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How often is to often?
Ellie is going to be going to training classes every week and we want a clean dog for these, is it safe to give baths weekly?
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Ellie
on Apr 29th 2008
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in Grooming
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- This question is closed.
Best Answer
I have 2 labs, and have never bathed them. The natural oils in their coat can dry out with bathing. If they get dirty/muddy, I just clean them with plain water, or let them swim in the pond, and they come out all clean.
You can use a mixture of 1/2 Listerine and 1/2 water, in a spray bottle. Spray Ellie (avoid ears and eyes), and dry some with a towel (lots of breeders do this before going into the show ring). She'll smell good, though I'm not sure how often is good for using this mixture.
Tucker answered on Apr 29th.
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I just posted another answer about bathing..... We bath our Yorkies about every two weeks. But I do know Labs have very oily skin. I don't know if giving her a bath every week will make her skin dry or not. You could try the wipes for dogs and cats, we use them often after the dogs have been outside playing.
Good luck, maybe someone else can post a better response!
Guest 634205
answered on 4/29/08.
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Bathing your dog weekly can cause them to have severly dry skin. However, all dogs are different, so maybe yours would be fine, but I wouldnt risk it. If you do decide to bathe weekly, make sure to keep water out of the ears. If water does get in them, make sure you dry them out well. Labs are prone to nasty ear infections. Good Luck!
Bridgette (RIP my love)
answered on 4/29/08.
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Weekly baths I think are a little too often. Maybe try every other week. The dog trainers know that dogs get dirty, I'm pretty sure they will understand.
♥Tiffy♥
answered on 4/29/08.
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Ellie is so pretty! I think that the most you should do is twice a month...more than that can dry out her skin. Our dogs go to school to and some times they smell fresh and clean, other times not...no one but you will notice if your dog isn't her freshest :) Have fun in class!
Lacie Belle
answered on 4/29/08.
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Your dog doesn't need to look and smell like she just came from a dog show in order to go to classes. As long as she is not covered in mud and dirt, nobody will care whether she just had a bath, either.
It's not really safe or smart to bathe a dog once a week. Their skin naturally produces oils that condition their coats and protect them from the elements. When you bathe too frequently, you're actually stripping those oils from their coat and you can end up with a dull coat, dry flakey skin, and a whole slew of skin issues.
My recommendation would be to brush her regularly. Brushing gets any loose dirt off your dog and keeps their coat looking nice. Feeding a high quality diet also helps keep down doggy odor and keeps skin and coat in top condition.
Only bathe her if she needs it: in other words, if she's really dirty, smells really dirty, or feels really dirty. Beyond that, they don't really need frequent baths.
Abby K-9
answered on 4/29/08.
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Heck as long as my dog doesn't have poop stuck to his butt I am fine going out in public.
You can use sprays to freshen up her coat (made for dogs of course) or the wipes if she is a little dirty in the face, paws, etc.
If you must bathe her alot I would definately use a coat conditioner. See how she reacts. If weekly causes her to itch then reduce the frequency.
I normally bathe my dog after trips to the dog park, but we only go to those twice a month. In between baths we use a coat refersher.
Bam Bam
answered on 4/29/08.
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HI ELLIE!
Yes youcan bathe your dog once a week if you are using the proper products.Personally I would not worry about bathing her before a class I would do it after if at all.When going to classes she can pick up fleas or a few other things,so I would worry about after class.
There are some products that I use(and I do bathe my dogs weekly) they are made by Tomlyn the name is Nova Pearls both shampoo and conditioner.I leave each one soak on the dogs for at least 5 minutes and sometimes up to 15 minutes.That way you will be adding moisture to her skin.Set your timer and get a suction cup holder for your tub to hold her in during this time.You can give her a massage during the soak time like I do for my boys.
have fun in class!
Haus R.I.P. my boy I miss you
answered on 4/29/08.
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My vet says absolutely no oftener than once every three weeks. My Sib didn't need many baths all, just maybe 3 or 4 a year if she didn't flush any ducks that pooped on their way up into the air. Don't ask. My Aussie/Heeler needed more - about once a month, but she had skin issues and maybe a little Beagle in her background, so odor was a slight problem. Lily, Basenji/Heeler/Greyhound, has had 3 baths in 9 months and is clean with no odor. One when she came out of the shelter, one because she was lost in a swamp for 3 days. and one recently because it's Spring! I do try to brush her regularly, but am not very good at remembering - not like the Sib at 3 a day during coat blowing times. So, I'd say brush first, bathe only if necessary.
Lily
answered on 4/29/08.
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Everyone has some great advice! I don't know about you but that Listerine one sounds interesting!
Just wanted to pop in to add- when I first started taking Emma to classes, I made sure she was nice and brushed, but didn't worry about a bath. Just recently she has started going to a "daycare" for structured socialization- and let me tell you for that first day session I totally gave her a bath! So I know what you're saying! But that's all of the baths she'll get for daycare. Have fun at classes!!
~Emma~
answered on 4/29/08.
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