How often should you wash your dog

Tired

Hey peepz, just wondering and am sure its been asked before, how often should a pup/dog be washed. We have a 14 week old Blue Roan Cocker, beautiful lil fella but smelly, not rotten but pongs a bit. So was just wondering how often you peepz with dogs wash them.

Thanks!!!

kerrysgold

I usually wash mine about every 4 months unless something happens that requires washing (i.e. rolling in cow muck etc.....)

It's ok to wash him, better to get him used to having a bath while he's young, but not more than once every few months as you could cause him to lose the natural oils in his skin/coat and cause dry skin etc.

shoelaceface

kerrysgold wrote: »

I usually wash mine about every 4 months unless something happens that requires washing (i.e. rolling in cow muck etc.....)

It's ok to wash him, better to get him used to having a bath while he's young, but not more than once every few months as you could cause him to lose the natural oils in his skin/coat and cause dry skin etc.

yeah dont do it too often!!

we wash ours more often in the summer seen as its hot (although the sun has disapeared in ireland)

and not so often in the winter coz its cold outside!

but we dont keep the dogs in the house anyway, but they tend to keep themselves clean anyway. they run through the fields so the wet grass cleans them for us!

Tired

Thanks for your replies, wasn't too sure how often they should be washed, our dog is an indoor dog and when he has been out the back or for his walks and gets wet, his coat stinks and seems to linger in the house. We haven't washed him as such since we got him so me thinks it might be time for a little bath.

Thanks again!!!

shoelaceface

Tired wrote: »

Thanks for your replies, wasn't too sure how often they should be washed, our dog is an indoor dog and when he has been out the back or for his walks and gets wet, his coat stinks and seems to linger in the house. We haven't washed him as such since we got him so me thinks it might be time for a little bath.

Thanks again!!!

well yeah, do it as a pup anyway, get him used to it. they tend to love it!! bu they dont like it up around their heads, so we dont put the water up on their head, usually go as far as their collar. When we wash our dogs, one usually stands in front and rubs them on the head or under their mouth, just so that they can see you and it keeps them calm!

because he is an indoor dog, you may have to do it more often!! you dont want your house to stink of dogs!! its one of the worst things to smell when you walk into a house!

brush him down after each bath as well.... they love it!!

Latchy

I washed my 10 year old border collie last week as he has a thick hairy coat .He even gets the hairdryer treatment before he's allowed back into living room . Lot easier to wash him outside in the good weather . Picture of him i took last week is in other dog thread ,all nice and clean

peasant

emmm ...dogs smell of dog, comes with the territory, better get used to it.

Too much bathing isn't good for their skin and also has the negative side effect of them throwing themselves into anything that stinks to cover up the artifical shampoo smells with something more natural.

It's important to dry them off and regularly remove dead hair from their coat via brushing...that's what makes them really smelly and bathing them doesn't get the hair out either.

Honey-ec

shoelaceface wrote: »

because he is an indoor dog, you may have to do it more often!! you dont want your house to stink of dogs!!!

I have to say, in my experience outdoor dogs tend to smell a lot stronger than indoor ones.

Tired

Too true shoelaceface, it is the worse smell, we clean his bed every three days or so but the next day its smelly again due to the bad weather and we can't keep him in all day thats just cruel plus he can get a bit hyper considering he is only a pup. He is an adorable lil fecker but once he has been out and gets wet he can get a bit smelly. Am gona wash him tonight, will let ya know how i get on, should be funny.

hey Latchyo, unfortunately the weather has taken a turn for the worse, only thing is my lil fella is still small enough to pick up and wash in a basin in the sink so think thats what ill be doing. Must get a brush today for him. Might even try the hairdryer. Am looking forward to doing it now.

littlemisspiggy

Dogs often smell really bad when their coat is wet - not because they are stinky. You'll find that he smells really "doggy" after his bath but once he's dry he'll smell lovely.

shoelaceface

Honey-ec wrote: »

I have to say, in my experience outdoor dogs tend to smell a lot stronger than indoor ones.

oh i know they do! thats why we permantly leave them outside.. because they are constantly running through the fields, jumping over ditches and rolling in EVERYTHING....


tired.. is their any particular reason why you dont keep the dog outside?? i know its only a small pup but they are well able for it!

