# How often to bathe?



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I have a Shih Poo / toy fox terrier mix, He is a wirehair with a thin belly coat, big fluffy feet and a beard. He does stay obsessively clean, He is always white, I went 6 months without bathing him and noone knew because this dog doesn't like rolling in smelly things, getting wet, or touching mud. 

All that said, Is there a reason I should be bathing him regularly? I don't ever have to brush him, I just help him with shedding ( we make it a game). As is I clip his nails weekly and brush his teeth at least weekly.


----------



## Gai1997 (Feb 7, 2015)

I'm not entirely sure I know much about the breed, but even if he doesn't get very dirty, he probably still is getting dirty even if it doesn't seem like it. I don't think you really have to wash him for 6 months if he's not dirty or anything, but it's most likely better to just bathe him every 3 months. Unless it's a huge task that really needs the extra break, it wouldn't hurt.


----------



## parus (Apr 10, 2014)

My terrier gets a bath once a year, to help her shed out in the spring. She doesn't get dirty, she has good skin, and she's not smelly, so I figure routine bathing is unnecessary and could actually introduce problems. My basic view is, if they don't need it, they don't need it.


----------



## MelTruffles (Jan 27, 2015)

You're not suppose to bathe your dog more than once every 6-8 weeks, but there is certainly nothing wrong with waiting longer! It's actually better for their skin. Remember, dogs are descendants of wolves and in the wild they didn't bathe themselves with these soaps that smell good and stuff. If they got dirty, they didn't care! Their natural oils flowed freely! It's great for them. 

Truffles has this odor that i'm learning to live with. I use dog wipes over the surface and I give him a bath every 6-8 weeks just because I can't wait any longer. But, if you can wait 6 months, by all means!!! Definitely do it! I wish I could~!


----------



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

Ryli also has allergies, I don't know if I stated that, its hard to read on my phone. 

I currently use avoderm for him buy even so I try to just let him be as much as possible. Other than clipping his claws and brushing his teeth. Poor guy.


----------



## sandgrubber (May 21, 2014)

Dog bathing is a new thing. Historically, and into pre-history, domestic dogs have not been bathed. Unless you're having dirt, smell, or allergy problems there's no reason to bathe. Soaps and detergents remove natural oils. All else equal, it's better to leave those oils in place.


----------



## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

If he has environmental allergies then baths remove the allergens stuck in his coat and might help. We give Ginger a bath half way between flea pills and it helps her be less itchy until she gets another pill to keep those itchy fleas off her. She has other minor allergies we don't know about as we also give her Benedryl to keep her eyes clean. I know if I do gardening or empty the vacuum cleaner out and don't take a shower immediately after I will be sick for a couple days, with shower not sick.


----------



## fourdogs (Feb 3, 2014)

I guess it just depends on how much you want to bathe him. As long as he his thoroughly rinsed of all shampoo and conditioner, you can bathe him weekly. I've bathed my own dogs weekly for years. (Although just bathed them today after going 2 weeks between baths- they were getting way stinky to me, and I want clean dogs indoors). 
When you think he's been rinsed well, rinse some more, and especially behind/under the ears, under the armpits, tummy, and crotch area, where soap likes to hide.


----------



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

I do not wash his head .. Only up to the base of his neck, Sounds odd, but one of the breeds he is mixed with ( dont remember which) has a problem with ear infections and I would rather not put him through that. 

I guess I will bathe him when he gets excessively itchy, or smelly  I myself have really bad sinus issues so I have to be careful with what I use on him as well.


----------



## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

It really doesn't matter how often you bathe a dog. It's all personal preference based on how dirty they get, or how much they smell. Some dogs don't seem to need baths ever, while others seem to always need them. But there's no rule about how often you need to do it.


----------



## ChelseaOliver (Nov 5, 2014)

My dogs only get bathed when they roll in something disgusting, which is probably once every couple of months when it's warm out for my older dog. Haven't had to bathe the puppy yet but for her it will be the same - when she's gross, she'll get a bath. My older dog hates baths so it's in everyone's best interest to keep them to a minimum. When she hasn't rolled in poop she has a great coat, nice skin and smells just fine.


----------



## dagwall (Mar 17, 2011)

In my house dogs get baths when their coats start to get grimey, basically if you pet them and you end up with a layer of grime on your hands. For Jubel that averages anywhere between 6-12 weeks usually. I've had my current foster for about 5 weeks and she's gotten two baths. One very shortly after she arrived and a second back a little over a week ago. For her the second bath was partly she was starting to feel a bit dirty and partly to help with the deshedding effort on her. 

Or if they roll in something gross. Thankfully Jubel has never done that but I've had a foster roll in some poop, straight to the bath for him.


----------



## JeJo (Jul 29, 2013)

Elliriyanna said:


> I have a Shih Poo / toy fox terrier mix, He is a wirehair with a thin belly coat, big fluffy feet and a beard. He does stay obsessively clean, He is always white, I went 6 months without bathing him and noone knew because this dog doesn't like rolling in smelly things, getting wet, or touching mud.
> 
> All that said, Is there a reason I should be bathing him regularly? I don't ever have to brush him, I just help him with shedding ( we make it a game). As is I clip his nails weekly and brush his teeth at least weekly.



