# How often do you bath your dog?



## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

I bathed Raven 2 1/2 weeks ago with an oatmeal shampoo but Raven likes to roll around in the grass etc when she gets silly and she plays. I do brush her every other day although she thinks brushing is a game and tries to go after the brush so sometimes brushing can be cut short.

I was wondering how often does everyone bath there GSD? 
I do not want to do it to often and dry her skin out..


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

i was wondering the same thing, i use to bathe shilo alot but now i dont, i just brush and rinse of, but when she gets to stinkin...


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

I bathe once every 3-4 months, so a total of 3 or 4 times a year is more than enough. If you bathe too much its not good for their natural oils. 

Now if they were to roll around in some mud or go swimming in the ocean than an extra bath here and there isnt going to hurt anyone, but once every few months is more than enough.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

this year Sage has had 3 baths. Once as a baby and 2 during fall/winter because he took mud baths and it was too cold to rinse him down. He gets a hose off when needed though


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

when you bathe to much and get rid of the oils what happens?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

"Do not bathe your dog too often because that will dry out the skin, deplete healthy oils from the coat and skin, and lead to scratching and irritation."

"Too frequent bathing can cause the coat to soften and reduce its insulating qualities."

Dog Tip: Bathing and Shampooing Your Dog


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Doesn't the doggy smell get to be a little much when you only bathe them a few times a year?


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

i would agree.. shilo stinks after a while..


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

paulag1955 said:


> Doesn't the doggy smell get to be a little much when you only bathe them a few times a year?


Sage has no doggie smell. A good diet definately helps


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

paulag1955 said:


> Doesn't the doggy smell get to be a little much when you only bathe them a few times a year?


No, not at all. Lucy never has that doggie smell and she bathes only a couple times a year. 

If you feed a good diet, there should be no doggie smell at all. Poor quality kibbles will usually cause a dog to smell. What are you feeding?


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## shilorio (Mar 21, 2010)

so thats the main thing isnt it? the diet.. shilo hasnt smelt or had a greasy coat since we switched her food, i just noticed that haha


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> No, not at all. Lucy never has that doggie smell and she bathes only a couple times a year.
> 
> If you feed a good diet, there should be no doggie smell at all. Poor quality kibbles will usually cause a dog to smell. What are you feeding?


Oh, my baby smells fine...like a puppy but I've never met a dog that didn't smell like a dog. What do you feed Lucy?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

paulag1955 said:


> What do you feed Lucy?


Innova adult at the moment, but she's switching over to Orijen as soon as i run out of the two leftover bags that i have from an order i made a couple months back, but that's a whole other conversation why im switching off the innova.

Along with the innova, i feed steamed chicken everyday, yogurt, green tripe, cottage cheese, canned pumpkin, carrots, raw eggs, and a bunch of the canned merrick flavors. All healthy stuff with a quality (well, was quality) dry kibble.

If you don't want to have that doggie smell, a good diet is key. It has nothing to do with baths, it's all about the diet.


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## paulag1955 (Jun 29, 2010)

Lucy Dog said:


> Innova adult at the moment, but she's switching over to Orijen as soon as i run out of the two leftover bags that i have from an order i made a couple months back, but that's a whole other conversation why im switching off the innova.
> 
> Along with the innova, i feed steamed chicken everyday, yogurt, green tripe, cottage cheese, canned pumpkin, carrots, raw eggs, and a bunch of the canned merrick flavors. All healthy stuff with a quality (well, was quality) dry kibble.
> 
> If you don't want to have that doggie smell, a good diet is key. It has nothing to do with baths, it's all about the diet.


I'm curious about why you include dairy products and veggies. I looked up that green tripe...yuk! How can you do that? I'm squeamish!


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

paulag1955 said:


> I'm curious about why you include dairy products and veggies. I looked up that green tripe...yuk! How can you do that? I'm squeamish!


Dogs don't need veggies in their diets. Everything they need is in the meats that they eat. Dogs are carnivores. 

I feed the yogurt mainly because of the active cultures in the yogurt. Very healthy. Don't feed any of that flavored or sugary kinds. Only the low fat non flavored kind.

I feed about two raw eggs every week because it's a good source of extra protein and it's great for their coat. Nothing will make their coats shine like a few raw eggs every week if you ask me.

Green tripe does stink, but from what i've read is possibly the healthiest and most beneficial thing you can add to a dogs diet. There's tons of research on it's health benefits. Just do a quick google search and youll find plenty. It does stink though.

Fruits and veggies are just not needed. Nothing wrong with feeding them once in a while, but again, dogs are carnivores and veggies arent needed, so i dont really feed them. I do feed carrots though as a treat. That's only because lucy goes absolutely crazy for them. When I take out the carrots, she'll do back flips if i asked her to.


