We are frequently asked about how often a dog should be bathed. How often your dog is bathed depends on the type of hair it has, how often it is brushed, and how long the hair is. All show dogs are bathed once a week with good quality shampoo and conditioner to keep the skin and coat in excellent condition.

If your dog is a shedding dog and you don't brush it often it can be bathed as often as once a month. It will not dry out the skin; in fact it soothes the skin and adds moisture to the skin. Dog shampoo is very good quality and does not usually have detergent in it. Detergent dries the skin so do not use dish soap on your dog. When a dog is bathed it is very important to rinse it well as residual shampoo will cause problems.

If you brush your dog often and remove the dead hair you do not need to bathe it as often. Brushing helps remove the dead hair which works the natural oils to the surface of the skin. Brushing also removes any dead skin accumulations.

A nonshedding dog requires more bathing. A nonshedding dog such as a poodle can be bathed as often as once a week. A dirty dog becomes more matted than a clean dog. A dirty dog often has dead skin build up and needs to have it bathed away. Very often dogs that scratch a lot are doing so because they are dirty and it is itchy. Can you imagine what your head would feel like if you only washed your hair once every 8 weeks. When you wash a dog with a nonshedding coat it is very important that it is mat free before the bath or the mats will become very tight and harder to get out.

We do offer bath and brush prices at our shop as we feel it is important to bathe a dog between full groomings. We always use an excellent shampoo and conditioner to keep the skin in good condition. We always suggest bathing in the winter when the coat is kept longer. Clean coats stay mat free for longer periods of time. Matted coats will not insulate your dog in cold weather.

If you have questions about grooming, prices, or anything else about your dog, give us a call at 333-8574.