The only time ours gets bathed along with toenail trim and a nice hair cut (lol), is once a month.

Groomer comes once a month. They are bathed in between if they get into something!

I have ours bathed seasonally at the start of spring and fall and we like to get her nails cut, toe pads clipped back and ears cleaned every 6-8 weeks.

Varys, in the hot weather months about every two weeks. Cold weather months every 3-4 weeks. I only bath them in the tub from neck down and use just a warm wet cloth on their faces. I do wipe off their faces around their eyes and mouth daily with a wet cloth after brushing their teeth. Both girls enjoy baths and their daily grooming. Rosy still hasn't settled down to allow the daily face wipe and teeth brushing...its all about play to her so its like trying to hold onto a wild pig.

The vet told me once a month when i first got him. We usually do that unless he does something that gets him dirty faster. Fortunately, he isn't a dog with a bad smell.

Our Golden has been getting a bath and a haircut, etc, every 7-8 weeks starting April through the summer for the past 5 years (she's 11). Just this year we decided to keep doing this through the winter months to reduce the snowballs that collect on her fur. She's still got plenty of fur and we have fleece coats for really cold weather walks. Between grooming visits, we have always trimmed the fur on her pads and cut her nails. We occasionally bath her at home when necessary, but it's quite a production.

As needed. Otherwise, I don't. Some are big dogs and outside and I have never bathed them. They get Comfortis for fleas, so never require bathing due to fleas.

When our "pack" was mostly outdoors we never bathed them. Now that we're in town and our two spend more time indoors, we take them to the groomers every two or three months. The lab-mix has a nice naturally sleek coat and never smells bad, but turns out she enjoys the warm bath and attention so she goes as a treat. The border collie gets a 'sanitary clip' of the hair on her hind quarters as well as the bath and nail trimming. They come home with cute bandanas around their necks and smelling purdy strong!

My Irish Setters and my last dog (golden retriever mix from the pound) rarely needed bathing and never had doggy odors. People thought I must bathe and brush J.D., the g.r. mix, all the time because she was cream colored, never smelled "doggy" and always looked beautiful. She got a bath maybe two or three times a year, but she shed a lot. Georgy, a large golden doodle, doesn't shed but needs to get bathed about once a month and groomed about every three months. I like when her coat gets longer, but it takes so long to bathe her. So, if you get a non-shedding dog, you trade off the constant vacuuming for more frequent bathing unless you get them groomed more frequently than I do. I'm not sure which is more work. :-)))

Annie, so true about becoming desensitized.

Ours has extremely short hair, but it can get dirty.

We had him groomed a few times at the vet, but my oldest has taken on the job. One day when she was visiting, she decided to give her dog and mine a bath. She actually takes them into our large walk in shower. It has various spray attachments. I don't know how she does it, but it works.

Once a year, maybe. Sometimes less. She gets brushed frequently. She has no odor at all.

Dogs get build up of oils, not to mention the dander which will be everywhere if not bathed. Lots of folks have allergies to the dander. I am no expert but I'd think bathing more frequently than a few times a year is needed to remove dander.

I'm also not an expert but I can tell you that dogs don't need to be bathed every two weeks or once a month unless they have a very dirty living environment. Maybe your dog's skin problems would get better if you bathed it less often. You seem to like to do many things with greater frequency than others, such choices aren't always without negative consequences.

Seems Elmer that I go overboard and you under.

Eta...and no my home is not dirty. Lol

My dog gets bathed a couple times a year. Sometimes during the summer and if it's been raining a bunch, she'll get pretty dirty at the dog park. I brush her teeth daily and she gets monthly nail trims with the Dremel. If it's shedding time, I will brush her daily. She usually doesn't shed except when it's transitioning from cold to hot weather. She just doesn't stink...maybe I just don't smell her...HAHA!

About once a month at the groomer. But nearly every day he has to go into the tub for a leg shampoo up to the "armpits." Otherwise, he's not entering the house because he gets very, very dirty/muddy/gritty.

Edited to add: the tub has a hand held sprayer. Helps a lot.

I also use the shower and a hand held spray attachment. Cannot imagine doing it in the tub. All my dogs entered the shower most willingly. Also, in my first post, I said about once a month. I would venture to guess it is more like 6 weeks. It might be only a month if I'm having company and want her to look and smell good.

minjeeah, you should check with your vet...........once a week sounds awfully frequent.

Some dogs do need to be bathed more frequently but according to my old vet doing it more frequently than 6-8 weeks unless they become dirty or are one of the wrinkled type can cause either dry skin or excess oil production. The dry skin can cause itching but the excess oil can cause cysts to from. Those with wrinkled skin he thought needed special baths from a groomer and daily wiping and inspection of the folds for any irritation. After wiping if the dog would stand it drying the area with a hair dryer could help prevent infections.

