How Often Can I Shower My Dog? 5 Important Guidelines
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Some dogs simply stink, while others are masters of the muddy puddles. But when does taking a shower become excessive?
How Frequently Can I Shower My Dog?
You should bathe your dog no more than every two weeks. Natural oils in the skin keep the skin and coat healthy, and they should not be exposed to shampoo and soap too frequently.
If the dog is too dirty to enter the house, you can brush him/her with water.
Here are some useful guidelines and pointers to consider.
Why Can’t You Shower Your Dog More Than Twice a Week?
Showering your dog too frequently is not recommended because it removes oils on the skin that are essential to the dog’s well-being.
You should bathe your dog no more than once every two weeks, and even that is a stretch at times. If you decide to bathe your dog once a week, make sure you use a gentle shampoo.
These oils are essential for keeping the skin healthy and the fur and hair strong.
If you want to stretch the number of showers, you should limit the amount of soap and shampoo you use.
The soap and shampoo remove the fine oil and moisture from the dog’s skin and should be used no more than twice a week.
As long as the fine oils on the surface of the skin are not dissolved in soap, the dog’s skin is amazingly good at maintaining moisture balance.
If you want to shower your dog as frequently as possible (biweekly), make sure you don’t use too much shampoo or soap. Try showering him with only water every other time.
If you must use soap or shampoo, keep the amount to a minimum and only apply it to areas of the skin that are too dirty to be cleaned with water.
Four Cleaning Tips for Dogs in Between Showers
Well, you should bathe your dog no more than twice a month. But what do you do when it’s filthy nearly every day?
Here are some options for getting rid of the odour and getting a clean dog that you can bring inside.
Use only water to clean him( No Shampoo Or Soap)
If you decide to brush the dog all over the body, you must do so without using soap or shampoo.Washing the dog with only water is far less damaging to his skin and fur Or use a waterless dry shampoo.
When you only use water, it’s almost as if he’s jumping into the sea or a creek. This should not be harmful to your dog. The problem only occurs when too many chemicals are used on the skin because they remove the natural moisture.
Spot Cleaning
Spot-cleaning the dog is a good idea if it gets dirty frequently. Some dogs (especially puppies) enjoy a good mud puddle rub, and you will need to clean them before allowing them back into the house.
Use wet clothes without using a lot of soap.
This is very possible, and installing a shower head around the entrance may be a good idea. This allows you to brush off all of the dirt before bringing the dog inside.
Keep him in the backyard.
If your dog can’t stay out of mischief, you may need to confine him to your garden for a while.
If you have this option, it can be a good idea to keep it away from faeces and other things that require soap when cleaning the dog.
Otherwise, keep him on a leash whenever you’re walking him in areas where you’re afraid you’ll wander off and get really dirty.
Use Wet Tissues( baby Tissues) to clean your dog.
Using Tissues for In-between regular clean ups is. a great idea. The baby issues for baby skin is a better option as baby tissues do not contain many harsh chemicals.
List of the best and trusted Dog shampoos, Conditioners and dry shampoos that can be purchased from Amazon. I use most of these products for my Pooch.
Dog shampoo & Conditioner
Paws and Pet Shampoo and Conditioner
Dog Dry Shampoo & Body Wash
Lavender Body wash shampoo/Body wash for dry skin and ITchy skinBegley’s Natural No Rinse Waterless Pet Dry ShampooNew Waterless Dog Shampoo All Natural Dry Shampoo for Dogs
List of the best and trusted Dog shampoos, Conditioners and dry shampoos that can be purchased from Amazon. I use most of these products for my Pooch.
Dog shampoo & Conditioner
Paws and Pet Shampoo and Conditioner
Dog Dry Shampoo & Body Wash
Lavender Body washShampoo/Body wash for dry skin and ITchy skinBegley’s Natural No Rinse Waterless Pet Dry ShampooNew Waterless Dog Shampoo All Natural Dry Shampoo for Dogs
List of the best and trusted Dog shampoos, Conditioners and dry shampoos that can be purchased from Amazon. I use most of these products for my Pooch.
Dog shampoo & Conditioner
Paws and pet Shampoo and Conditioner
Dog Dry Shampoo & Body Wash
Lavender Body wash shampoo/Body wash for dry skin and ITchy skinBegley’s Natural No Rinse Waterless Pet Dry ShampooNew Waterless Dog Shampoo All Natural Dry Shampoo for Dogs
What Happens If Dogs Are Showered Too Frequently?
Here are some typical difficulties if you too often shower your dog.
Your Pooch’s skin gets too Itchy
When the skin dries out, it becomes itchy and may also flake.
When this occurs, the dog may begin scratching itself on a regular basis, which is extremely damaging to the skin. This will aggravate the situation further, as the skin is already irritated and dry.
It is critical to monitor the amount of scratching the dog does if the skin is dry. Until you are certain that the moisture balance has been restored, you must ensure that it does not injure itself through scratches.
Too much Shedding of fur!
You may develop skin problems and cause extensive scraping if you overdo it and begin bathing your dog more than once every second week.
That’s because the skin gets angry and the fur dries out and gets weaker.
The hair and fur require a number of fatty acids to maintain a normal shedding balance. You could experience too much shedding otherwise. That’s only one reason certain dogs are too dropped.
So, be careful how much the dog is dropping because if the skin gets dry or irritated, it could happen.
The dog could get cold( Yes, It’s true)
If you shower him too often your dog may also catch a cold.
This is possible because dogs are typically bathed in cold or lukewarm water and mostly outside in the yard or in the garden.
Catching a cold can happen if the dog’s skin begins to shed excessively due to a lack of moisture and dryness due to frequent showers.
So, When it loses an excessive amount of its undercoat, it may become too cold when walking outside or paying outside.
What To Do After The Damage Has Been already done!
If you have been showering your dog more than weekly for an extended period of time, you may need to seek professional assistance to restore the skin and fur’s moisture balance.
You must ensure that the skin receives the proper oils and treatments.
If you believe the problem is not severe enough, you can also attempt to resolve it on your own by applying coconut directly to the skin.
It’s simple to make a good coconut oil and water mixture that you can spray directly onto the dog’s fur and rub into the skin.
Just be careful not to rub it in too vigorously. Bear in mind that the skin is probably already irritated, and we don’t want to aggravate it further.
Here’s how to make a homemade skin-care mixture of coconut oil and water:
1 tbsp coconut oil 0.2 gal. water
Shake vigorously before spraying.
It’s critical to shake vigorously because the coconut oil will separate from the water.
Once the mixture is prepared, it is sprayed directly onto the dog using a spray can. Typically, you can purchase spray cans at pharmacies or pet stores.
If you believe the problem is greater than what a mixture of coconut oil and water can resolve, you should consult a veterinarian.
About Content Reviewer & Vet Expert OnBoard: Dr Maya Zamir Malvern Vet Clinic. Dr Maya is passionate about pets and loves sharing her knowledge and research with you.
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This is always the best course of action if in doubt. (Source)
