How often should you be bathing your dog? How much bathing is too much?
Dogs groom themselves to help promote the growth of hair follicles and to support skin health. Bathing is needed for most dogs to supplement this process. Most dogs will tolerate being washed, but some tips can make it easier.
Perhaps the simplest and most helpful tip is to use warm water for bathing your dog rather than cold. It’s not surprising that most dogs will struggle and try to escape when cold water is used for bathing them.
Pour warm water over your dog’s body, and you’ll find that they are much more likely to stand still and will often enjoy the bathing process.
There’s nothing quite like burying your nose in your dog’s coat when he smells clean and fresh! But of course, to get there, you have to find the perfect shampoo for their fur.
Factors Affecting Dog Bathing Frequency
The more hair your dog has, the more work is involved, including the frequency of his bath. If your dog has medium-to-large coats, a bath could be needed from weekly to every 4-to-6 weeks, as long as the coat is appropriately maintained in-between baths.
To determine how often you should be bathing your dog, use your discretion and some common sense.
You may want to wash a dog that has a particularly potent scent or one that spends a lot of time outside about once a month. However, if your dog is mostly indoor, he may only need to be bathed once every couple of months.
Avoid bathing your dog more frequently than necessary, or you may strip your dog’s coat of its natural oils, making it dry and susceptible to dandruff, frizzies, and mats.
Some shampoos may dry or aggravate your dog’s skin more than others, in which case you should bathe less regularly. Try using waterless shampoos or try an alternate shampoo.
The consensus is that bathing your dog weekly is beneficial as the process can help augment your dog’s natural grooming behaviors.
If your pet happens to venture into an area that gets it very dirty, you can quickly clean the dirty parts with waterless shampoo or wipes. If your canine friend happens to have short hair and is relatively clean, bathing him once a month should suffice.
How Often Should You Bathe A Dog That is Frequently Outside?
If your dog gets outside daily, maybe shower once a week. Dogs who spend most of their time inside may only need to be bathed a few times a year to control doggy odors. If you don’t have the time, space, or desire to wash your dog at home, there is nothing wrong with having an expert do it for you.
For regular baths, you can use Oatmeal-based shampoos for your pets. Dogs can have negative reactions to some shampoos, even if they’re specifically made for them.
Ensure that you know the signs of skin irritation (red, itchy skin, and hives). Additionally, if your pet ingests the shampoo, that can cause him to vomit, drool, and have decreased appetite.
If you notice any of these symptoms, reach out to your veterinarian for next steps.
How Do You Eliminate Dog Odors in Your Home?
What happens when you move to a new house where the previous occupants had dogs, or you have dogs of your own that have odors that seem to take over the home?
What do you do when your dog pees all over your couch, and it smells so bad even you are hesitant about sticking around?
It becomes unbearable to live and feel comfortable in your own home. You no longer feel like you are in your own space because your furry friends have stifled every bit of good smell in your house.
When we got our first cat, she wasn’t neutered, and for weeks our cat would pee in the same spots repeatedly — constantly peeing on the soundbar in the living room.
She even peed on the piano, and some of the keys don’t work anymore. It was a nightmare. We felt like giving her up and keep our dog.
We took the time to get her neutered, and she stopped spraying all over the house. We still have the soundbar and piano, by the way.
If you have tried using air purifiers, deep steam clean your carpets, washed all of your linen, washing your pet’s bed, sweep, mop, vacuum and nothing seems to make a difference for pet odors, I will provide some additional and effective way to get rid of those lousy odors.
5 Ways To Eliminate Pet Odors in Your Home
1. Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifier Bags
California Home Goods sells Bamboo Charcoal Air Purifier Bags. These bags provide the same results as an odor eliminator, air fresheners, dehumidifiers, and disinfectant sprays all in one bag.
The bags are fragrance-free and are an excellent choice for you if you are irritated by scents from other odor eliminators.
The bags are very durable, so they are pet and kid-friendly. They are effective for up to two years and a great choice for someone on a budget. You can use them in your gym bags, shoe closets, cars, pet areas, laundry rooms, or anywhere you like.
2. Febreze FABRIC Gain Original Scent
Febreze FABRIC Gain Original Scent is great for fabric in your home, even a pee spot on your carpet. If your dog likes to lay in a particular section of your house and you are concerned with the odor he leaves, this will help you to set things straight.
3. Febreze SmallSpaces Air Freshener
Febreze SmallSpaces Air Freshener eliminates odors very well. I once was eating food in a room with many other people, and the Febreze small spaces still maintained their fresh smell with no problem.
This is by far my number one favorite when it comes to eliminating odors. It has a fresh floral scent – This thing will make you want to invite people to your house just for the smell. This works even better if you have a fan to blow the scent. It is very effective either way.
Make sure you get the Linen and Sky, Spring and Renewal, or Island Fresh
4. Lysol Disinfectant Spray
The Lysol Disinfectant Spray kills 99.9% of fungi, viruses, and harmful bacteria, but it also eliminates odors very well. It will help you achieve a fresh and healthy home. This is great for surfaces where you can spray and easily wipe off.
5. Purification Essential Oils 5ml by Young Living Essential Oils
Purification Essential Oils gets rid of foul odors very well. If you have an oil diffuser or humidifier, you can use that along with the application of this essential oil to get rid of bad odors.
If you do not have a diffuser, apply some of the oil to a spray bottle with water and spray affected areas of your home. Purification Essential Oils contains citronella, lemongrass, rosemary, melaleuca, lavender, and myrtle that soothes and cleanses.
I am so confident that any of these items will make a huge difference in how your home smells.
Dog Bathing Summary
Take the time to ensure that your dog is clean and well maintained if you smell your dog.
You still need to regularly clean your house, vacuum weekly or every few days, cleaning your floors, and any other tasks that will help you keep your home in order.
How often you bathe your dog may depend on the kind of dog that you have. You should use your discretion, pay attention to your dog’s smell or consult your Veterinarian to be certain about your dog’s bathing frequency.