# How often CAN I bath my Maltese?



## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

I've had a look around and most people are saying bath him every 2 weeks.

Can I bath him every week instead?


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## Locke (Nov 3, 2008)

Why do you want to bath him so often? It will dry out his skin and coat. I think even every two weeks is a lot.


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

Because he's starting to stick the house out...and its only been a week.

But if it damages his coat and skin, i will leave him for a bit..


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

onestly damaging coat and skin will only happen with chap shampoos, and not rinsing ou his coat throughly when bathing.

Show dogs can be bathed every day for shows, and their coats are fine. Humans for the most part wash their hair every day or so.

Get a GOOD quality shampoo an mke sre you RINSE the dog REALLY well.

No sure what breed you have?


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

he's a maltese. What Shampoo's would you recommend? Howabout a conditioner?


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## Locke (Nov 3, 2008)

Tankstar said:


> onestly damaging coat and skin will only happen with chap shampoos, and not rinsing ou his coat throughly when bathing.
> 
> Show dogs can be bathed every day for shows, and their coats are fine. Humans for the most part wash their hair every day or so.
> 
> ...


Yeah, but show dogs get supplements for their coats up the ying yang. If your tiny puppy is smelling up the house, then I would check to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection or something.


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

Locke said:


> Yeah, but show dogs get supplements for their coats up the ying yang. If your tiny puppy is smelling up the house, then I would check to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection or something.


He was only at the vets yesterday and he said his ears were fine...


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## LittleFr0g (Jun 11, 2007)

At the groomers I used to work at, we had several dogs that came in every week for a bath and brushout, and they were fine. Like Tankstar said, as long as you use a high quality shampoo and rinse thoroughly, your dog's skin and coat will be just fine.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

Kuma'sMom said:


> At the groomers I used to work at, we had several dogs that came in every week for a bath and brushout, and they were fine. Like Tankstar said, as long as you use a high quality shampoo and rinse thoroughly, your dog's skin and coat will be just fine.


Exactly. we have dogs that come in our shop 4 times a month for a bath.

Baze getsbathed any where from once to 6 or 7 times a monh. I dont like a realy dirty dog, so he gets bathed oten. Plus working in the grooming field. I figure I should have a good clean nicley kept looking dog. And since he plays so rough ever day (dog park, play dates, swimming ect) he needs one often.

Blazes doesnt get suppliments.except for glucosumine, since he is getting up there in age (well not super old, almost 7. but better to start earlier hen late), and is from a puppymill, so poor breeding. so I want to suppliment that as much as possible. nd a ew imes a eek a teaspoon of fish oil. since he s raw feed and wouldnt get those oils otherwise.


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## Tankstar (Dec 30, 2006)

blobblob008 said:


> he's a maltese. What Shampoo's would you recommend? Howabout a conditioner?


Sorry I missed this.

we se Sadies choice in the shop (among oher things, butthis is whats use most often) I woul also ue a goo conditionar for your dog. espeacially if you want to keep him in a long coat. *Daily* brushing will deffiently be needed as well, Id get a slicker brush and good comb. Ifyu dont have hat already.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

Yes, I bathe my pup once a week at LEAST. He gets very dirty from the rain and mud around here. If you find that your pup's fur is drying out, add salmon oil to his food to help.

Some really good brands of shampoos and conditioners (always use a conditioner!!) are Chris Christensen, Vellus, Earth Bath, Biogroom, #1 All Systems... and a whole bunch of others. You can do a search on google for "show dog shampoos" and a list of good brands will come up. You can order most of these shampoos online.

On the plus side, they smell really good too!


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

The "breeder" that I got him off who also had his mum and nan used human shampoo and conditioner? She told me to use Pantene...Is this a big nono


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## FilleBelle (Aug 1, 2007)

Locke said:


> Yeah, but show dogs get supplements for their coats up the ying yang. If your tiny puppy is smelling up the house, then I would check to make sure he doesn't have an ear infection or something.


I'd like to go back to this real quick. A Maltese is not a traditionally smelly dog (like some of the hounds or many dogs with oily, waterproof coats), so unless yours spends a lot of time wrestling with other animals or wallowing in the mud, I find it hard to believe it's stinking up the house in a single week. Ears and anal glands could both be a problem, but allergies or a bad dietary choice might be an issue, too. I think I would explore some of those other options while I was giving weekly baths.


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## lucidity (Nov 10, 2009)

blobblob008 said:


> The "breeder" that I got him off who also had his mum and nan used human shampoo and conditioner? She told me to use Pantene...Is this a big nono


I think most people will say that this is a big no-no.. The only human shampoo you can consider using is baby shampoo, that's's about it. Regular human shampoo is too strong and drying for dogs.