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## sagelfn (Aug 13, 2009)

I feed Orijen, occasionally he gets a meat or canned wellness core added to his kibble (or just in a kong) he also gets lots of knuckle bones and a few marrow bones here and there. I don't put egg or yogurt in regularly but he still gets it on occasion.

His treats are human foods (cheese,chicken,hotdogs, etc) 

tripe  nope can't do it


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## StarryNite (Jun 2, 2009)

paulag1955 said:


> Doesn't the doggy smell get to be a little much when you only bathe them a few times a year?


A lot of it depends on the food you feed them. Since Lou has been on RAW and home cooked she doesn't ever smell at all, either body or breath. I also give her salmon oil for her skin and coat every day. My DH is AMAZED at how this works and won't let me feed her kibble anymore LOL. Well, Orijen or TOTW and a few others are okay but most kibbles do make them stink a bit.

The ONLY time I bathe her is when she gets home from the boarding kennel as she seems to pick up a lot of "stink" there LOL. And even then she cries and whines the entire time in the bathtub!


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## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

Well I do not have a problem with a smelly dog..lolol...I do feed her blue buffalo and she loves it and her coat is shiny and hardly any shedding.
She just gets silly and goofy and rolls in the grass and dirt when she is playing.
I also noticed her scratching alot lately. I have used advantix and then few weeks later frontline but still scratching. I saw one flea with the advantix but have not seen any since the frontline.
It is driving me crazy! No other animals in the house are scratching and have fleas. 
I cannot find fleas on her. But still she scratches...any clue?


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## Lucy Dog (Aug 10, 2008)

She might be allergic to something in the food. Could be the protein in the BB or it could be the grains. Grains are a very common allergy source for dogs and is a big reason why some people choose to feed grain free. Allergies can also cause a dog to smell as well as itch, so that's my guess as to what's going on.

You may want to consider switching to either a lamb and rice formula to see if chicken is the problem or you may want to get off the grains all together.


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## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

ok will def. keep that in mind. 
thank you!


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I'll be the oddball out here and say I bathe my dogs very often, no less than once a month. No, my dogs wont stink if I don't bathe them that often because I feed a quality food but I just hate the idea of having a dirty dog sleeping with me. Chance gets bathed typically 1-2x a month depending on the weather and if it's muddy out or he goes to the dog park, ect he gets done more. Zoey gets bathed 2-3x a month. Both my dogs have been bathed as often as once a week. Neither of my dogs have dry skin or itching and they both have healthy coats and skin. We have dogs come in for grooming at work who come in WEEKLY for baths, again, they do NOT have poor coats/skin. It's all about shampoo quality. If you bathe your dog with Hartz shampoo or Dawn dish soap then yeah the coat is going to suffer just as it would if you were feeding Kibbles N' Bits or Pedigree. If you bathe your dog with a QUALITY shampoo (ie. Espree (My favorite), Tropiclean, Earth Bath) your dog isn't going to have a problem.


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## doggiedad (Dec 2, 2007)

my dog is 3 yrs. old and he had his 5th bath
two (2) days ago. my dog holds still when i'm bathing him.
he shakes when i tell him it's ok.

when i brush my dog he stands there untill
i release him. i don't make him stand there untill
i finish brushing him. every 5 minutes or so
i release him.


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## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

Where can I get the shampoo Espree?
Is it a oatmeal base shampoo?
I do have a grooming room available to me at work which helps, although I still end up soaked. We have tons of shampoo that we can use there. I always use an oatmeal shampoo not to dry out her skin.


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## White German Shepherd (Jun 8, 2010)

You can use a baby shampoo and bath once a month, baby shampoo does not affect the oils


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## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

Now that I did not know about baby shampoo...


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## ChancetheGSD (Dec 19, 2007)

I've used baby shampoo before when I had nothing else but I would NOT use it often. I find if used often it DOES start drying out the coat. And even when used on the rare occasion I do use it, I find it doesn't leave my dog feeling nearly as nice as their regular shampoos do and I feel like no matter how much I rinse, there is still some left in the dogs coat. The only real good thing about it is that they smell great for days but if they aren't feeling as great as they smell then I don't feel it's really worth it. Plus the Espree smell last just as long. 

I used to buy Espree from Petco when I lived in GA. Unfortunately we do not have a Petco where I live now and I've yet to find it at any local pet stores so I order it online. (You can buy at places like petedge.com for roughly $30 for a gallon sized bottle that would last you -years-. They DO come in smaller sized bottles but I personally find it more economical to buy the large bottles and just refill a small one.  A small bottle (20oz) would cost you $6-$10 depending on where you buy it from.) Espree comes in several formulas, my favorite is the oatmeal and baking soda. It smells really good without being over powering to your dog. To mix things up, I also like to use Tropiclean Berry Shampoo. It smells great and leaves my dogs looking and feeling great. Downfall is the smell doesn't last quite as long as the Espree but that's just for my pleasure, my dogs do stay feeling and looking good and I doubt they care about keeping the berry smell for at least a week.


