How Often Should You Wash Your Dog?

How often should you wash your dog? Surprisingly, this isn’t as simple a question as you might think. The easy answer is that you should wash your dog whenever he gets dirty enough to need a bath or when he starts to smell so bad you try to stay downwind of him at all times. However, when it comes to the regular, routine care and grooming of your dog, there are several things to consider when it comes to how often you should wash your dog.

The first thing to consider is the length of your dog’s coat. Dogs with longer coats need to be washed more often than dogs with shorter coats. The type of coat your dog has will also be a factor. Some dogs have coats that attract more dirt than others. If your dog has a long coat or a coat that just seems to attract dirt, you might have to wash your dog at least once a week.

How often you will need to wash your dog will also depend on where your dog spends most of his time. If you have an outdoor dog or a dog who only steps foot outside the house for those walks you take him on every day, you might be able to get by with washing him once every two weeks or so. However, if your dog likes gallivanting around outside all hours of the day and night, rolling around in the grass, dirt and mud to his heart’s content, more frequent baths will be necessary.

Another factor that will determine how often you should wash your dog is the type of skin your dog has. Just like people, dogs can have oily or dry skin. If your dog has oily skin, that oil will get into his coat, causing it to attract more dirt. As a result, dogs with oily skin need to be washed at least weekly. On the other hand, if your dog has dry skin, washing your dog too often will strip his skin and coat of natural oils, which can lead to some unpleasant skin conditions and make their coat look dull and dry. So don't wash a dog with dry skin more than once every two weeks or so.