My wife wants to wash Piccolo with a dog shampoo at least once a week to once every 10 days. I think it is too often. She says it is to keep him from having a bad odor. What do you think? I know it is recommended not to wash them often as it is harmful to their skin, but must admit have yet to notice any harm to his skin. Thanks for feedback.
Washing too often strips away the natural oils in the skin and coat, which can make doggy odours worse so it can be counter productive. I wash mine if they've rolled in something so are looking (or smelling!) particularly funky... They don't smell at all normally
I used to shower Lexi, my Little One, maybe every four times a year, if that, because she slept cuddled up to me and being fairly long coated, did need an occasional shower but not too often. Pereg was never showered, and little Tikva only got put under the tap when I was weaning her and she got herself icky.
I've also heard not to bathe a dog unless they get really dirty, such as rolling in something. I have not bathed Copper since he was a puppy and he is now 9 years old.
Have never bathed any of my 6 JRT's they do get a wipe down with a dog's wet wipe [tummy/feet] when we have been out in the rain or in a muddy field. Pets At Home pet wipes prices start from £3.00 going up to £7.50
Gwylim, my Mini Schnauzer gets bathed every time he goes to the groomer, so around every 8 to 10 weeks. I very rarely bathed my previous Pei but as the one I have now has a pale cream coat she gets bathed about 2 or 3 times a year to bring out the colour. I don't do it myself though she just gets sent to the groomer, along with her brother!
I do not know about pet wipes but like most people on the epi List I had packs of baby wipes all over the house to clean Pereg when necessary. I then got adult wipes which were even better [and much larger]. Tikva prefers her own natural perfume!
I bathe Nigredo once every 1-2 weeks usually. Keeps the loose hair off and I'm particular about how his coat looks and stuff. No skin problems and no coat problems. He never stinks, I just like to bathe him and he has a lovely shampoo fragrance and super soft fur after baths. He's a labby guy and its normally sort of bristly. He sleeps in my bed so that's another reason why.
Nigredo's coat looks beautiful. I love the smell of a clean dog. When I was showing, bathing could be as often as once a week. I used a coconut oil conditioner, and we never had any skin problems. Otherwise I only bath when necessary - if they look grubby or feel greasy, or to help hurry the moult along. To be honest I find bathing dogs quite hard work these days, as I'm not as fit as I used to be. Luckily we have some nice waterparks, so it is easy to freshen them up between baths with a swim (Eddie), or a splash and a paddle (Merry).
Nigredo - as per his temperament in general, is quite easy to bathe. He steps into a tub like a good boy, and doesn't thrash or try to jump out. He also doesn't shake a ton. If it's warm he has his baths outside with a hose, which he also doesn't mind. I use normally Olay Ultra Moisture shampoo on him and just a bit of cheap V05 conditioner and he does well on it. May I add - Jade is terrified of water and baths and gets them ONLY when she begins to stink a tad or when she begins to shed. And even then its a terror. I don't advocate bathing dogs a lot if they hate it.
No, if you use the right shampoo( not harsh) there should be no problems, to be honest looking at your dog a quick rub down with a damp towel should be enough if you pup comes home dirty, save the full bath for when they are covered in nasties.
