# How often is too often to bathe a dog?



## DaerkAngelz (Oct 6, 2014)

I've been trying to research how often is "too often" and I'm getting conflicting answers online. My Vet said I could go as long as washing her every 3 months, but didn't tell me how often is too often.

I have a 1 year sheepdog poodle mix (sheepadoodle) and a husband with animal allergies. We wash her weekly because if I don't when they play, he's the cool playful dad, he will hive up. She's also got several allergies including stuff thats in our back yard (weeds/grass.)

My current predicament is that I've volunteered myself for puppy sitting for my brother's 3 dogs (2 St. Bernard rescues and 1 Mastiff) since he's taking a break from his relationship and his girlfriend is moving out. Previously I visited them on a weekly basis, but made sure the day we visited was the day that Kayla will be getting a bath. 
Now I'll be there at least 2 days a week, up to 4. 

Can you bathe a dog daily? Will it hurt their skin/coat? I have a PH Balanced dog shampoo (Tendagroom Hypoallergenic) and use coconut oil as a moisturizer for her coat since I've had difficulty locating a hypoallergenic (fragrance free) conditioner that's affordable.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

why would you need to bathe your brothers dogs every day (at a different house hold ???) and only bathe your dog once a week at your home where DH lives ?? (is that what you saying) I do feel you will strip their coat and dry out their skin if your shampoo suds up it is striping the coat and skin.. A good brushing is also cleansing..


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## DaerkAngelz (Oct 6, 2014)

Oops, sorry guess I wasn't clear enough. I'd be washing my dog more often because she would be with me at my brother's home where the 3 other dogs are at. So she will have traces of their fur/dander on her coat which will effect my husband's allergies. 

In response to the good brushing is also cleansing: I wish this would work for us  My husband's allergies are so sensitive to animals that even if I don't tell him that I took Kayla to see my brother he'll already know within 5 min of us getting because he'll start to sneeze/get stuffy as soon as he greets our dog.


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## PatriciafromCO (Oct 7, 2012)

what type of allergies does your pup have ? this is not a post for me to be helpful I don't have allergies to animals or my family .. DH is allergic to hay for feeding the horses so I know how one direct contact overwhelms him,, with hives and eyes and nose... And no matter how much it affects him, he will do it anyway because he adores time spent with the horses.. He builds up his daily Vit C and takes over the counter allergy meds when he is home.. Am sure there are lots of groomers and owners with your puppies coat..


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## Willowy (Dec 10, 2007)

I've heard that if you wipe a pet down withh distilled water, it gets the dandruff off. . .there's also a commercial product: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B000KNIFU4/ref=pd_aw_sim_199_4?refRID=0WCS1EP8EG1R27V9PQ46

I would think that daily bathing would be too much, plus with a coat like that she might never dry out all the way .


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## DaerkAngelz (Oct 6, 2014)

PatriciafromCO: Kayla is severely allergic to cats, mold, dust mites, grain mites, bluegrass (which I have in the backyard now) cedar... i know there's more but without pulling out the sheet I'm not able to pinpoint. She's currently getting immunotherapy for those allergens in shot form. 

DH is allergic to any animal, he rode a horse once when he was 12 for about 2 hrs and his eyes swelled shut for 4 days from what he and his parents told me. He does take OTC allergy meds (Allegra generic) but he still gets hives and stuffy nose/sneezing. When we know we are going somewhere with pets, he takes 2 Benadryl before we even get out of the car. We leave it in the console just in case.

Willowy: I'll look that up, thanks for your suggestion! Every time she gets a bath at home we dry her out 70% and let her air dry the rest of the way. 

Side note: I *really* don't want to wash her daily, although it is a bonding process its a long drying process!


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## mudypony (Jul 31, 2014)

I would be hesitant to wash her everyday too. Maybe you could try a waterless dog shampoo or baby wipes? If those don't seem to help your husband's allergies, I'm sure it wouldn't be too terrible to wash her everyday with gentle shampoo, as long as it's short term (for example, bathing her everyday for a week probably wouldn't be too bad). 

I have use this waterless shampoo on the horses: http://ecoliciousequestrian.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=27
I've never tried it on my dog, but it's all natural and gently on the skin, while still removing unwanted dirt/dust/dander/etc. It might be worth a try for you, even though it's a bit pricy!


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## eduller (Apr 16, 2015)

Maybe not an answer, but it might lead to one.

My daughter (human) has curly, fine, soft hair that is prone to dryness. I don't even use shampoo on her. If I do, her hair gets very lank and loses its curl and looks greasy and her scalp gets flaky/irritated. I wash her hair with just an all-natural conditioner (Everyday Shea Coconut Conditioner). Conditioner has plenty of surfactants to get hair clean. 

If you have to wash a dog frequently, would doing a conditioner-only wash preserve her coat and skin?


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## DaerkAngelz (Oct 6, 2014)

mudypony: Thanks for the suggestion, I think the orange essential oil listed on the website would probably break me out with my fragrance allergies. I can't use anything artificial, but if its botanical or like 100% natural I can use it. Its really hit or miss on me. I'll have to see if I can find a DIY version of it. 

eduller: Also an excellent suggestion, I've heard of cowashing for humans (which is washing with conditioner.) I would be willing to do that if the conditioner I have at home wasn't so expensive I'm using PawGanics Hydrating Conditioner it was only $6 for 10 oz, but you'd have to use half the bottle due to the really milky texture. I wonder if I could use coconut milk to wash her hair, its a deep conditioner and could rinse out easily enough. Possibly put a teeny bit of shampoo in it so its not seriously oily afterwards.


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