How Often Can you Bathe?

I forgot to ask my vet when I saw him yesterday...I have been told you can give the puppy a bath...

1- Anytime he smells, as often as you want.
2. Once a week maximum.
3. No more than 4 times a year? (Really???)

So I need to know the truth...how often can you give a pup a bath?
4-5 months old.

TIA

 

I'm a former dog groomer and vet assistant...rest assured, it's very hard to over-bathe a dog. Some dogs require more frequent baths than others. Some have more oily skin, some go outside and roll around and whatnot, and just seem to attract more dirt. I usually bathe my dogs about once a month, although I have a Westie who has skin problems and I have to give him medicated baths once a week. My parents have chihuahuas who spend plenty of time outside and lay around on their deck, but seem to NEVER get dirty...they only get baths 2 or 3 times a year. Puppies tend to get dirtier than adult dogs. I've got a 3 month old APBT pup now, and he seems to wind up having to get a bath about once every two weeks...though sometimes he gets into the mud, or manages to somehow pee on his feet/belly...*eye roll*...and he's been known to get a bath twice in one week. Honestly, as long as you're using a gentle puppy shampoo, or some other kind of gentle shampoo...like an oatmeal shampoo or aloe vera shampoo...you should be fine. If you notice your puppy's skin is starting to get dry and flakey, then I'd cut down on the baths. But if not, I'd say bathe him whenever his fur starts to feel a slight bit grimey to the touch.

 

i just hose the dog off...she just gets dirty again anyways. i shampoo her like every 2 weeks or so

 

If you use a good natural or oatmeal shampoo ( NOT hartz or sergents ) you can do as often as once a week. All my dogs get done once a week in a natural oatmeal shampoo, and then they also get a conditioner, They are not dry or flaky or itchy and they also hardly shed at all because we keep them clean and brushed.

 

OK, that's good to know. He gets flaky when he gets excited...now the vet says this is normal. Do any of yours do this? It's just a burst of flakes, and then they're gone!

I used a medicated shampoo for his first bath, just because I thought it might help with it and be more sensitive than the others on the shelf...but the Oatmeal shampoo sounds much better...

 

Mine dont really get flaky, but i know some dogs when nervous will get flaky and start shedding all crazy, like when they first arrive at the vet or groomer

 

well i've always been told and have gone by this rule, only bathe the dog if it really needs it, too much bathing will wash away all the protective oils the dog naturally produces. Unless the dog is filthy, i wouldn't bathe him.

 

If you bath your dogs quite often, it is not good for them, no matter what shampoo you use. If you just use your hand and water it is fine, but when you use soap, you wash away the natural oil on their skin, which is needed.

Many bath them and keep them squeaky clean, but not for the dogs sake, but for the owners.

 

That's what happens...if he sees another dog, or gets too excited, it's like poof! Flakes on his back..and then when he relaxes..Poof! Flakes gone. I've even gone through his hair looking for them, but they seem to just disappear!

He's not dirty, he's just smelly...dog smelly, not funky like he rolled in poop or anything. He can probably stand to wait another week or so...I'll just use the advice to postpone it as long as possible and take it from there. He hasn't rolled in the ground or changed color...

I'm more thinking of myself and how gorgeous he was just bathed But I can wait until he's really "dirty" before his next bath.

 

I agree PP and BoiBoi

Every Vet I have worked for said the same thing. The Vet I work for currently also says once a month or less. You can dry out the dog's skin which can lead to other skin issues. I give my dogs a bath anywhere from every month to every other month depends on how dirty they are. I would only give the dog a bath as needed. You can use a warm towel to wipe off but I would not bathe a dog once a week. I do agree that using a oatmeal based shampoo is better.
If you are worried about dog smell get a cologne. Fresh and Clean makes really good ones that last a LONG time.

 

this is another thread that i found. if you go to forums then to paste articles here to parasites...there is and thread in there Vinegar Anyone???

***QUOTED FROM SMOKIN HEMI'S THREAD***I went down South to Kentucky this past weekend. Upon arriving I noticed a few bottles of vinegar sitting around. I asked what he did with all of that vinegar. He smiled and told me that he washed his dogs and after he washed his dogs, he then put vinegar on them. He said you could see all of the fleas falling on the ground dead. I then listened to him further. He told me that he has used this for a long time, as it is a inexpensive way to kill fleas on his animals and the dogs, it didn't bother them. Hope this helps

i dont know if you could use it on pup but i cant see any real harm if very weak mixture of water and apple cider vinegar i use it in a spray bottle and when Jade get in from playing outside i spray her down (lite mists) and wipe her off. no smelly dog

plus the vinegar will prolly help out with his smellyness :p

 

Vet I worked for, we had one stinky Chow with constant severe skin problems (usually yeast skin infections), that never responded to anything, but vinegar dips. We'd dilute it down with water, but I can't remember the exact amounts. Seemed to cut back on his smell, and it made him less greasy and grimey. Nothing ever 100% cleared him up, but it sure did hell a TON.

I've also heard of people using diluted vinegar on horses as a fly spray. Sooo, I would guess that it would work as a temporary flea repellent. I personally, wouldn't want to use vinegar on my dogs unless they had some serious skin issues. It's very drying to the skin(hence the reasons it was used on a yeasty dog), and since her dog has been known to get flakey skin from time to time, I don't think it'd be a wise choice.

 

VERDERBEN: I am wondering why you suggest not to use Hartz. Have you heard bad things or suffered through bad things w/ that brand.


I have a few dogs that are very sensitive, do you have a reccomendation on a brand?

Thanks,
Andrew

 

bobby hall used to wash his dogs 3 times a day during a keep, (8 weeks) and then massage them (rubdown) till they were dry... he got great results....

 

i agree^.
and overbathing IS possible and can lead to a depletion of natural body oils which can cause skin irration, excessive itching and unnecessary dry skin. a good brushing should do you, or as stated, hose the dog off with just water. no need to use soap EVERY time, as it's simply not needed.

 

My vet tells me, once a month. I use to every 2 weeks. My girls got some type of allergies now, that we cant figure out. So, I've got them on some pills to help that.