6-8 weeks unless she gets really muddy. Most of the time we're able to just rinse off her feet or feathers. She's brushed a lot though, so that also helps.
 
Kimberly said:
is it bad for the puppy to get a bath more often ??
Just my opinion, I have been bathing Dudley since he was a puppy almost ever 2 to 3 weeks.
Sorry we have harsh winters in Canada, and I cannot stand the doggy smell he does not seem bothered by it in the least.
He actually enjoys it, as he knows that he is getting a special treat after
being groomed and he is very very co-operative.

Can't see how it could harm him if you are using Puppy Shampoo, like
I mentioned I am still using Puppy shampoo because I bath him so often but I did just order some Pet Silk Products from the US which we cannot
get here in Canada.
 
Kimberly said:
is it bad for the puppy to get a bath more often ??

With really frequently bathing, dogs can develop skin irritation and dry skin. Some breeds are more prone to this issue than others; my parents' lab/shepherd mix would get flaky skin, like dandruff, with frequent bathing. Once a week is probably a bit much. A bath every two weeks would probably be on the frequent side, but each dog is probably a bit different.
 
Kimberly said:
is it bad for the puppy to get a bath more often ??

I know someone with a Cavalier whom is a puppy who baths them every
week.
I could not see Dudley going 4 weeks without a bath.
I have young children in my home and I would not want them touching
a stinky dog.
Do you blow dry or dry naturally ???????????????????????
 
I blow dry ... maybe in summer I'd dry natural but it's still cool out here in New York, so I used my hair dryer last bath :)
 
Kimberly said:
I blow dry ... maybe in summer I'd dry natural but it's still cool out here in New York, so I used my hair dryer last bath :)

I use the blow dryer too, I don't see anything wrong with bathing him
every 2 to 3 weeks.
You could just wet him too if you are worried about it.
Dudley's skin is fine I also use the Vanilla Extract Mix.
 
With really frequently bathing, dogs can develop skin irritation and dry skin. Some breeds are more prone to this issue than others; my parents' lab/shepherd mix would get flaky skin, like dandruff, with frequent bathing. Once a week is probably a bit much. A bath every two weeks would probably be on the frequent side, but each dog is probably a bit different.

I would agree with this. I only bathe mine every 3 months or so unless they roll in something. If there's a strong dog smell that is distasteful after only 2 weeks, I'd probably have a talk with the vet just to make sure there isn;t something causing a smell, like ear or anal gland issues.

Most vets will say anything more than every month is really too often -- it strips important oils off both their coat and their skin causing both to dry out. A nice glossy coat comes from those oils, daily brushing to spread them through the hair shaft. I've found a good brushing takes out 99% of dirt as well -- andf mine are out in mucky puddles quite often. Just let them dry then give them a good brushing and honestly I cannot tell they were ever in mud at all. I have a pretty sensitive sense of smell as well and cannot smell any doggy smell off the dogs -- i do ask firends who would be very honest and they can;t smell anything off the dogs either. Others will say you could wash weekly as long as you are using a proper dog shampoo. This is really important -- a human shampoo is *20 times* more alkaline that a dog shampoo should be. That is because each pH number indicates a factor of TEN, not just ONE. But I really feel we tend to overwash the dog then wonder why they have a cottony or fluffy or coarse coat (and then blame it on *neutering* when it is likely to be frequent washing or genes or fatness... ).

Puppies have such a lovely puppy smell; I personally thinkthey really rarely need bathing unless they have stepped in their own poops etc (and you have such a short time to enjoy their lovely baby smell! It will be gonme before you blink...). I'd be very reluctant to bathe a puppy more than every month as their skin is so delicate. Note that if you want to rinse them or allow them to swim that is different -- it is the shampoo that is the problem. My two swim at least every month and more than that in summer (once or twice a week) and this is more than enought to keep their coats clean and very soft (pond water!).

Even our Great Pyrenees was only washed maybe four times a year (as it was such a production). My mom is a VERY picky housekeeper -- and would not have tolerated a strong-smelling, dirty dog (and remember Pyrs weigh about 125 lbs and are WHITE!) but our pyr never smelled unpleasant with such infrequent baths; she was simply brushed every week which takes out the majority of the dirt.

I've found places that sell shampoo anmd grooming supplies tell you every week is fine; and vets recommend every 6-8 weeks.

Vets answer this question:

http://www.petpeoplesplace.com/resources/advice/dogs/60.htm
http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Shampoo.php
http://www.selkirkvet.com/index.php?view=pageView&docid=100049343

And also from the ever-relaiable Dr Mike Richards at vetinfo4dogs.com:

Odor problems - canine

Q: Dr Richards,
I was recently at the vetinfo website looking for information for my
grandparents dog, Duke. Duke is a dog with a great personality but he
smells really bad! We have tried every thing but even after a good bath
he would smell again five minutes later. It's even unbarable to some
people and they can't stay in the house anymore because the house smells
like the dog. I was wondering since I didn't find any information
anywhere if you could help me out and give me a place where I could find
some information that can help us solve the problem!

Thank you. Jennifer N


A: Jennifer-

Most dogs that have skin odors have either bacterial or yeast skin
infections. There are occasionally other problems leading to odors such as
dental disease, ear infections, anal sac infections or inflammation and
seborrhea. Some dogs are just very adept at finding things to modify their
smell, such as dead animals or cat poop which they immediately roll on.
Most people notice when this is happening, though. A few people have
written to our site about changes in their pet's odors when changing dog
foods. Some people noticed an odor that wasn't there prior to the new food
and some people noted an improvement in previous odor problems when a
change was made. I can't remember having this experience in my practice
situation but it is possible, I'm sure.

The best bet is to take your dog in to your vet for an examination to try
to rule out correctable medical problems as a cause of the odor.

Mike Richards, DVM

From the purina website:

BATHING


There are two major points to consider when bathing your dog: First, how to do it; and second, how often to do it.
How Often
The answer to the second consideration is ‘not too often.’ A dog’s coat needs its oils to remain soft and silky and to keep from getting brittle or damaged. If you bathe your dog too often (every week, for example), you will strip away those oils.

A good rule of thumb is to only bathe your dog when he is visibly dirty or noticeably smelly. At the same time, you don’t want to go too long or a long-haired dog will tend to get tangles and matted hair. So the time between baths will vary from dog to dog and may change from one time of year to another.

PS I think you can see from my avatar pic that the boys look really clean and there are a few on the list who have met them at Tara and Lisa's classes! :) I think they'd vouch for general cleanliness and non-smelliness too. :lol:
 
ohhhhh - I didn't even see all the advice that has followed on this today... karlin & linda, this is some good info, really, thanks so much.
 
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