Bathing question

[HnkyTnkGrl85]

How often is too often when it comes to bathing a smooth hair? Annabelle is doing very well with not going potty in the house. She normally only has accidents at night, which I expect. We put her crate in the bathroom with the crate door open at night but she still will pee where she sleeps. I've given her a bath each week because of this but I'm worried that might be too often. What do yall think?:dunno:

[fdcutee]

I wouldn't bathe her that often, at least not with a shampoo each time. It's okay just to give her a real good water rinse though. Shampooing that often may dry her skin and fur out after a while.

[kpm_tex]

You can probably get away with bathing that often if you use a very mild shampoo with conditioners.. has to be better on the skin than urine. You might also want to add some fish oil to her diet. If you do a search in this forum on shampoo you will likely find some good examples of brands that others have used.

[HnkyTnkGrl85]

I've been using baby shampoo...the breeder suggested it b/c it's easy on the eyes...it's suppose to be very mild. what do you think?

[FourOrchards]

I only bathe Ally as needed. She hasn't had a bath in a few months. She's pretty spoiled and stays inside most of the time. If she's outside and rolls in somthing stinky I bathe her.
Now with your puppy where she's having accidents at night you'll want to keep her clean. Baby wipes work good too. Can you just have her sit in the sink and wash just her tooshie instead of a full out bath? My advise is not to bathe her any more than you have to. :hug2:

[Rue]

My big dogs only get bathed about 2-4X a year...sometimes more often if they've gotten into something icky...

So far I've only bathed Hanni once, but I have washed her feet several times, with warm water...

I used to work at a vet clinic...saw too many dogs come in with skin conditions from over-bathing...so it's a bit of a bug-a-boo with me...

Over the years different people have made different recommendations...personally, I think, from what I've seen, that 1X a week is too often, but 1X a month is likely fine...in between, warm water rinsing or wiping with doggie wipes should help out...

[kpm_tex]

I would use a shampoo made for a dogs skin and hair. Bio-groom makes some really good ones. I use those with my crew.
When I first got Merry we were having some loose poopies problems and I would have to bath her bottom almost every day. *sometimes just before I had to leave for work* We figured out the problem eventually but short term the bathing to keep her clean caused no damage to her skin.

[Me&DappledDuo]

Get a very mild dog shampoo- it will be much better on her coat than those formulated for humans, when used so often.

While normal adult dogs really shouldn't need frequent bathing- as Cindi has mentioned before- breeders bathe their active show dogs EXTREMELY often- and they wouldn't do this if it were detrimental to the coat. The trick is- to use the right product and lukewarm water. Definitely better than urine on the skin. :eek:

[Rue]

Well...don't want to stir the pot...but we saw lots of show dogs with skin problems due to overbathing as well as pet dogs...

[HnkyTnkGrl85]

I just got back from petsmart and just used some pet wipes on Annabelle. She smells so good! :D Thanks guys! I would have never have thought of wipes.

[mollys_mom]

I bathe Molly every other week using super mild oatmeal shampoo. If her skin looks at all like it is dry, then I use conditioning baby shampoo instead. We go on lots of walks and living in Oregon it's always raining so she gets pretty stinky often from the walk, rain and mud. I've tried the dog wipes, they work good also but it doesn't beat a nice warm bath. Molly loves her baths, she tries to jump into the sink before I am even ready!

Once her tummy seemed to look dry, I asked my vet and he said it was ok to use about a drop or 2 of mineral oil to rub into the dry area on her belly, it worked like a charm. We don't usually have any skin issues other than that.

[Moda_Moses]

I wash my Mieke in a emu oil shampoo. It has no soaps or detergents in it, just lots of moisturizers, so you don't have to worry about it drying out her skin. It makes her coat look so shiney and clean too.

[Suzanne R]

I wash my Mieke in a emu oil shampoo. It has no soaps or detergents in it, just lots of moisturizers, so you don't have to worry about it drying out her skin. It makes her coat look so shiney and clean too.

Wow - where do you get emu oil shampoo? I've heard emu oil products are wonderful!

I have my vet's groomer bathe mine 1x a month, during the anal gland processes, nail trim, etc., with their anti-itch prescription shampoo, since one of mine is SO prone to allergic itching. I also give them sardines (in water) 2x a week. So far, no skin problems at all, and I keep close watch on that, living in Texas.

BTW, I LOVE her smile!!!

[Moda_Moses]

Wow - where do you get emu oil shampoo? I've heard emu oil products are wonderful!

I have my vet's groomer bathe mine 1x a month, during the anal gland processes, nail trim, etc., with their anti-itch prescription shampoo, since one of mine is SO prone to allergic itching. I also give them sardines (in water) 2x a week. So far, no skin problems at all, and I keep close watch on that, living in Texas.

BTW, I LOVE her smile!!!

I bought the emu oil shampoo at a local feed store but it is also available at www.jefferspet.com It is made by a brand called Kalaya. I love it and it makes her coat so shiney and soft. All you have to do is get your dog wet, lather her up, leave it on for about 5 min.s for it to soak in, and then rinse it off.

P.S. thanks for the complement on my little goober. That picture of her always makes me smile.

[Cindi]

Well...don't want to stir the pot...but we saw lots of show dogs with skin problems due to overbathing as well as pet dogs...

I have to ask what type of dogs and then, what type of handlers would have let their dogs GET in that condition????? The show dogs I know don't have skin issues from bathing as it is done properly, their food and supplements are good and the handlers stay on top of any issues. It doesn't bode well for the ring if the dog's coat/skin is in bad shape and it takes a LOOOONNNNGGGG time to get a long or wire's coat back IN to shape if it is let to continue.

Oatmeal shampoo is actually better than any human shampoo and as odd as it may sound, you would be amazed at how ungentle baby shampoo is <G> Just try getting it in your eyes.

I also work at a vet clinic AS a groomer. I have a maltese that comes in every two weeks and I must tell you, I wish my hair felt as good as his does :) and a golden retriever that comes in EVERY week (his owner is a bit anal <G>) for a dermatologist prescribed bath - if he goes over 7 days he gets hot spots (BAD genes actually). Whenever he goes off his prescribed food (fish/low antigen) his coat/skin will react within a few days time, too (and this is what I find amazing as it takes a longer time than that to get him recovered).

Cindi