How often does your puppy/dog take a bath?

[Meg's mum]

Meg gets a shower almost everyday. When its cool, its raining....and muddy, very muddy. When its hot, she's in the kiddie pool or eating the spray from the sprinklers, and muddy, very muddy. I am going to build a mud room with a shower in it just for her. I give her a bath when she's stinky or sticky from something. Once in a blue moon I take her to the dog wash and have her whitewalls wiped down.

[Brandon M]

my 10 month old BC has only had a bath once, and it seems to dry his coat out. Now I just spray him off with the hose every now and then. He goes swimming quite a bit at the lake and that probably helps keep him clean too.

[sharkie]

we used to bathe (the dogs) every couple weeks but later found out that this is one of the areas you can slack off and be lazy

[philip4420]

Sam had one bath in his 131/2 years But he had short hair and loved to swim in the loch most days and he never rolled in anything smelly.

 

Dale had his first bath at 10 weeks. The first time we went to a park he found a mess to roll in and that was on a lead

Now he loves water too so I'm just encouraging him to swim properly. Its the easiest way to freshen him up.

[Ellie N Ruff]

We have hit the local dog washes (one an indoor affair and one is at a car wash with commercial dryers) 3 times in 6 months. Ellie rarely gets dirty or stinky (none of that rolling in stuff problem) but our apartment complex is a breeding ground for fleas & misquitos. Last week we hit the local lake and she was washed & air dryed in no time.

[Ellie]

Katie used to get in the crick chasing sticks and sort of wash off but she would stay in there waiting for more sticks just shiverin away until she finally had to come out and warm up by chasing frisbess. After all they have that Irish herritage and it does get cold there....as I well know.

Ellie is much longer haired so we'll be seeing she likes to just jump in the ditch

[mobcmom]

Ours usually get a bath every one to two weeks. My first dog had skin problems so I use a medicated shampoo from the vet. It workes very well (i.e. does not dry the skin or strip natural oils). Of course the dogs look like a cotton ball exploded after the bath.

 

I do have a question. I try and take 3 mile walks every day and when we get home the dogs are stinky. I think its just from sweat, since they have not gotten into anything. Anyone else experience a similar thing with their dog/s?

 

mobcmom

[badgerboy]

Well badger has only had 1 bath in 13 years and that was 12 years ago. I brush him a couple of times a week which he loves, and when the weather is ok he will have a little play in the stream. Everyone says what a wonderfull coat he has. Like all the others i have had too wash of some very smelly things is'nt it amazing how happy they look when they stink to high heaven

[clara]

Mine are bed snugglers, so I've usually bathed them about once every 4-6 weeks, and keep their undercoat brushed out as much as I can.

 

I have to confess though, that I recently found a secret, guilty, expensive pleasure. I took both of mine to the groomer who rents space at my agility trainer's facility. OMG!!!! They were soooo clean and fluffy and shed free when I picked them up I was almost beside myself. They both swooshed when they walked! I'd never used a professional groomer, but they'd gotten into something stinky and I just didn't have time to bathe them before leaving them with the housesitter for the weekend. It's been about six weeks and they're back to being just slightly stinky from swimming in the resevoir and hunting snakes and squirrels and rolling in whatever. I'm so tempted to take them back... it's soooooo tempting I almost can't stand it! But it's kind of spendy, so that is giving me pause because I don't want to start an expensive new habit!