Suggestion for the snowballs on any type of dog is to trim the longer hair on belly, legs and between the toes. If the dog is a show dog you can not do this and show them. Getting them used to removing/cutting short the hair between the toes can be made easier by getting the dog used to having his toes touched and gently spread apart during the rest of the year.

Mine is so small it's easy to just take her in the shower. When I am done she comes to the glass slider and scratches. I open the door and let her in. I lather her up then use the handheld to shower her off. She likes it. Then I hand her off to hubby and a big fluffy towel. She loves that part. The rub down in the towel. She has so little hair she dries almost instantly. She will come ask for a shower every other week or once a month or so. It's up to her. She doesn't go anywhere to get dirty. When I had my Danes they got a shower about once a month or more in the summer and less frequent in the winter. They were not mud hounds thank goodness. In house dogs, in the summer they liked to spend more time outdoors. Now my cats were not fun to bathe at all!

Elmer, you're NOT an expert on this! My dogs get bathed every two weeks. They are Cavalier King Charles Spaniels and bathing this often helps them have a lovely coat and skin. Owners of Cavaliers with poor coats are often told to bath their dog more frequently - the shampooing/massaging stimulates hair growth.

Also, since my breed are meant to be lap dogs and on the furniture and ones bed, keeping them clean is very important. They have no very little oil in their coats and so the dirt either falls out or is rubbed off on furniture/bedding. They also are leave magnets this time of year! They require no "trimming" - just a bath every two weeks.

When Sammy and Katie were alive they lived in the house. Sammy got bathed maybe twice a year. He got brushed a lot, even though he had a short coat,because he liked it.Katie got a bath once a week,with dawn,per the vets instructions. She had some sort of skin condition and if she didn't get bathed once a week she had a horrible smell and her fur would fall out. Both were pit bulls. So yes,bathing needs do vary from dog to dog,not just breed to breed.

Our outside dogs get hosed down with plain water daily in the hot months,cause they like it. That should suffice.

We have a Yorkie mix and let me tell you, she gets bathed WEEKLY.

She SMELLS and it's not because she lives in a dirty environment. It is the nature of the breed.

As I said on the other post infrequently. Over-bathing can create skin problems. My dog gets curried and vacuumed if she gets too dusty. Her coat tends to hold dust. She gets bathed maybe 3 or 4 times a year. 50% of the time it's because she got skunked.

Watchmelol, I never heard of curried. Would you explain what that is?

Every 3 month sounds about right. More often if they are smelly. One of mine comes out looking great and shiny. The other one (and in 13 years there were plenty of different shampoos) comes out dull and baths don’t seem to work well with her undercoat. Oh Boy. Skunks. I hate how you think you have gotten rid of the smell, then the dogs get wet and smell again.

Dolly it works well on short haired, especially double coated dogs.
To curry you use the brush in circular motions against the hair growth. It brings up the embedded dust.

You can used the grooming gloves with the little rubber nubs or a flat rubber brush like this one

Thanks, watchmelol. I always thought those nubby brushes were for loose hair, kind of like a lint brush.

I always thought those nubby brushes were for loose hair, kind of like a lint brush.

They are that too. But they are excellent for curry combing a short densely coated dog like you would a horse. Actually they are the same as used on horses. You can also use them when bathing your dog. They are multi used grooming tools and come in different "nubby" configurations.

Chewie, every 3 or so months, he has long hair that gets shaved. Emily only when she needs her nails clipped too. My daughter noticed a tick on Emily tonight...so I had to break out the flea and tick meds. I thought I wouldn't have to worry about that for awhile.

Our dogs used to get a bath whenever they looked or smelled like they needed one. It worked out to probably 3 - 4 times a year.

When I had an indoor sheltie, she got bathed a few times a year and groomed/brushed at least once a month or she would get mats.

When she was still alive, we got a basenji mix who was so fastidious with her own cleaning that most baths, the water was as clear at the end as it was in the beginning!! Finally stopped bathing her as often. She really only got baths when she got into something dirty or smelly. It's been the same with the Chihuahua mixed breeds we have now.

They only get bathed if they get into something dirty or smelly. They are short haired dogs who keep themselves clean and they aren't allowed on the furniture or bedding.

My kids aren't allowed to put their shoes on any furniture either. ;)

Frequent brushing with perhaps two baths per year unless needed for some reason.

Every 6 weeks to 2 months - depends on how bad he is. Now that he is old(er), well almost 15 it is easier on him to be groomed more frequently. He knows the groomer and puts up with it - he is very much a drama queen, with an extra few "dramas" thrown in. We used to have small short-haired dogs (with big personalities) and we never thought of the grooming issue since it was so easy to put our dogs in the basement sink.

It is hard to brush our current long-haired, double-coated guy because he doesn't like it and if he doesn't like it forget it. He is relatively well behaved at the groomer's and good with the vet - people he knows. We wouldn't think of going anywhere else with him.

watchmelol - the only brush type of gizmo he will let us use looks similar to the one you posted above, but his is more for massages. It comes in 2 types - one for short-haired dogs and one for long-haired dogs. It takes out a bit of his hair but not a lot. However, he loves it as in "Mom, you missed a spot". But when it comes to his very fancy tail all bets are off. There is no way we are allowed to touch it.