Tired

Don't get me wrong peasant I love him regardless and he still gets loads of kisses and cuddles regardless, just with the bad weather he was beginning to smell that bit more, have always had dogs but he is the first indoor dog we have had so you can get the smell that bit more. Will invest in a good brush and keep the bathing to a minimum. Thanks

Shoelaceface, he is out during the day when we are at work which is until usually about 15.00/15.30, and then he is brought indoors for the day. Just always wanted an indoor dog - don't ask why, considering my family have always had dogs and they were always outdoor dogs.

Noopti

Don't wash with any products too often, as has been mentioned it will reduced the natural oils in the skin/coat. But you can wash with plain old water more often if needed.

Yellow Snow

Tired wrote: »

Am gona wash him tonight, will let ya know how i get on, should be funny....... Must get a brush today for him. Might even try the hairdryer. Am looking forward to doing it now.

Great idea to get him used to baths at an early age. My guy was a late (and smelly) starter! He is 13 now and he HATES bath time It's always worth it though when you see him running around like a puppy again, rubbing his head on the floor trying to get his smell back on him

One word of warning, if you do use a hairdryer, use it on a low heat setting, as low as possible. Dogs skin can burn very easily from the heat. We tend to just towel dry and give him a good comb. In the summer he can sit in the sun to dry fully and in winter we keep him in the warm sitting room until he's good to go

Good luck with the wash and congrats on the new pup, Blue Roans are gorgeous little guys!!

Tired

Thanks Yellow Snow, am a bit iffy using the hairdryer, think i might just stick to the towel dry and have the heating on for him. Gawd you really do treat them like babies dont you.

Thanks for all your replies.

Yellow Snow

Tired wrote: »

Gawd you really do treat them like babies dont you.

They're just like very hairy babies! And they're far less hassle than the human kind

Oh by the way, don't forget to wash all his blankets / beds at the same time. No point it making him all fresh if his sheets stink

Themadhouse

I wash my dog every 2 weeks. She's a lab cross who is indoor and comes to work with me. Her skin does not dry out and the natural oils are not removed. The vet has nothing but good things to say about the condition of her coat and skin. We had her at a different vet last week while we had kittens there and she didn't stop raving about her coat. She eats a mix of brandy dry and happy dog with a small amount of wet food. Every now and again she get a tiny bit of sunflower oil, maybe once a fortnight.

sorella

We used to wonder how the collie stayed so shiny black and sparkling white, then we saw her rolling in long wet grass to clean herself. Little one runs through long grass and that suffices.

kerrysgold

shoelaceface wrote: »

oh i know they do! thats why we permantly leave them outside.. because they are constantly running through the fields, jumping over ditches and rolling in EVERYTHING....


tired.. is their any particular reason why you dont keep the dog outside?? i know its only a small pup but they are well able for it!

I'm sorry to go OT but this post in particular really annoyed me.....

why did you get dogs when you knew they'd obviously smell like dogs and do doggy things? like rolling in smelly things, and then banish them outside because of that?

and why are you questioning somebody who is obviously trying to do the best for their pup by keeping him inside as a family pet and basically trying to say putting him outside would be better?! :mad:

bigpinkelephant

kerrysgold wrote: »

I'm sorry to go OT but this post in particular really annoyed me.....

why did you get dogs when you knew they'd obviously smell like dogs and do doggy things? like rolling in smelly things, and then banish them outside because of that?

and why are you questioning somebody who is obviously trying to do the best for their pup by keeping him inside as a family pet and basically trying to say putting him outside would be better?! :mad:

Oh for god's sake, don't start this again.
You seem to have a fondness for finding nice threads where everyone is having a nice friendly discussion, and coming in and stirring rubbish with your "WHY???" this and "WHY???" that and ruining it.
The "Who likes Yorkies" thread and the "I just got a new puppy " thread spring to mind.

Jip

Themadhouse wrote: »

I wash my dog every 2 weeks. She's a lab cross who is indoor and comes to work with me. Her skin does not dry out and the natural oils are not removed. The vet has nothing but good things to say about the condition of her coat and skin.

