So I decided that every Tuesday I’ll do a little entry about something that
has bothered me at some point in the week.
Only bath your dogs twice a year, less is better. That was
the common belief once, these days most people bath their dogs more often than
that. At least I’d like to think so. I came across an article on the internet
about how often you should bath your dog and yes it’s more than twice a year.
Think about it, does your dog sleep in the bed with you, lay
on the couch, snuggle? Now think about what your dog has done lately, have they
been outside, rolled in dirt, swam, been used as a drool rag on at the dog park?
Most likely yes, to everything. They’ve likely licked a butt or two and maybe
even eaten poop. I don’t know about anyone else but considering all of that and
then they want to snuggle or sleep on my bed… kinda gross. Do you really want
all that dirt, drool, even insects where you lay your head or plant a kiss?
Nope.
Dogs coats are pretty good at repelling nature’s “fun” but
get real, they DO get dirty and smelly much to your “mine don’t even smell like
dogs, you guys are idiots for bathing your dog more than once a year” argument.
You want to sleep next to a dog that has rolled in god knows what on that hike
or swam in lake water that very likely has shit and piss in it be my guest. But
if that were a person you wouldn’t be caught dead spooning them if they only
washed once a year. You can’t tell me that you’re once a year bathed dog isn’t
dirty. I’ve bathed once a year dogs, even once every 5 year dogs and the water
is like coffee and grits that comes off them. The difference in the feel and
look is astounding. But to be honest I was in the twice a year camp for a long
time, now knowing and seeing the difference I want to go back in time and slap
my old self then wash my poor past dogs. Seriously, your dog is dirty, I can smell it and feel it despite you boasting about it.
Frequent bathing even helps pets with itchy, problem skin.
Dogs absorb allergens through their skin as opposed to us who usually absorb it
through our mouths and noses. So by upping the bath routine to a weekly deal you
can wash off the irritants before they have a good chance of settling in and
causing your dog discomfort and likely the discomfort of your wallet due to vet
visits.
Overall your dog should be bathed anywhere from once a week
to every 8 weeks. Personally mine get bathed every month unless they have
gotten into some particularly “fun”. You have to look at a few things though,
breed matters. Coat texture really, those dogs with harsher coats (like
Terriers, Retrievers and Collies) will repel the “fun” better then those with
soft coats (like Shih Tzus, Yorkies and Havanese). The harsher coats I like to
see done at LEAST every two months if not every 4-6 weeks, the softer coats
even more every 1-2 weeks. If you have someone in the home or family that drops
by who has allergies bathing and grooming can make a huge difference, especially
the frequency of it, the more the better, it’ll remove the dander and saliva
that is causing the allergy. That all being said shampoo matters too. A lot of
shampoos in big box stores are pretty low quality, they will strip the coat of
the natural oils, create dry skin and some even leave a gross residue. Do
yourself a favour, put back that $5.99 bottle of shampoo and pick up a $12.99
bottle from your local pet store or grooming salon. And for goodness sake STOP
using human shampoo on your dogs! Mild, high quality shampoos don’t strip or
dry out the skin and coat, don’t leave a residue and leave your pet smelling
and feeling great.
Now get up and go bath your dog with a quality, mild shampoo
and quit talking twice a year nonsense.
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