# when to bathe your puppy!?



## 493234 (Apr 28, 2020)

my boy is 10 weeks now
i bathed him at 8 weeks
how often should i bath him?


----------



## tim_s_adams (Aug 9, 2017)

They don't need baths too often. If you bathed him at 8 wks he's good for 6 months, unless he gets into something nasty. Most dirt will just dry up and fall off. If you bathe them too frequently it can dry out their skin and fur and cause skin issues.


----------



## 493234 (Apr 28, 2020)

tim_s_adams said:


> They don't need baths too often. If you bathed him at 8 wks he's good for 6 months, unless he gets into something nasty. Most dirt will just dry up and fall off. If you bathe them too frequently it can dry out their skin and fur and cause skin issues.


he is stinky now and sometimes he even potty in crate, so he is little dirty now! 
should i bath him with shampoo now or should i soak cotton cloth in warm water and wipe him up


----------



## Sabis mom (Mar 20, 2014)

rickie_the_gsd said:


> he is stinky now and sometimes he even potty in crate, so he is little dirty now!
> should i bath him with shampoo now or should i soak cotton cloth in warm water and wipe him up


If he gets dirty just wipe him off. If he potties in his crate you need to scrub the crate and make sure to take him out more often. Letting him go potty in his crate will become a habit that is hard to break so don't let him do that.


----------



## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I would bathe a puppy that stinks, especially if it has urinated on itself or been in feces inside of a crate. How often you can bathe depends on what you bathe them with. If it lives inside and sleeps with you, you don't want that in your sleeping area.


----------



## McGloomy (Mar 13, 2018)

Agreed with Magwart. But ideally GSDs don't need to be bathed often. Some people bathe their GSDs only twice a year and that's considered normal


----------



## Pawsed (May 24, 2014)

You should never let the puppy go to the bathroom in the crate. It is your responsibility to get him outside often enough that that doesn't happen, so never scold him for this. It's not his fault, it's yours. Puppies can't control themselves. It's up to you to make sure he has no accidents.

That means taking him outside after he wakes up, every single time; after he eats, every single time; after he plays in the house, every single time; and at least every hour, ever single time during the day. It also means getting up in the middle of the night to take him out. It's a full time job, or more, on your part, but it will pay off if you are diligent.

You never want to develop a habit of his going in the crate. That will be much more difficult to overcome down the road.

Good luck with him.


----------



## Kimberly Baumgart (Jul 21, 2020)

Not more than once a month. I almost never ash my GS, as they are outdoor dogs. I maybe gave them a bath 3 times in their life


----------



## Biscuit (Mar 24, 2020)

I have still not bathed my shepherd, after buying very nice puppy shampoo for the day I got her. She gets a towel rub down after getting wet (rain/lakes/rivers). She has her own smell, but it's certainly not bad. But she is very clean. Keep shampooing to a minimum for their coat (that's what my vet said). If a rinse and rub down keep them clean stick with that.


----------



## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

Not more than twice per year at the most and never with human shampoo. There are also natural spray waterless dog both products and also dry brush products. Baths with water and shampoos should be kept to a minimum as they can strip essential oils that are errrrr essential to a healthy GSD coat.


----------



## David Winners (Apr 30, 2012)

I usually hose them off if they go into a pond or they are out in tall grass. I like to get the stinky mud and pollen off them before they come in the house. I don't use shampoo though.


----------



## Damicodric (Apr 13, 2013)

I don’t bathe. Period.

I do have a mobile groomer come to my home once / year for that spit shine and blow out that I don’t do.

I do brush my 3 GSD’s, 4x per week and do 54 toe nails every two weeks.

If something should cause filth, I immediately attend to it, but even then, that’s only a good fresh water rinse and towel dry.

We all know dogs identify clearly by scent - natural scent. I’m guessing lavender and rose pedal scented shampoos satisfy an owner’s nose, but surely not the animal.

Been doing same for 24 years.

They don’t need baths. They need fastidious attention.

Lastly, grooming my dogs as often as I do, gives me a bonding opportunity and allows me to check them physically for cuts, scars, ticks, lumps etc ..... and I check from head to toe, butt to mouth.

Best of luck to you.


----------



## orangeversion (Jul 6, 2020)

493234 said:


> my boy is 10 weeks now
> i bathed him at 8 weeks
> how often should i bath him?


Once in a month is enough for a german shepherd to take a bath. If you want then you can wipe him with just warm water once a week. This should be enough for him. Too much bath can make his skin and coat dry.


----------



## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

Deja is 6 years old and only has been bathed once in her life every other day for, I believe, two weeks to clear up a skin Staph infection. Her coat is sleek and doesn't smell. When wet and dirty I dry her off with a cattle type blow dryer and the dirt falls off.


----------



## WNGD (Jan 15, 2005)

orangeversion said:


> Once in a month is enough for a german shepherd to take a bath. If you want then you can wipe him with just warm water once a week. This should be enough for him. Too much bath can make his skin and coat dry.


A few disagree but once a month is too much unless your pup somehow gets absolutely filthy. Once or twice a year is tons or try a spray/brush dog coat cleaner


----------

