Sadly, many new dog owners bath their dog far too often, destroying all the essential oils.
This is a huge question and one that, as a dog walker, I get asked quite a bit. I, therefore, hope this article will help with the decision. This article also assumes that your dog has no skin problems or requires special, bathing care as advised by your vet.
As a general rule, you should try and avoid bathing your dog no more than once every three months (I bath mine twice a year)
Dogs in general are very good as self-cleaning This is done by removing foreign objects including dirt from their coat via locking or noibbling, a bit of vigorous shaking and rolling around in dampo grass or rubbing against a damop hedge
Their saliva contains useful antibacterial chemicals
However, it important to make sure they do not constantly clean themselves as this could indicate something more serious and worth seeing your vets advice
Below are a few simple guidelines for bathing your dog
Your dog is very smelly
Your dog doesn’t care how he smells. Rolling in Doggy Cologne, or as we know it, Fox poo is something that all dogs love to do so they can hide their scent when hinting.
The best way to get rid of fox poo is to use tomato ketchup and rinse them with water.
Your dog is filthy and needs a bath.
Wintertime can be challenging for dog owners as dogs get filthy. If you can try and wait for the mud to dry, give them a good brushing If you don’t have conservatory or somewhere you can leave them safe to dry off, then please use plain water to wash the mud off.
Your dog has rolled in something.
As I mentioned earlier, dogs love to roll in fox poo, dead animals etc. then the chances are you will have to bathe them.
Please ensure that you use a suitable shampoo for your dog and not just any old shampoo so as not to destroy the natural oils.
Fleas or ticks on your dog
This one is especialdog’sportant. Dogs must not be allowed to keep fleas or ticks on their bodies. These should be immediately disposed of with a heavy-duty flea and tick shampoo and followed up by a remedy to keep the pests away.
The above are just a few reasons you may want to bathe your dog. However, you musnt bath your dog every day as it destroys its natural oils and causes irritation.
If you have any questions, ask your vet about the best shampoo for your dog’s coat. Like humans, each dog is different, although in general, a PH-neutral shampoo should be ok.
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