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## Locke (Nov 3, 2008)

FilleBelle said:


> I'd like to go back to this real quick. A Maltese is not a traditionally smelly dog (like some of the hounds or many dogs with oily, waterproof coats), so unless yours spends a lot of time wrestling with other animals or wallowing in the mud, I find it hard to believe it's stinking up the house in a single week. Ears and anal glands could both be a problem, but allergies or a bad dietary choice might be an issue, too. I think I would explore some of those other options while I was giving weekly baths.


Yes, that is what I was getting at, thanks for explaining it


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## luvntzus (Mar 16, 2007)

As far as other people have said, bathing once a week would be fine.

With shampoos like Pantene, there are breeders that swear by that and a few other human shampoos. I have NEVER had luck with them. Every time I use them on my Shih Tzu, his skin breaks out in cystic acne bumps. I think the conditioner is too much and it clogs his pores. 

My favorite dog shampoo is Kelco. They have a big selection of shampoo and conditioner. Most of the shampoos (other than the therapeutic ones) smell amazing. My favorite is "oats fur coats"; it smells like a cinnamon cookie.

Maltese are not a breed that should smell bad. If his ears are fine, then it could definitely be the anal glands. Also, if he's going out in wet weather a lot, that can cause a "doggy smell". The other thing is that with lower quality foods, the dogs tend to have more of a body odor.


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## ruckusluvr (Sep 20, 2009)

we also have many weekly clients that come in for a bath. it does not dry out their skin. what causes baths to dry skin is
1. using the wrong type of shampoo
2. not rinsing well
3. water temp too hot
4. drying with heat

I agree, Malteses may get dirty very very easily but they should not be that smelly often.
they say dogs that are fed crappy dog food smell bad. are you feeding him a good food? or purina, alpo, kibbles n bits, etc?


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## Binkalette (Dec 16, 2008)

blobblob008 said:


> Because he's starting to stick the house out...and its only been a week.
> 
> But if it damages his coat and skin, i will leave him for a bit..


I bathe my girls every week. On Wednesday actually.  It -will not- dry out their coat if you use a good quality shampoo. You want something that is Soap free and Chemical free.. My favorites are made by Eqyss and Buddy Wash. Also be sure to rinse ALL of the soap out.. rinse rinse rinse. Most owners don't know how to rinse thoroughly enough, leaving soap on the fur will not only dry the heck out of fur, but it will make them itchy. It is honestly a myth that bathing too much will dry out the coat. Just like everything in life, it just needs to be done right. Done incorrectly you'll have problems.


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

He just eats kibble now..

I used pantene on him and he was fine...very soft and he didnt have a reaction or anything...I just want to know if i can continue to use it as I do not want to damage his coat if its not good for him.


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## poodleholic (Mar 15, 2007)

lucidity said:


> I think most people will say that this is a big no-no.. The only human shampoo you can consider using is baby shampoo, that's's about it. Regular human shampoo is too strong and drying for dogs.



Actually, baby shampoo is a big no no, as it's very drying.


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## Robrowe (Jan 25, 2010)

As stated a weekly bath is fine, its not frequency that will cause issues, it what you use to bath them with. Human products are a no go, you wouldn't wash your hair with dog shampoo now would you? Their ears can stink even if they dont have an infection. If your dog has floppy ears they need to be addressed at bath times. There are many products out there that will dissolve the ear wax for easy removal (dont be jamming qtips in your dogs ears) to be followed by a drying agent and will leave their ears nice and dry and odor free. Diet can also play a major role. If you are feeding your dog anything that you bought out of a grocery store then change their diet. There isnt a single grocery store brand that is good for your dog, NOT ONE! Most have a main ingrdient of corn and corn gluten. Dogs cannot digest corn and nothing on the face of the planet can digest corn gluten (the left over outer shell after every bit of nutritional value has been removed) Your dog foods first few listed ingredients should be meat. Like chicken, chicken meal etc. Not byproducts which equates to whatever is left that the FDA wont allow them to use for human consumption like ground up feet. Wheat is also not good for dogs and has been linked to allergy promotion in dogs (not just an allergic reaction to wheat but increased reactions to other things especially their skin and coat). Most pet stores have a premium aisle with holistic foods but you will find NONE in the grocery store! Here is a link to a non biased website that provides nutritional information on dog foods with a star rating system. 1 being the lowest and not at all recommended (this is where you will find grocery store brands) and 5 being the highest. Anything 4 stars or more will be better for your dog. He will thank you for it! Also be aware that you should never abruptly change your dogs diet. Start with 1/4 of the new mixed with 3/4 of the old and work your way over to 100% of the new over a 2 week period. I did a lot of research on this becasue my dogs skin was drying out, he was itching a lot and shed more than he should. I was bathing once per week and using premium shampoo. In the end it was the dog food. I now feed him Blue Buffalo Chicken with brown rice for large breeds which is readily available at Pet Smart.

