Basic care

How Often do Dogs Need Baths?

Josie F. Turner
By Josie F. Turner, Journalist specialized in Animal Welfare. July 9, 2017
How Often do Dogs Need Baths?
Dogs

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Dogs are part of our family and we share with them our life, home and sometimes even our bed. This is one of the reasons why it is essential to maintain the hygiene of our pet. In addition, it is important for your personal health, since a dirty dog ​​can develop a multitude of skin problems, catch fleas or simply smell bad.

Due to a widespread fear that bathing a dog could harm their pH and coat, many people wonder how often do dogs need baths? Keep reading this Animalwised article to discover when and how to wash your furry friend.

You may also be interested in: How Often Should I Bathe a Cat?

Contents

  1. Myths about bathing dogs
  2. Long hair and short hair
  3. Maintaining hygiene

Myths about bathing dogs

There are many myths about bathing dogs, some more believable than others. It is said that during a wash they lose the natural oils of their skin and this damages the pH, for example. This is not entirely true, as it can only affect their health if you wash them excessively or if you do not wash them at all. Dogs get dirty and we need to bathe them every so often to preserve their health.

It is also not true that if they get water in their ears they will develop otitis. If we wash them with care we can avoid this.

Another of the most believed myths is that if they smell of perfume or unnatural sweet scents, other dogs will reject them. Remember that dogs have a very strong sense of smell, so they are capable of detecting their natural scent under the shampoo barrier. Thus, there will be no problem with socialization.

This means that bathing your dog is not bad for their health and will not scare away others if you do it as often as necessary.

How Often do Dogs Need Baths? - Myths about bathing dogs

Long hair and short hair

The frequency bathing is highly dependent on the hair of your dog. Do they have short or long hair? The latter needs more care and you will have to be more observant. Long hair is able ot hide more dust and dirt. So, how often should you bathe your dog ​​according to the length of their hair? Here are some guidelines:

  • Longhaired dogs: once every four weeks.
  • Medium-haired dog: once every four to six weeks.
  • Short haired dogs: once every six to eight weeks.

Remember that you should wash them with specific shampoos for dogs, although you can also use natural products that do not damage their skin or hair. You cannot make excuses to skip washing your dog. If you cannot bathe them at home, you can always take them to a dog groomer.

How Often do Dogs Need Baths? - Long hair and short hair

Maintaining hygiene

To prevent our dog from smelling badly and staying clean longer it is important to brush them frequently. It is preferable to brush their coat for a few minutes each day than once a month for one hour. By brushing it you will eliminate dead hair and dust and you ensure your dog stays cleaner for longer. Although, of course, brushing does not replace bathtime.

And what if you bathed your dog but they decided to have a mudfight a few days after? You'll have to bathe them again. Do not worry about having to give them a bath a few times in a row in a timely manner, you will not harm their skin or fur.

If you use dry shampoo, do you save water by avoiding the bathroom? No way. Dry shampoo is used for very specific occasions where we cannot bathe them. For example, when our dog vomits during a car trip. The bathroom is essential to maintain their hygiene and health so alternative remedies are not worth it.

How Often do Dogs Need Baths? - Maintaining hygiene

If you want to read similar articles to How Often do Dogs Need Baths?, we recommend you visit our Basic care category.

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3 comments
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khristul
Hi I wanted to suggest adding a paragraph for oral hygiene since you're talking about hygiene anyway. It is just as, if not the most important thing to keep up with when it comes to a dog's physical hygiene.
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Mary Jo Harrison
I have comments about frequency of dog baths. Many factors can influence doggie bathing. I do not like pipettes or flea collars. I have met too many dogs of different breeds that had severe reactions to them. My immediate neighbors leave their dogs outside constantly. Prior to them, I had rare fleas in yard. Spraying the yard in the spring took care of flea problems. Now, it doesn't matter what is done in the yard, fleas are out of control. Monthly flea, pest control tablets have proved expensive and useless. Fleas control is questionable with professional pest control companies. I get excellent flea and pest control if I do three things (1) spray yard with beneficial nematodes at start of flea season (2) during flea season spray dog before and after going outside,(3) a bath at least every 10 days. I use all natural products. I live in South Central Texas, USA, This means it is flea season 9 or more months of the year. I monitor my pets skin for dryness, itchiness, flaking skin etc. Before adopting this method, it was necessary to fog frequently. I pay strict attention to fleas. Fleas seem to love me as much as my dog. I am allergic to their bites. Bites swell up huge and itch uncontrollably. Since I do this, I have next to no fleas noted on dog and no bites to me. I think people should take situation into consideration when determining doggie baths. Above all, careful monitoring of dog is the #1 need.
Administrador AnimalWised
We agree, careful monitoring for all kinds of disease and health issues is an essential part of dog care.
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Jessica Saikia
I have a puppy of age about 2.5 months. I want to take prepped care of him. My vet told me that my puppy is lacking in blood and calcium. Please prescribe me some ways to keep him healthy :)
Administrador AnimalWised
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How Often do Dogs Need Baths?