Someone asked why would you bathe a cat. Sometimes like people they can develop diarrhea and it is better to wash them than have a mess. Some cats actually love water and a bath is a treat. Some sadly too much.

The practical advice is to plan on bathing your cats every time astronauts land on the moon.

I bathe my cat for loads of reasons. You just have to have a calm demeanor and be well prepared. Mine talk the entire time, but then, they often talk even when not being bathed. I do think they're complaining, but seem to love the result. I have and have had water loving breeds and they often try and get in tub or shower stall?!

not mine, but it could be. She looks and acts just like this

I can see reasons for bathing a cat as well. They are famously, and sometimes unfortunately, curious, and if they get into something particularly icky or unwholesome, it might be better to wash it off than let them lick it off.

Lucille, especially if they have any fluffy fur. Ugh. All mine do. I love fluff bottom cats with furry manes.

Many many years ago, when I had a cat, he was easy to bathe. This was way back before they invented flea treatment that actually worked, so he would get a flea bath fairly often.

I second use of the rubber hand brushes. Labs have a thick undercoat that is always shedding but even more so at the change of seasons. When weather allows, I use it daily on her. It really helps to keep her coat conditioned and she loves the “massage” brushing with it gives . Kong has one that is the perfect size for smaller hands and reasonably priced (5-7 bucks on Amazon)

ETA: I know that diet has been talked about a lot here but a dogs smell and the condition of their coat can be reflective of their diet. If you change your dogs food from one with a lot of fillers in it to one that doesn’t have fillers (and it doesn’t have to be 100% grain free), within a very short period of time you will feel a difference in your dogs coat. The same thing goes with the smell. Dogs are notorious for getting yeast infections in their ears, between their toes and anywhere else that has folds of skin. There are yeast spores outside that could be the culprit or it could be the brewers yeast a lot of foods have. Either way, the Vet can figure it out with an allergy test and provide a fix for it. Our dog was suffering from frequent ear infections and itchy feet so we got her tested and sure enough, she is allergic to yeast and several mites including grain mites. My point is is that even though some dog breeds may need to be bathed more often than others, if your bathing because your dog smells, I would urge you to speak with your vet about it, because it could be something with an easy fix. Dogs need the oils that build on their skin for lots of reasons. Over washing will only cause their skin to dry out more and itch more.

Yes mine would get flea baths because when we lived in Oklahoma and the Danes were outside often during the day they could bring fleas in to the cats so everyone got flea baths regularly. Plus cats have dander and I have allergies. I had 3 long hair and 1 short hair, not all at the same time. Baths helped control the shedding and matting.

I don' t

like dog odor so mine gets a bath about every 2 weeks.

Okay. SHOW DOGS are bathed before every show. Shows usually are over a weekend, so this means weekly. No dog breeder/exhibitor would ever do anything that would cause skin problems or coat problems for their dogs! A dog with skin problems/poor coat would be excused from the ring - it's simply unacceptable. A show dog's coat/skin is their crowning glory!

Many people wash their hair daily - teenage girls have been known to do this twice daily! And they don't end up with their scalp drying out.

If you are seeing dry flakey skin on your dog, go see your vet. It can be caused by many things, but not by frequent bathing. One of the most common causes is cheyletiella mites. Let your vet find out what is causing this. It can also be food. If your vet strikes out, take your dog to a veterinary dermatologist.

I don't think a periodic flea bath provides more than a few days of lingering effect. What's recommended today by vets are the Frontline/Advantage-type products applied each month, that remain effective all month for both fleas and ticks.

As I said this was back when I was in Oklahoma NOT TODAY! in the 80's flea baths were the protocol! Good grief.

And no our vet today recommends a single pill that lasts months. It is not necessary since there's no flea exposure.

Well sorry, but good grief is right. I'm not current with the timeline/chronology of your biography or anyone else's and I don't suspect I'm alone in that regard. Aren't people talking about their current practices, not what they did 30 years ago or more?

My cats sure enjoy the lasting effects of flea baths. Far longer than days. But then, they're indoor creatures. Haven't had to do it in ages.

We have 9 dogs. 4 German Shepherds, 1 Australian Cattle Dog, and 4 Lancashire Heelers. We live on water so they all swim pretty regularly. I rarely bathe the German Shepherds as they have such dense coats it takes half a bottle of shampoo to get it really scrubbed lol. Plus they take half a day to dry off. The cattle dog is 15 years old so bathing him freaks him out. The Heelers on the other hand get bathed pretty often because they are champions at finding nasty stuff to roll in, dead frogs or snakes, coyote or deer poo, you name it they find it. Thankfully they are small and we can just toss them in the laundry room sink. They also actually enjoy it which cracks me up.