Washing a dog

[meladeso]

Out of curiosity (non dog owner) / just for fun...
How often do you wash your dog?
I'd like one, but I've only had outdoor pets before.
I am pathetically squeamish about "dirty" animals in the house / on the furniture.
Would it be out of the question to wash a dog with similar frequency to a human???!!! maybe every second or third day?

Once a month or so.

He's white so shows the dirt really easily! Plus I think he does get whiffy (they all do no matter what some owners might say!) and needs it then.

We use a really gentle puppy shampoo from pets at home. It's fragrance free and he feels all soft and fluffy afterwards!

My dog is 2 and has only ever had one wash and that was when he wiped himself along wet paint

My dog doesn't get washed that often as he doesn't really smell ( I don't think..he probably stinks to high heaven really!) but when he does get washed we use baby shampoo for humans.
What is a good shampoo to use?

Very, very rarely. But she is brushed regularly so doesn't smell of anything really except warm clean dog.

Small long haired variety so can get very mucky in the winter, especially on her tummy, at which time she gets dunked into a bucket containing warm water and sort of swished round.

The only time I've used anything more than water was when she managed to get some fox poo on on of her shoulders.

Lucisky I'm totally cool with outside animal dirt, I've had rabbits, horses, etc before. I don't mind getting my hands dirty as such. I just don't want poopy bums, paws and stuff in the house.
Oh dear, you guys are right, dogs just aren't for me! Now to break it to the kids....

I just don't want poopy bums, paws and stuff in the house.

Then I agree with you that a dog is not for you.

I don't mind getting my hands dirty as such. I just don't want poopy bums, paws and stuff in the house.

Then please don't get a dog. They're a lot of work and they are muck magnets. Mine eats poo, rolls in poo, likes digging in mud straight after it's rained, licks his bits and has been known to try and eat cat poo and sick.

You don't sound at all like you could cope with the realities of a dog (especially a puppy) - lots of standing in the garden (in the rain) getting them to use the toilet, cleaning up accidents while not telling them off, cleaning up poo and pee, cleaning up the occasional vomit, wiping mud and poo off their paws, cleaning hair off everything and everyone because it clings to everything.

Those of you who think their unwashed dogs don't smell they do! So does your house and your car. It is like a smoker who thinks they don't smell. You are just immune to it.

Those of you who think their unwashed dogs don't smell, they do!

Thank God @villainousbroodmare - I thought I was going to be the only one who thought that! Dogs smell, and so many people seem completely oblivious to it. I know our house smells of dog (especially when it's wet) so I do all I can to ease it - open windows, vacuum daily, clean the floors, wash all his blankets and bedding and toys on a regular basis, and, shockingly, wash the dog too!

People who haven't washed their dogs in years - believe me, they do stink. I work in a shop that allows dogs and so many of them really, really smell - but the owners are totally oblivious to it. Nobody is saying wash them everyday but once every two years? Bleurgh.

Nobody is saying wash them everyday but once every two years? Bleurgh.

I'm a bit stuffed really because I can only wash mine outdoors so I can only do it when it's warm. He's a 35kg lump so can't physically get him into the bath and keep him there.
I do use the dog wipes but he rolls on the grass immediately afterwards so it's pointless.
He is scared of water and scared of sprays so dry shampoo isn't an option. I have used the no rinse foam shampoo but it makes his due greasy.
I'm stuck with a stinky dog 😔

I have a Labrador who will roll in fox poo or find a stagnant pond to wade through at every opportunity. I'm afraid he is therefore hosed down most weeks and I have to use dog shampoo to get the cr@p off - usually the Animology Fox Poo one, though sometimes just cheapo baby shampoo. Some weeks I might even have to do it twice. His coat is super shiny though and he's never had the itches or any skin problems (he's 8).

He is NOT allowed on any furniture or upstairs. His bed is washed weekly and I rely on my SIL to be honest and let me know if my house smells of dog. She's brutally honest at all times so is reliable in that sense

I have a very dear friend with 2 dogs who are hosed down with no shampoo once a year. They stink, her house reeks and her car ... well, suffice to say that the last (and final!) time I went out with her, I had to ask her to stop so I could get out and vomit!

Definitely depends on the dog.

Long haired dogs or spaniels with feathered hair on their legs will attract and hold dirt - needing at least a foot wash and often a clean of the undercarriage after most walks.

Something like a staffy with a very short coat won't trap the dirt and will usually only need a towel down if it's wet and their feet dried. Unless they've rolled in something - and even then it's usually the harness/collar that traps the smell more than their coat.

Something like a staffy with a very short coat won't trap the dirt and will usually only need a towel down if it's wet and their feet dried.

We have a beagle - very short-haired and he still needs a bath once a month. After about three and a half weeks he starts to get whiffy and I wouldn't want to leave it any longer than 5 weeks really. Everything gets washed regularly but it doesn't stop him stinking after a while!

Can't stand a pongy dog!

Twice a month. He's long haired (curly) loves his baths. If his paws / bum get dirty in between we wash just those in the meantime. He doesn't malt though

I have a fluffy white dog. He has a rinse tub with plain water in in the garden. I make him hop and in and out after every walk if his feet are dirty. It rinses off the worst! He gets a bath with soap about every 2 weeks when he manages to roll in something nasty. I also have to scrub his arse now and then when he manages to get poop stuck in his fur (I do keep it short to try to prevent this.)

When they roll in something so every other week in this house.

I do wash their paws after a particularly muddy walk.

My old dog only had about 3 baths in 14 years of life. His coat did not smell.

maybe once or twice a month ish give or take. ddog is a little long hair type so for easiness i just take her in the shower with me. far easier than standing over the bath and it dont matter if I get wet because im naked anyway :D

Only in the winter and when he rolls in animal poo. The spaniel hates bring washed. We get him clipped for the summer now cuts it right down!

Once a week. Never had an issue with his coat. His fur is more like hair than fur. I wash his bedding weekly too. No stinky dogs here.

I've been told by other people that my house and my dog don't smell, so it's not my imagination that they don't.

My dog is small so maybe she's just not as smelly as a large dog.

Also diet is suppose to make a difference as to how much a dog smells.