# How often is too often for a bath



## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

I think I had read somewhere that a dog should not get a bath more often than once every 3 weeks. Is this true? Is bathing a GSD once a month good? Not often enough? Thanks for any advice.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

I think it depends on the dog, the reason, and what you're bathing with.

With dogs with staph infections, they actually may be bathed every 2-3 _days _with medicated shampoo (chlorhex), per vet instructions. That shampoo doesn't dry them out (it doesn't even really foam...it's kind of different). 

For a healthy dog, I've never needed to bathe more than once very few months. I only bathe "as needed" -- they roll in mud, or in very hot/humid weather the coat oils get funky-smelling.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

Magwart said:


> I think it depends on the dog, the reason, and what you're bathing with.
> 
> With dogs with staph infections, they actually may be bathed every 2-3 _days _with medicated shampoo (chlorhex), per vet instructions. That shampoo doesn't dry them out (it doesn't even really foam...it's kind of different).
> 
> For a healthy dog, I've never needed to bathe more than once very few months. I only bathe "as needed" -- they roll in mud, or in very hot/humid weather the coat oils get funky-smelling.


Thanks for the advice. We used to bath every couple of months then we found a local self-wash place that only charges $10 - for bath, soap, drier, towels - and they do the clean up. It's a steal. So we took him on New Years eve for the first tiem and found it to be really convenient and quick. On Friday we noticed that he was starting to smell again so we took him back today. I didn't even think about it until now but if we keep up with this schedule we will be bathing him once every month. I hope that isn't too often so I thought I would ask.


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## Magwart (Jul 8, 2012)

If you use something mild (castile soap, Wondercide bar, etc.), I wouldn't worry. I'm not sure about using SLS-based shampoos more often--they can be a little more stripping. 

I think a lot of people have monthly grooming appoints for high-maintenance dogs. That interval has to be acceptable for that to be as common as it is.


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## Chip18 (Jan 11, 2014)

More info here:

How Often Should You Bathe Your Pet?

it's not so much the baths that are a problem it;s using soaps that strip away the oils from the skin and fur. We had to Rocky wash several times a week this past summer to get the allergens off of him, it did help no vet trip this last year.


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## Charlie W (Feb 12, 2013)

My dogs get hosed off with clean water or taken to the river when they're muddy, Bismarck who is 18 months old has never been washed and Norah had her first ever wash with dog shampoo a month or so ago after rolling in something gross, she is 3.5 years old! They get a good diet, regularly brushed and don't smell at all doggy..I'd say only when they need it, and no more..


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

things to take into consideration:
type of shampoo
coat type / length
season / climate
age
diet
health
grooming tools & frequency
activities

....every dog truly is different. one of mine I bathe every other month, the other (my long coat) twice a year max.


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## Rangers_mom (May 16, 2013)

How do you guys keep your dog from smelling if you wash them only a few times a year?


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## Apoolutz (Jan 19, 2013)

Gunner eats a raw diet and gets brushed every day to keep the coat clean,no doggy smells on him, he only gets a bath in the spring because of the mudd. I think brushing daily and what you feed makes a huge difference.


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## Fodder (Oct 21, 2007)

that's where those considerations I listed come into play...

for example, when my long coat was younger, on a raw diet, brushed regularly, and swam often (when tempretures permitted)... I may have only bathed him once a year and it wasn't even because he was smelly.

in some dogs - the more you bathe them, especially with shampoo, the more they require it because it throws off the natural ph in their skin and coat changing oil production.

it's no different than ppl who can wash their hair daily and others who need it less regularly.... or ppl who have a stronger body odor than others.


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## NancyJ (Jun 15, 2003)

Rangers_mom said:


> How do you guys keep your dog from smelling if you wash them only a few times a year?


You know, I really don't notice an odor from the coat but I comb and blow out regularly. I did figure out that most odor I have notice has come from the leather or nylon dog collar. I hardly ever bathe but will give a good rinse out if they are particularly muddy.


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## eddie1976E (Nov 7, 2010)

Mine gets a bath every 6 weeks, whether he needs it or not....Kinda like me


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## Dotbat215 (Aug 19, 2015)

I do about once per month. His flea and tick meds sometimes leave a slick, we're renovating the house so there's a lot of dust in the air, going outside brings in new allergens on his fur, and he's a big baby about being brushed so I tend bathe more frequently.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

If your dog has an odor, you might consider what the possible sources might be. Stinky collar (is it nylon? does it get wet?)? Yeast infection? Bad diet? (feeding a poor grade food or one that has something your dog has a sensitivity to) can lead to an 'odor'. Not brushing out your dog (trapped hairs can sometimes promote spots of trapped moisture).


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## wolfy dog (Aug 1, 2012)

I rinse off very muddy legs, or their neck when rolled in deer poop, that's it. Never use soap. I cannot even remember when I last bathed a dog other than bringing home a shelter dog for fostering in the past to get rid of the shelter aura.


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## Galathiel (Nov 30, 2012)

I think the only bath mine got this year was when we went to the lake. I just feel like lake water is nasty!


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