Does your dog need a hot water bath? Indeed! Unlike humans, dogs do not need a bath daily. You are a reliable pet parent and must maintain your dog’s hygiene by bathing them frequently. If you are a novice at parenting a pet, you will be worried about many things, and cleaning your dog is one of them. How often should you bathe your dog depends upon many things, many breeds, lifestyles, and behavioral aspects change the answer to this question. This how often should you wash your dog guide answers all your queries regarding your dog’s bathing schedule.
Why Do you Need to Bathe your Dog?
Though there is no thumb rule as to how to give a dog a bath, one thing is for sure bathing your dog is a significant activity to keep him hygienic. Before diving into it, you should know the justifications in favor of this activity. The reasons for this, how often should you bathe your dog are as follows:
- The most obvious reason for this would be that bathing removes all the dust particles from your dog’s body. Thus, it helps to prevent infections caused by pollution.
- Bathing your dog will help them bond with you, especially when you make it a fun practice. By washing him, you allow him to relax and enjoy his time with you.
- Bathing with the best soap for dogs and shampoo will make his upper body coat softer and smoother.
- Bathing is inversely proportional to dog shedding. The more bathing a dog has, the less fur it will shed. You won’t be worried about cleaning clumps of hair anymore. Brushing your dog’s hair with the best dog brush for shedding after a long bath will be beneficial. Moreover, dog breeds that dont shed will be more healthy.
- Dog fur often arrests dirt, dust, and contaminated particles. It will lead to several allergies for the dog and the owner. Giving an excellent bath to your dog regularly will make it less likely to occur.
- The time you spend bathing your dog can be helpful as you can supervise his overall health. This time will give you a chance to monitor and observe it. You can find out hidden diseases now.
Therefore, you must spare some time from your busy schedule and dedicate it to maintaining your dog’s health and hygiene.
When to Bathe a Dog?
Till now, you have clarified why you must bathe your dog. Now it is time to see how often you must wash your dog. As there is no justification for the fact that how often to bathe a dog. It would help if you considered some factors before diving into this activity. The factors include:
#1 Coat
You first need to check your dog’s skin and hair type. If your dog has long or curly hair, it will need more regular baths. It would help if you bathed these dogs at least once a month. At the same time, short hair dogs need less frequent baths and grooming sessions. Moreover, hairless dog breeds need to be bathed once a week. Thus, you can identify the regularity by examining your dog’s hair type.
#2 Activeness
The frequency of bathing also depends on how active your dog is. If your dog plays a lot and spends much time outside, it will need to bathe more frequently. And, if your dog swims a lot, it will need more frequent baths. It will also help them to control their odor and make their fragrance good.
#3 Health condition
- If your dog suffers from critical health disparity, don’t bathe them. In addition, if your dog has some skin allergy or condition, it will require a more regular bath with medicated dog shampoos and oils. Dogs who have itchy skin have to take more frequent baths. It will provide relief to your dog.
- Considering the abovementioned factors, you can decide the frequency of bathing your dog. It would help to clean your dog once every three months. It is an excellent time to give your dog grooming and bathing session. You must use natural puppy shampoo, oil, and moisturizer when you have the sessions with pooches.
- It would help if you kept in mind that excessive bathing can harm your dog. It can rip it off from the natural oil of its body. This will lead to an unhealthy upper coat. Over bathing can also result in an itchy, dull, and dry skin coat. If you are bathing your dog more frequently, say once a month, use proper shampoo and moisturizer.
- If you are still deciding how often you should bathe your dog, consult your vet.
How to Bathe a Dog?
Once you have decided how often you will bathe your dog. You must take the following steps to figure how to give your pet a nice, warm shower.
Step 1: Fill some lukewarm water in a small tub. Start talking to your dog in a comforting tone to let it know that you are not tormenting it.
Step 2: Put your dog into the tub and use the best dog shampoo. Apply the shampoo on its whole body and rub it properly. Keep brushing your dog in between the rubbing.
Step 3: Rinse the water accurately and wrap your dog into a dry towel. Dry them up using a drier.
Step 4: Apply oil and moisturizer on your dog’s upper coat and brush its hair again.
Step 5: Reward your dog for being patient and a wonderful baby. Give him the food he likes the most and take him to a park for a walk.
Following the steps above, you can give your dog a very relaxing and easy bathing session.
When to Visit Groomer?
If the abovementioned procedure seems sedentary or your dog doesn’t cooperate with you, seek a groomer. Groomers are not there only to bathe your dog, but they will also trim their nails, convey anal secs, trim the eye area, etc. Most groomers are inexpensive and highly capable. Groomers are very helpful when your dog hates bathing and gives you a hard time every moment. The groomer will apply some very effective techniques that your dog will not be able to retaliate with. They know how to make a dog behave appropriately during the grooming session. Therefore, groomers are always better if you have stubborn dogs.
Conclusion
Therefore, sticking to a profound bathing schedule for your dog is ideal. If you are having difficulty maintaining the proper program, consult your vet. The vet will suggest several ways to retain a scheduled bathing routine for your pet. By referring to your dog’s breed, lifestyle and behavior, you’ll be able to cope with the situation. This way, you can preserve your pet’s healthy and hygienic conditions. Refer to this guide to learn all the tips and tricks you want to know for how to give a dog a bath.