Updated November 23, 2021
When I was a young vet, I used to say what everyone says: that you can’t bath dogs very often.
How wrong I was. If I wasn’t lucky enough to work with the right people (and have the right dogs) I might never have woken up. You need to hear this too: every day I see dogs that could be much better if only their owners knew the truth.
The following examples show how canine skin disease is usually made better by the right bath (there are at least eight other reasons why a dog can smell bad so follow the link if you’re not sure).
Jack’s Ear Infections
Jack is an enormous cuddly giant of a breed called a Cane Corso, and one of the nicest dogs I know. Except when I first met him for a second opinion you wouldn’t have known.
Suffering from what seemed to be an endless cycle of ear infections had made him highly anxious about his ears. Each time, the pain was making him more and more difficult to treat. Recently, only sedation and ear flushes were possible, and these never work as well as ointment.
I looked at his vet history, and couldn’t fault it. Ear infections are really just skin problems and his vets knew this: he was getting the right food for his skin, good flea prevention and even some skin medications. But you can guess what was missing: like Jack, it was the elephant in the room.
I know the other vets normally use shampoos too. I’m sure the only difference between me and them was the strength of my personal convictions about bathing. Asking owners of an 80kg dog to bathe him weekly isn’t something you do unless you’re dead certain it will help.
I ordered them in an industrial-sized Dermcare Natural, and to their credit, they did it. That’s four years ago. Jack has only had one ear infection since.
Tiffy’s Itchy Skin
When I saw Tiffy for the first time this year, it was hard to watch. Throughout the consultation she itched almost constantly, and you just wanted it to stop.
Like, Jack, other things had been tried without success, but not shampoo. The breeder had specifically warned Tiffy’s owner of the evils of bathing, and so it hadn’t been done. That is, until she came in contact with me.
As I also said with Jack, I can’t promise this will work but it’s the glaring omission and harmless to try. It takes a lot to reject a breeder’s advice, but I’m pleased to say that’s what happened. I saw Tiffy the other day and she’s now a different dog: relaxed and comfortable (you can read a comment from her owner below). Yes, it can sometimes be that easy.
My Dogs: Ruby, Tinker & Loki
We all have our weaknesses, and mine is liking Terriers. As luck would have it, all three of mine have had the common skin allergy of dogs called atopic dermatitis.
For the past 20 years, my house has been itchy-dog boot camp. It’s on these dogs that I first noticed how just well bathing can work on the itch level. Ruby in fact never needed anything else; every time she got itchy I just bathed it away, sometimes up to twice a week.
Tinker, like Jack, needs baths to stop him getting ear infections, but he had a few before I worked this out. His ears do a neat trick of swelling up so the canal closes, but if you’re quick, a bath makes the swelling go down in hours.
Loki is my most severe case, and a good example of when bathing doesn’t work. When he was younger, I could manage him just with baths. Have a look at the picture. That was Loki’s paws just before a bath and four hours afterwards.
Atopic dermatitis tends to worsen up to 4 years of age, and in his case baths weren’t enough any more. About two years ago he went on Apoquel and last spring when even that wasn’t working I switched to Cytopoint. Funnily enough, these treatments are so effective that I don’t have to bath him much any more.
Dog Bath Questions
I’ll finish by answering four common questions I get about bathing dogs.
How Many Times Should You Give A Dog A Bath?
How often you bath a dog should be based on need. Some dogs never seem to need bathing, whereas others get itchy or smelly quickly. An average dog is best bathed once every two weeks.
Is It Bad To Bath Your Dog Every Week?
Frequent bathing can be harmful to some dogs, especially those with more wolf-like coats. However, using a good shampoo should allow you to bathe as often as you like. If you bath correctly, it should result in a softer, shinier and less itchy skin and coat.
What Happens If You Bath Too Much?
Cheaper detergent shampoos tend to strip out the skin’s protective oils. If these are used too often, the skin becomes dry and flaky. Signs of bathing too much are the presence of dandruff and scale and a dog that gets itchy after bathing.
What Are Good Dog Shampoos?
The best dog shampoos for frequent use are described as soap-free, and cost a little more than the rest. Products for puppies, fleas or human babies are probably of little benefit. Good Australian brands include Dermcare, Virbac and Blackmore’s.
Five years ago, when I wrote a longer article about how to bath dogs, I thought I was putting an old myth to bed for good. Yet here we are, still fighting the same fight. So if you hear someone telling you not to bath a dog too much, get them to read this!
Related: Home Remedies For itchy Dogs
Have something to add? Comments (if open) will appear within 24 hours.
By Andrew Spanner BVSc(Hons) MVetStud, a vet in Adelaide, Australia. Meet his team here.
I have a yorkshire terrier he has crusty dry skin vet told me it was yeast I can bathe him and 2 days later he smells again I have tried all kinds of different shampoos and they do not work the vet told me to try fairy liquid that does not work can you advise
Hi Sue. I’m guessing you’ve tried a dog shampoo that contains miconazole and left it on for the required 10 minutes? If so then there may be a better way to manage the problem, such as by treating the underlying skin allergy.
Hi,
We hike a LOT and go camping pretty frequently so dog bathing seems necessary just for cleanliness. We have a lot of Burt’s bees oat shampoo and conditioner for dogs. Would you consider that an okay weekly shampoo?
Hi Shan. I haven’t used it personally, but I might try it next time – a good clue that a shampoo is a decent one is that a dog will be less itchy afterwards
My dog was itchy and I wanted something to relieve her other than just cytopoint (which I of course will always pay for and give her if she seems too itchy). I began using a human shampoo and conditioner called moo goo which is recommended for cancer patients as it is so gentle. It really helped her itching and skin and she smells so good. I know human shampoos are a no go but even expensive pet shampoos left her coat and skin dry. She’s a senior rescue cattle dog and I just want her to be comfortable after her hard life.
Thank you for the time and effort you put in every week to bring us informative articles.
I’m sure many dogs will truly appreciate you sharing your experience.
I love the way you are able to question what you have done for years- what you were taught as absolute fact. Sadly not many “learned people” have the courage to do that.
On behalf of many dogs and their caring, loving owners say I thank you!
PS It’s still a work in progress but, after following your advice, I am definitely seeing an improvement in the attitude of my Sydney Silky towards the other two – one adolescent male Pom/chihuahua cross and a female chihuahua puppy.
As the relieved owner of Tiffy (mentioned in this blog) I am pleased to report that she has been a much happier dog since I started bathing her with Dermcare. She needed three baths for the first week, then two for the next couple of weeks and now I only need to bath her once every month or so. She has stopped itching her stomach red raw and only bites at her paws occasionally. It will be interesting to see how she fares through spring with allergens, but bathing seems to have done the trick for now. A simple remedy with an impressive outcome. Thanks so much, Andrew.
Thanks Helen!