http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/


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## Purplex15 (May 28, 2007)

> He just eats kibble now..
> 
> I used pantene on him and he was fine...very soft and he didnt have a reaction or anything...I just want to know if i can continue to use it as I do not want to damage his coat if its not good for him.


Could you say what kind of kibble it is? there are a lot of different kinds. 

I never recommend human shampoo for dogs. i know some people have used it frequently and thought their dogs were fine (i dont know first hand, i just know someone on these threads always says they use it and their dogs' coat is healthy), but i have never witnessed it. when i have used human shampoo, it doesnt clean as well, and doesnt leave the coat in the same condition. 

im not sure why people are so into using human shampoos for dogs when there are a million types of dog shampoos out there? can someone please explain this to me?


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## Masterjedi688 (Apr 27, 2009)

Binkalette said:


> I bathe my girls every week. On Wednesday actually.  It -will not- dry out their coat if you use a good quality shampoo. You want something that is Soap free and Chemical free.. My favorites are made by Eqyss and Buddy Wash. Also be sure to rinse ALL of the soap out.. rinse rinse rinse. Most owners don't know how to rinse thoroughly enough, leaving soap on the fur will not only dry the heck out of fur, but it will make them itchy. It is honestly a myth that bathing too much will dry out the coat. Just like everything in life, it just needs to be done right. Done incorrectly you'll have problems.


Awwww your girls are darling. So Cute.


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## vanessaf (Feb 7, 2010)

I use this shampoo/conditioner: http://www.yorkieshampoo.com/

It is expensive, that is the only negative thing I have found. Scruffs' hair used to look damaged, but after using this shampoo for the past few months it is a lot silkier, and smells so much better. The smell lasts 5-7 days, while Buddy Wash and Rinse that I used before only lasted 1-2. It can be used on any dog though I definitely don't recommend it for dogs over 10 lbs due to the price!! I have emailed the person who makes it (it is made in their home) and she says it can be used on any breed. I wish I took before and after pictures. Even though the first few baths I didn't notice a difference, a few months later his hair is a lot softer! Since it doesn't get rid of the natural oils in dogs coats it can be used more often. I now give baths every 1.5 weeks or two instead of one per week like I used to (as he smells good for longer!).

We do go out in the rain, mud, water, and he gets drooled on at the dog park, so YES he does smell after this short time!! Being a member of a Yorkie forum, I believe the majority of people there bathe there Yorkies every week or two. Maltese are similar, so I think it is fine as long as you are using a good quality shampoo/conditioner.


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## blobblob008 (Jan 30, 2010)

He eats Royal Canin Junior 33 kibble...

I washed him with puppy shampoo that I got from the pet shop, their range is very limited here..and he's been scratching every now and again. So out of the two times I have washed him so far, the human shampoo has worked better.

As with the quality shampoo and conditioner. can someone recommend one for the maltese that I can purchase in the UK?


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## vanessaf (Feb 7, 2010)

Ok, well first off... I don't think that food is very good. Scruffs came to me with itchy, dry skin, which has changed since I switched his food to EVO. He used to eat Royal Canin, which in my opinion is not that great of a food.

I believe this is the one you feed: http://www.dogfoodanalysis.com/dog_food_reviews/showproduct.php?product=1530&cat=all
It is a 3 star food. I'd switch to a 6 star food if possible. Check out the reviews section.

Regarding the shampoo, I don't know of any brands, but I'd stay away from the human shampoo. Make sure you use conditioner and rinse thoroughly. I get most of my dog stuff online except the food since most things in stores are over priced and not the best quality (though they usually do have a few good foods/shampoos/etc).


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## ruckusluvr (Sep 20, 2009)

royal canin is not a good food. too much grains, not enough meat

do not use human shampoo. order your dog shampoo online if you have to.


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## pamperedpups (Dec 7, 2006)

As a professional groomer, I often (but not always) skip shampoo and only condition dogs who come in for weekly or biweekly baths if they aren't too dirty. If you are using quality products and rinse well, shampoo or no your puppy should be okay. I also agree with the posters who suggested really investigating WHY your puppy is getting so smelly so quickly...


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