I don't see any reason for bathing your dog any more than you do now. If his coat and skin look good and his body's odor is acceptable, I would not mess with things more than necessary. Count your blessings that he isn't a roller and that his skin and coat are not overly oily nor excessively dry. Brushing on a regular basis is always good coat-care as it helps distribute the natural oils, helps rid the coat of dead/loose/matted hairs as well as dust and dirt, and is just a nice bonding moment... oh, and it offers an opportune time to perform a simultaneous overall body check for any lumps, bumps, wounds and such that might otherwise go unnoticed. 

My double coated dog is a roller (in nothing descernible to my eye) yet only gets bathed once a year. Her coat and skin are in good condition and I don't want to mess with that nor do I need her to smell like a petunia, so spot cleaning as the need arises, regular brushings and weekly bedding changes get the job done here.


----------



## noahwhite (Dec 10, 2014)

Taking bathe to you dog once in three months is absolutly fine according to me.


----------



## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

Some dogs never get smelly or dirty and never need bathing. If he doesn't, yay 

Mine usually get washed every 4-6 weeks, and more often if they roll in something gross. They seem to get a bit greasy and smelly after about a month, and with Pixie having hair rather than self-cleaning fur, she needs regular shampooing to keep her soft and fluffy. A lot of the time I do Obi just because I'm doing Pixie anyway.


----------



## Tyler_X (Aug 30, 2014)

i bathe my dog as needed.


----------



## PoodleDuo (Jun 22, 2014)

Mine get bathed weekly. But I work in a grooming salon so have high quality shampoo to use. No skin issues, hair is healthy, and they always smell good.


----------



## Sunak (Jul 3, 2014)

Mel&Truffles said:


> It's actually better for their skin. Remember, dogs are descendants of wolves and in the wild they didn't bathe themselves with these soaps that smell good and stuff. If they got dirty, they didn't care! Their natural oils flowed freely!


I wish my oils flowed freely.


----------



## So Cavalier (Jul 23, 2010)

Tyler_X said:


> i bathe my dog as needed.


Me too. (too short....)


----------



## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I bathe my dogs as needed. Hank can sometimes be hosed down daily because he is a boy dog who likes mud and poop and pee, etc. Mia gets greasy after 2-3 weeks. I'd say we bathe them (full bath) 1-2 times a month on average. When we were showing Beau long ago he got bathed weekly. Frequent baths with good shampoo don't hurt them at all.


----------



## MollyM (May 19, 2015)

Elliriyanna said:


> I have a Shih Poo / toy fox terrier mix, He is a wirehair with a thin belly coat, big fluffy feet and a beard. He does stay obsessively clean, He is always white, I went 6 months without bathing him and noone knew because this dog doesn't like rolling in smelly things, getting wet, or touching mud.


Does he ever go outside or does he potty in the house? I'm just asking because my male Shih Tzu likes to walk outside and his feet are fluffy and white when freshly bathed but within a few days they are gray. 

He and his sister are new additions to our family. They're six years old. People keep telling me that they shouldn't be bathed too often but they are stinky dogs. It's been about a week since their last bath and they are grossing me out. I don't need them to smell like perfumey soaps....we actually use an unscented shampoo and a diluted ACV rinse. I just want them to not stink. I also noticed that the male's hair gets greasy. 

We *are* in the process of trying to narrow down possible food allergies, so maybe if he does have an allergy and we figure it out, his oils and stench will calm down a bit.


----------



## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

MollyM said:


> Does he ever go outside or does he potty in the house? I'm just asking because my male Shih Tzu likes to walk outside and his feet are fluffy and white when freshly bathed but within a few days they are gray.
> 
> He and his sister are new additions to our family. They're six years old. People keep telling me that they shouldn't be bathed too often but they are stinky dogs. It's been about a week since their last bath and they are grossing me out. I don't need them to smell like perfumey soaps....we actually use an unscented shampoo and a diluted ACV rinse. I just want them to not stink. I also noticed that the male's hair gets greasy.
> 
> We *are* in the process of trying to narrow down possible food allergies, so maybe if he does have an allergy and we figure it out, his oils and stench will calm down a bit.


Dogs who have continually growing coats (like Shih-tzu and Yorkies and such) tend to get really gross without fairly frequent baths. They don't have a double coat, they don't shed, and their hair texture tends to soak up dirt. It's not a great combination. Bathe them as often as you need to - that said, the smell WILL get better with better food. That's a separate issue.


----------



## MollyM (May 19, 2015)

Thank you. That makes a lot of sense. The weather has been so freaky lately that they've gone longer than I would like without a bath. It was 49 degrees yesterday! Seems like on the days we have time to bathe them, it's been cold or rainy. They are getting a bath on the next warm day we get!


----------



## Elliriyanna (Nov 11, 2011)

He pottys outside but he does not have a shih poo coat. He sheds like a terrier lol.


----------

