Whilst some of us may reach for the shampoo bottle every morning to wash our own hair, our dog’s coats do not need the same level of maintenance. In fact, the longer you can leave it between washes, the better.
There are a lot of factors to consider when wondering how often to bath your dog.
Lifestyle – Have you a dog that loves to go swimming, jump in muddy puddles or enjoys a roll in foul smelling fox poo? It is inevitable that they will need more baths than the dog who just enjoys road walking. Try our Tea Tree & Peppermint Shampoo, an eco shampoo with a medium scent, perfect for getting rid of unwanted smells and also great as a natural flea repellent!
Skin conditions and allergies – there are some skin conditions that can only be treated with prescribed shampoos. Talk to your vet about the best grooming practices here.
General wellbeing – Your dog’s skin condition can be impacted by things such as obesity, parasites and yeast infections. Chronic illness can change your dog’s hair and skin as does old age. Again, seek advice from your vet if you feel this is a problem.
Coat type – Different breeds will have varying bathing needs. For example, dogs with oily coats may need bathing as often as once a week whereas breeds such as Golden Retrievers have water repellent coats and therefore should be bathed less. If you have a longer haired breed, you will find that they need more attention to maintain their coat. Try our Fur Detangling & Conditioning Spray to help ease knots out of their fur whilst combing, leaving the fur and skin soft and fresh smelling. The Ancol Ergo Medium & Coarse Metal Comb has coarse teeth and is ideal to help detangle long thick fur.
Puppy coats – If your dog is just venturing into the world of bathing, try our Chamomile Natural Puppy Shampoo. This specially formulated shampoo is perfect to help keep baby skin soft and moisturised. Being free from scent, it is cleansing to skin and an ideal first bathing product for your new dog. Also suitable for dogs with sensitive skin. But remember, puppies are different to grown dogs and all their experiences with you in the first 2 weeks should be positive ones. Make sure bath time is a fun experience, full of lots of praise and treats. However, until your puppies are out running in the fields and enjoying walks, there shouldn’t be any need to bathe them.
Never use human shampoo on your dogs. It’s all to do with the pH balance of your dog’s skin. Time for the clever science stuff: For humans, the pH range is 5.2 to 6.2, meaning that our shampoo and skin products tend to be on the acidic side. For dogs, the scale is 5.5 to 7.5, which means their products tend to be more alkaline. Don’t upset your dog’s pH balance as this could lead to bacteria, viruses and other nasties thriving on their skin.
The best way to gauge if your dog needs a bath is to give them a good sniff! How do they smell to you? Start running the water if there is a bit of a whiff…
Top tip – If your pup does not enjoy bath time, try smearing the edge of the bath or Lickimat Splash with some Peanut Butter as a welcome distraction.
Hope you found this useful.
With Woofs and Wags,
Laura, Dolly & Reggie