How Often Should You Wash Your Dog?

Most people shower once a day or so, even if they don’t necessarily do a full shampoo and condition of their hair every day. Washing your dog is also an important part of your pet’s hygiene, and a good chance for you to also be on the lookout for strange bumps, scratches or signs of bugs. But how frequently do you need to wash your dog?

The answer is that it depends on a variety of factors. Here are a few examples of issues that will affect your schedule for dog cleaning and dog grooming in Henderson, NV:

• The type of fur: How long is your dog’s fur? Short-haired dogs aren’t as susceptible to getting full of grime and muck, while long-haired dogs are more likely to have fur that will trap in dirt and debris.
• Their activity level: Some dogs are highly active and love to play outside at dog parks, dig holes in the backyard and go swimming. These dogs are going to need to get bathed more frequently than dogs that mostly stay indoors and out of trouble.
• Skin and allergy conditions: There are some dogs that have skin allergies or other types of health problems that make it more likely they’ll need more frequent baths. This is something you should talk to your veterinarian about, as the type of advice here will pertain to your specific dog.

As a general rule, you should try to bathe your dog at least once every three months. However, you can wash your dog as often as every other week, or even more frequently with a gentle shampoo if you want. We encourage you to use your best judgment here. If your dog smells bad, then yes, it’s probably time for it to get a bath. Just make sure you’re not going overboard with the bathing. Too frequent bathing can dry out the natural oils in your dog’s skin that promote healthier hair and fur. It can also cause dryness and irritation that can make the dog scratch itself more, potentially causing other issues.

Quick bathing tips

Now that you have a better sense of how frequently you need to bathe your dog, it’s important that you also know exactly what you need to do to make bath time go smoothly.

First, make sure you prepare your dog for the bath by thoroughly brushing them beforehand to remove excess hair and tangles. Otherwise you’re going to end up with a mess of wet hair left over during the actual bath, which isn’t fun for anyone involved.

Make sure you have all the supplies you need, including dog-specific shampoos or mild baby shampoos to prevent the soap from stinging the eyes. We recommend having a rubber or non-stick bath mat to keep the dog from sliding around too much in the tub. Placing cotton balls in the ears can also keep water from getting into them.

For more tips about dog grooming in Henderson, NV, contact the team at The Soggy Dog today!

Categorised in: Dog Grooming in Henderson

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