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## Dawn (Jun 23, 2010)

excellent! thank you for the info and I will pick some up this week. I have a petsmart and petco around the block from where I work.

thanks again!!


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## AliciaMaria (May 8, 2010)

I bathe Sammi and Tex maybe 3-4 times a year.. (Tex is a husky, Sammi is our GSD). She LOVES to swim, but hates baths.. I don't get it.. I bought some doggie shampoo from Origins a few years ago, and I'm still using that. If I dont use that, I use just a regular doggie oatmeal shampoo.

I only bathe them because after awhile, from playing outside and visiting the dog park, they get a little grimy. BUT she never smells badly. She has this wonderful, awesome smell.. So does Tex! I could sit with them for hours and breathe in the smell of their fur. It's like heaven to me. 

I feed them dry food.. proplan, always have.. and just recently, started incorporating canned proplan and steamed white rice in with their diet. I also give them a glucosamine and an omega 3 every day.. and milkbones for treats.


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## Relayer (Apr 29, 2010)

Max plays in a very muddy area almost every morning. Hey, we live in Florida and its swampy. When we get done, he's like a little drowned rat completely saturated with sandy, yucky, black muck! He gets a complete rinse off every day and a shampoo at least once, if not twice a week. His skin is perfect and his coat is shiny as can be. His diet is Orijen LBP along with one meal a day of raw meat, liver, eggs, hearts, turkey necks or sardines.


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## rebelsgirl (May 19, 2005)

Zoe is 9 months old and only had a bath the day we brought her home when she was 12 weeks old. She has no odor and her fur is shiny. We feed her Taste of the Wild. She's been on it for awhile now.

Now she did get out in the rain the other day and got soaked.. lol. but I don't consider that a bath. I was afraid she'd make the house smell like a wet dog but she didn't.


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## W.Oliver (Aug 26, 2007)

I bath the dog about twice a month, and brush her all the time. Bathing the dog occures much more often than bathing the cat. I hate bathing the cat because the fur always sticks to my tounge!


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## rebelsgirl (May 19, 2005)

[email protected] the fur sticking to your tongue. It's that way with my Pomeranian!

I brush Zoe a few times a week and she gets so shiny. Most people think I bathe her a lot.


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## Chicagocanine (Aug 7, 2008)

The most is once a month, but that is only if she really needs it. I take her in to the groomer a few times a year for them to do a Furminator treatment. I have a Furminator at home but it is very time consuming and I never seem to be able to get rid of as much hair as the groomer does.


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## RadarsShadow (Nov 16, 2009)

I know that she's not a GSD but I bath Missy at least once a month with a desheading and good blow out. I find if I use an oatmeal shampoo followed by a coat conditioner she comes out really soft and very clean. We do the same to a few GSD's who come in for grooming and their coats always look great.


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## DangerousBeauty (Jul 8, 2010)

I just got done actually but only because we just came from walking the river and he was covered in dirt and mud. lol. I bathe him when there is visible dirt and mud so more often in summer. Other than that only as needed, which is not often at all. I agree diet does have a great deal to do with it. 

Washing too much is bad for their skin. That applies to all dogs but more for breeds such as gsd's that are prone to dry skin.


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## aubie (Dec 22, 2008)

Ours get a "real" bath maybe once a year. We feed raw and have no doggy odor or greasy fur/skin. I actually can't remember the last time I bathed the dogs at home...

Sometimes when we go to the creek we'll take a bar of doggy soap with us just to lather them up, but this is on a rare occasion. Other than that, the rain, creek and hosepipe free any dirt they might have accumulated.


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## Sulamer22 (May 14, 2010)

Nigel is shedding terribly. I think that I have washed him too much. He is on a good diet but he is scratching a lot. I did not want hm to have dog smell. Plus he sleeps on my bed. Should I give him an oil supplement?


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## Samba (Apr 23, 2001)

I groom them about every 4 to 6 weeks. I like to get rid of the dead hair in the coat. Have to admit I am a sucker for a beautifully groomed dog with shiny hair. I like to blow dry and use a finishing brush to separate hair and get all standing out. Then out for a walk in the sunshine to ooooh and ahhhh over them. 

I am addicted to Miracle Coat shampoo too and #1 All Systems Botanical conditioner. 

You can add a good oil supplement to help the coat. I have not had bathing cause a problem with the coats. You need to be using a high quality shampoo and the most important part is to rinse like crazy. Be sure and rake and comb out all loose hair before you bath the dog also.


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