We wash our two as often also, maybe once a week occasionaly. And same as yourself, the vet thinks they're in great condition coat and skin wise and they get lots of compliments out walking. It depends on the dog though, I believe hairier dogs should be cleaned and groomed more often than short haired ones.

And just to add, I tent to avoid this forum as, in my eyes, it's full of 'militiants' who really get on my goat thinking they know better than everyone else when it comes to dogs and other pets. Not looking at you in particular kerrysgold but your post is a prime example.


And just to add, I don't really have a goat that I or anything else gets up on before anyone complains.

stargirl.gra

Hi, I'm a dog groomer and my advise would be to definately wash the puppy but don't make a big fuss with him.You only need one person, you dont want to make an issue of bath time by struggling. I would also suggest bringing him into a groomers and getting some bath and table training while he is young. He may be one of those cockers who gets away with not needing massive grooming especially as he is a blue rowan but still nice to have the option. I'd recommend using baby shampoo on him in case it gets in his eyes and as for how often to wash him, if you get him groomed every three or four months thats usually enough washing unless like someone already mentioned, he rolls in cow dung:). If his paws are getting dirty and muddy and the hair on his belly is bringing in all the wet, just pop him into a bath of water and rinse off the dirt without using shampoo or anything.

jenpup

I have a blue roan puppy - he's 6 months old, I bath him once a month. If he gets a bit smelly in between we give him a "baby wipe bath" he loves these - but hates his actual bath.

Tired

Thanks Stargirl and Jenpup. I still haven't given him his bath, am going to try give it to him this evening. Bought him a brush so have been using this for the last couple of days, he seems to like that. Wish me luck!!!

liam1204

hey tired.
there is a brush in dunnes called the pro shedder that supposed to be very good.

Tired

LOL Liam that is exactly the brush i got. Its quite hard but he doesnt seem to mind it and it certainly pulls off all the dead fur. Have you got one of these, reason I ask is that you should be able to turn the head of it around and then it should lock into place but mine doesnt. Now i can still use the brush!!

shoelaceface

kerrysgold wrote: »

I'm sorry to go OT but this post in particular really annoyed me.....

why did you get dogs when you knew they'd obviously smell like dogs and do doggy things? like rolling in smelly things, and then banish them outside because of that?

and why are you questioning somebody who is obviously trying to do the best for their pup by keeping him inside as a family pet and basically trying to say putting him outside would be better?! :mad:

sorry.. didnt realise i was the only person in the world that kept our dogs outside.... :mad: we didnt 'banish' them outside because they smell.. they were always outside so that they could do all those things without wrecking the house as well.

i wasnt questioning tired. i was just saying that if she was so concerned about the smell, and that she didnt want the house to smell of dog then why not leave the dog outside! just because you keep your dogs outside does not mean you neglect them...

clearly i cant even give an opinion...

ecaf

Hi Tired,
I have a blue roan cocker too, so I can empathise with you! At first we used to was her every 2 /3 weeks, but I have gave up on that since because she is an outdoor dog and she loves being wet / dirty!

I washed her last weekend for the 1st time in about 3 months, but she was really getting smelly. She is always outside even when it's raining, her bed is outside but if she thinks she's getting your attention she will be outside in the rain. She even jumps into water troughs for horses (hail, rain or shine) - so the cold never seems to bother them.

I was half thinking that I might get her hairy legs and under her belly clipped until the warm-ish weather returns. Her hair is always wet, and she's not bothered by it, but it might help with the smell a bit.

Maybe if you considered cutting the real feathery hair off it might help? I know it wouldn't look as nice but if it bothers you as he is a house dog it might help?

rasper

We live in fairly cose contact with our fellas so they get a wash when they need it, generally not less than every two weeks coz they generally find something to roll in, use baby shampoo and they have very healthy coats, don't love the baths but accept them and usually go nuts after. Depends on a dogs coat (long/short/oily/dry) but if they are living in the house ya gotta do it often as required or risk turning into a smelly house that you get used to, we all know those houses

peasant

rasper wrote: »

...but if they are living in the house ya gotta do it often as required or risk turning into a smelly house that you get used to, we all know those houses

We also all know "those" houses that smell of cleaners, glade airfreshner, perfume/aftershave and scented candles.

Now guess which smells are healthier (for man and dog) ?