Dog Bath Time: How Often Is Too Often?

When my dogs and I still lived in the city, I was a stickler for bath time!  Each of my dogs, Kitsune and Fenrir, got a bath every other week.  (Almost) no exceptions!  5 years or so ago, when we left the city for country life, I have to admit that I got a lot more lax about bath time.  You’d think dogs would get dirtier living in the country, but dirt and grass from our rural yard never gave me the ‘ick’ the same way city grime did.

How often do you bathe your dogs? 

Online, you’ll quickly find that there are conflicting opinions on how often dogs should be bathed. Some people feel that dogs can be bathed once or even more times a week with no harmful effects as long as high-quality products are used. Other owners feel that when it comes to bathing dogs, less is more. For many owners, finding the right bath schedule for each individual dog means walking a fine line between wanting to keep your dog’s skin and fur healthy, but also wanting to keep your dog and home as clean as possible.

Mud Season!?

We finally seem to have come to the end of ‘mud season’ here in new England.  For anyone not familiar, although I guess it’s pretty self-explanatory, the aptly named ‘mud season’ occurs around the end of winter/beginning of spring.  The snow that piled up all winter starts to melt.  The ground begins to thaw, and your yard basically turns into one giant mud pit.  If you have dogs, mud season turns your regular cleaning routine into an extreme sport.  The less mud you have in your house, the more points you accumulate.  But it’s impossible to have a perfect score.  It’s never been done before.  I’ve spent so much time the past couple of weeks mopping muddy paw prints off my kitchen floor.  But I digress…

An Individual Thing…

I know a lot of dog owners are opposed to bathing pets often.  I’ve had fellow dog owners lecture me about bathing my dogs too often.  But I’ve spoken with others who bathe their furry friends just as often, or even more so, than I do my pups.  The fact of the matter is that there are no set in stone guidelines for how often dogs should be bathed.  How often is too often for your dog can depend on a number of different factors – each dog is an individual!

Some dogs may have dirtier habits than others, thus their owners may want to bathe them more often in order to keep their pets and homes clean and smelling fresh. Some dogs, on the other hand, may have extra sensitive skin and do better on a more limited bath schedule.  Things such as your dogs’ fur type, where you live, what type of activities you and your dog are involved in, human preferences, etc, can all impact how often your furry friend needs to be bathed.  In general, most groomers and experienced pet owners will agree that, if done correctly, most dogs can be bathed on a regular bases without suffering any ill effects.

Now here’s the part where some people will start to argue, saying that frequent baths will strip off a dogs natural oils, causing them not only to potentially suffer from dry skin and coat problems, but also making them smell even stronger than they did before their bath as their body works overtime to replace lost oils. However, the fact of the matter is that these days there is an array of available dog bath products that are designed to be gentle on your dogs fur and skin, even with frequent use. Shampoos and conditioners designed for dogs are often times no longer detergent based, meaning they are much gentler on your dog and do not strip away all of the furs natural oils.

The Products You Use Matter!

The biggest argument against bathing dogs  super often is that, in some dogs, it can cause skin issues such as irritation and flaking.  My dogs have never experienced negative symptoms despite being bathed often, but that’s not to say that weekly (or even every other week) baths would work for every dog.  I personally feel that one of the biggest factors you want to take into account if you want to bathe your pet often is what type of shampoo you use.

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I’ve always used high quality, detergent/soap free dog shampoos on my own dogs.  Soap free shampoos still get your pooch nice and clean, but are less drying and don’t strip away as much of the furs’ natural oils.  You don’t want to use human (even baby) shampoo on your dog because of the pH differences.  I know Dawn is a popular choice when dealing with fleas.  It shouldn’t be used for regular bathing because it’s very drying.  High quality dog shampoos may be more expensive than other options, but a little bit goes a long way.  A 16oz bottle of dog shampoo lasts each of my dogs a good 6 + months.

So really what you should take from this post is that there really is no concrete number for how often you should bathe your dog.  It can depend on a lot of different factors.  If, like me, you do decide that you’d like to bathe your pet often, it’s best to use high quality products to avoid drying out your pets fur and skin.

Bath Time for Fenrir

Earlier this week I bathed my Alaskan Klee Kai, Fenrir, for defiantly what was the first time this year.  Crazy that I somehow went from a strict every other week dog bather to not even remembering when the last time my dog has had a bath is!

Fenrir just doesn’t get super dirty now that we’re out of the city.  He has a very thick double coat that does an awesome job at repelling dirt.  His fur doesn’t really get greasy or oily, at least not quickly, and we’ve never had any problems with him developing that classic ‘doggy’ odor.  Alaskan Klee Kai are actually a bit known for being clean dogs that aren’t as prone as other breeds to smelling doggy.

Even so, I think going 7+ months (at least!) in between baths was a bit much.  I’m thinking of putting Fenrir back on a stricter bath schedule and maybe going for once a month, or maybe every other month, baths.  What do you think?  How often do you bathe your dogs?

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