If you owned your first dog, first of all, congratulations on your new member of the house. But you can feel overwhelming as all the experiences are new and exciting. It is common to get many doubts, questions and frightening moments.
But you can easily overcome them as the solutions are available on different resources. Further, the most common type of doubts asked by the new pet owners is how often should I bathe my dog.
To tell the truth, we cannot apply the solution to all the dogs as a whole. That is to say, every dog is different and it requires various bathing duration. However, if you are looking for the right timings to bathe your dog, then you are on the right page.
Factors to decide the dog’s bathing process
There are major factors that decide the bathing duration of your dog.
To clarify, it depends on the factors like breed, coat type, hair length, allergies or other skin conditions, lifestyle, and the environment in which the dog lives.
Therefore, it is important to consider all the mentioned factors before you bathe your dog. Many people do not know this and end up cleaning every day.
This can cause various skin conditions like extreme dryness, loss of hair, and so on.
You can take a look at the following factors to get the solutions on how often should I bathe my dog.
- Type of coat:
There is a misconception that if your dog has less hair, then it requires less often bathing.
But it is not true as the dogs with no hair like Chinese crested requires intensive care and frequent bathing.
Therefore, the bathing should be done depending on the coat density. That is to say, the dogs with medium to long coat should be bathed weekly or every 4 to 6 weeks.
However, the thick coat dogs like Labrador and retrievers need less bathing frequency as frequent bathing can strip off excess oil and moisture from their skin.
- Living style:
The lifestyle of the dogs also plays an important role in cleaning them.
For example, the dogs with medium coat hair can be cleaned off regularly with a damp washcloth.
These dogs do not require frequent bathing as the dirt can be easily removed using this procedure.
That is to say, if your dog looks dirty after a play from the nearby park, then just wipe it off with a damp cloth.
- Health conditions:
Every dog requires a grooming regimen as they require special care and attention.
That is to say, the health conditions like skin abnormalities can be treated by using the prescribed shampoos and conditioners.
Further, you do not have to bathe them regularly as the other dirt like nails or ear dirt can be removed.
To clarify, you should perform monthly nail trimming and ear cleaning for keeping your dog clean.
- Length of hair:
The hair length of your dog also helps in maintaining the personal hygiene of your dog,
That is to say, the longer the hair is then there are greater chances of dirt getting trapped into their hair.
Therefore, one should take care of these things by regular trimming of hairs instead of a frequent bath.
On the other hand, if your dog hair is short, then they are too susceptible to become grimy.
Therefore, one requires the best efforts and maintenance to prevent the dogs from getting dirt.
- Physical activity:
If your dogs stay indoors more, then the chances of getting dirt are less. Therefore, it is better to bathe them once in a few weeks.
On the other hand, if your dog loves to play outside and stays outdoors more often, then you should bathe them often like once in two weeks.
Further, washing their dirt off with the damp cloth can benefit for better results.
- Allergies:
The dogs with skin conditions or allergies must be cleaned regularly as the vet prescribes.
However, they will provide treatments that clean their skin and do not dry out their surface.
In short, your dog must be bathed once in a minimum of three months.
Further, depending on the coat and hair length, this frequency can vary according to the above-mentioned guidelines.
Therefore, it provides the best solutions for your question on how often should I bathe my dog.
Tips on how to bathe your dog
The dog should be bathed depending on various factors as mentioned above. However, bathing your dog might look a tedious task as a beginner.
But once you know the right steps and tips, it is easy to clean them regularly. Further, there are certain tips which must be followed as below.
- Brushing:
Your dog may not require frequent bathing but the regular brushing or combing of your hair is important.
The larger dirt and debris can shed down when you brush their hairs well.
Further, brushing can offer the best benefits like improved blood circulation, shedding of insects, and so on.
- Picking a spot:
If you plan to bath your dog, then it is important that you choose the right spot.
Moreover, if your dog is accustomed to this spot for bathing, then it will be easy to bath them often.
Initially, it can be a difficult task to make your dog sit down and train them to stay calm when you bath it.
But once the spot is accustomed by the dog, it will remain calm and help you clean them better.
Therefore, choose the right spot that makes your dog comfortable to take a dip and have fun.
- Temperature matters:
The temperature of the water also matters in bathing your dog.
This is because the fur coat of the dog can withstand only a certain temperature and it can also vary based on other factors.
For instance, if the coat is thick, then it can withstand medium to high temperatures.
If your dog’s coat is thin, then the temperature should be less which helps the dog to have a perfect dip.
- Lathering:
It is a great technique to lather off the dirt of your dog with a mild cleanser rather than using harsh chemicals like soap.
If you show your pet to your vet, then you can easily buy the cleanser and shampoo prescribed by him.
The cleansers can be mixed with the water very well before using it on the skin.
You can slowly lather up and then start using it on the dog for the best results.
- Blow-dry:
This is the most important step which is skipped by most pet owners. Once your dog is bathed, blow-drying is very important.
It helps in removing the excess moisture and cause your dog do not get sick.
Further blowing dry the hair can make it less prone to fungal and other bacterial infections that result in more hair fall.
Consequently, bathing and blow-drying your dog helps them to stay healthy and hygienic for more days.
The question of how often should I bathe my dog can be tricky to the new owners. But once your dog feels comfortable bathing, it will be easier to follow the schedule.
Therefore, one should take care of their dog pretty well by scheduling the frequent yet not stripping off their moisture bathing plan for the best results.
To sum up, your dog is family and taking care of it requires epical care and attention like children of your house.
Bathing is an important step in pet care and therefore any queries related to it can be resolved by a quick conversation with your vet.
Further, the dogs should be bathed only under certain conditions like gaps between bathing duration, coat length, density, and so on.
