I alway thought that over bathing your dog can strip the natural oils from a dogs fur. Yet nearly all the JRT members of the different forums I am a member of, are bathing their dogs every week. K9 & Skye (both 8 years old) have only been bathed twice in their lives, the 4 hooligans (who are 5 years old) have only been bathed once. If they get muddy I wait until its dried then brush it off them, cow/horse muck I use pet wet wipes to clean it off them. Surely using dog shampoo or baby shampoo every week on your dogs is not healthy (chemicals that's in the shampoo) does it or can it cause dermatitis in dogs.
You are 100% correct weekly is way to often, most breeds more than once every 2 to 3 months is to often. Some breeds are recommended no more than 1 time every 6 months. Not sure about dermatitis, but know it can and will cause dry patches and sores.
The only time I ever bathe a dog is when it's a new rescue and has lots of fleas or something that requires bathing. Often just wetting with warm water will get any amount of dirt off. Mine have no fleas, no doggy odor no nothing except smiles. If needed, as I live on a dirt road, I use baby hypoallergenic wet wipes with no scent added. Much cheaper and probally the same as the pet wipes. They think its great fun for me to wipe while the try to get it.
Pereg, who has just turned 6, has never been bathed or showered, but I do use adult wipes or unscented baby wipes to clean her up and wipe her down after she has a seizure, as she gets white glue-like gunge all over her mouth, face and throat, plus she gets covered in pee on whichever side she falls. Sometimes she also loses bowel control but the wipes clean her up and she is quite happy to let me do it. Like most owners of epis I have packs of wipes just about everywhere - I buy both the baby wipes and the adult wipes in bulk - the adult ones are large, thicker and much stronger than baby wipes and if they are not soiled I put them in a lidded bucket in hot water with washing liquid and then they go in the machine with the next white/light wash. They then make ideal dusters and wipes for kitchen spills! Somehow I cannot imagine her letting me shower her though! I do not have a bathtub but would not be able to lift her in or out even if I did. But she does not smell doggy at all and her coat never feels dirty. Little One, who had a longish silky coat did need showering occasionally but she was as good as gold. I would move my self-propelling shower chair, put a plastic one in its place, she would jump on my lap so I could then move my chair in front of the plastic one and she would hop from my lap onto the plastic chair.
None of my dogs smell either so I can't understand why other JRT owners need to bath their dogs every week.
I've read from several sources that human shampoo, even formulas for babies, are too harsh for dogs. I use Buddy Wash or Burt's Bees Oatmeal Dog Shampoo. Here the winter months go well below freezing sometimes so I only bathe them for a real mess. Usually it involves pee. Sophie wets her bed from time to time then lays back down on it. Callie doesn't always aim well and sprays his legs or chest sometimes. In the summer between fleas, romping in the garden, and sweltering heat I bathe them maybe every two week in the bathtub. We have a detachable shower for rinsing and both dogs seem to enjoy it. Callie especially, he'll sit in the water with this big dopey grin and as long as you'll rub and soap his back he's happy. Sometimes I'll stop to rinse him off and I swear he noses the shampoo bottle like " No need to stop, that feels GREAT!". The oatmeal shampoo is for Sophie because she does have dry skin. I rub her with a bit of coconut oil or argan oil before I brush her and it seems to help. Callie's skin and fur are perfect.
If I can find my old blog I wrote about showering Little One - and if I find the blog [and the article] I will post it.
I did once have a dog with terrible skin allergies. Instead of using an oatmeal shampoo I made her an oatmeal rinse. Every day in the summer when it was really bad I put her in the sink, poured it over her, waited a bit and rinsed it off. Then I dabbed some to leave on the bad spots and let it dry. Did wonders for her skin and the itch. My girlfriend now uses that method for her pug.
Georgina gets bathed twice a year in April and October. Being a Pei you have to be extremely careful what shampoo you use ... anything with oatmeal is an absolute no-no! Other than that she's a teflon dog, so all that is needed when she gets muddy is a good brush once the mud is dry. Tiny Chloe used to get bathed more often but mainly in winter because being small with long white and tan fur she used to get really wet and muddy and the quickest way to get her clean and warm was to give her a bath. Being a Schnauzer, Gwylim gets bathed when he goes to the groomer for his "short back and sides" which is every 10 to 12 weeks. In between to prevent any tangles and matts he gets combed and brushed every evening which takes me a good twenty minutes..... thank goodness he isn't a Puli! I'm not into being a DIY doggy hairdresser who cuts their dog's hair at home .. I'd much rather to leave it to someone who knows what they're doing and just pay up!
I always understood that bathing dogs too often stripped there coats of natrual oils too. I've never bathed my dogs and Morris is almost 6. He has a foot bath after every walk with a weak solution of hibiscrub this Time of year as he's allergic to mud. But that's it.
@pugluva - have a look at Barry! http://www.forum.breedia.com/threads/the-pug-who-loves-being-bathed.14560/
Finn gets weekly baths during his allergy season. It keeps his skin nice and calm. Most other times he gets bathed monthly.
When I showed the Cavaliers and Lowchen they were bathed for every show - which was weeky during the season. I used conditioner on them, and never had any skin trouble. Now I rarely bath these two, as we are not fit enough to carry them all through the house from the (upstairs) bathroom. Eddie does swim when it's warm enough - and Tweed splashes about. If they get fox pooey, it has to be two legs at a time in a baby bath - outside.
