# Weekly bathing?



## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

I know that if you ask a groomer they will tell you not to bathe more than once a month. But I have a book on Havanese and it says it's okay to bathe weekly. 

I have given Ginger a bath the past two weeks - she looks and smells so much nicer clean! She doesn't seem to have a problem with it. 

So is this okay?


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## shimpli (Mar 24, 2010)

So pretty, Ginger. I give a bath to my Hav Ache every week since I got her and she is almost 11 months. I love how she feels clean and so soft. It is a lot easier to comb her coat when she is clean. It is perfectly OK, in my opinion.


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## mitrus (Apr 6, 2008)

She is so sweet!! How old is she? I wish I could get my puppies to pose like that.


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## whimsy (Apr 3, 2010)

What an adorable little sweetie you have there!! If she is good with it then once a week should be fine!!


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

OMG! Ginger is beautiful!!!! i have never groomed django myself. the groomer comes every 4-5 weeks, depending on the time of year. i always give him spa paw baths if we have gone for a walk and he's muddy etc. always clean here and there but have never bathed him. he's never smelly and doesn't get into anything gross on our walks.

i don't think they are smelly dogs in general.


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## TilliesMom (Sep 30, 2010)

I give Tille a bath every 7-10 days... 2 weeks MAX, it helps with combing to have her hair clean and we love the way she smells and feel after a bath!


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## Rita Nelson (Jul 13, 2009)

Ginger is the cutest little girl.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

She looks gorgeous! I assume you or someone trimmed her a little between the eyes. When my guys were that little you couldn't even see their eyes. I think you should be fine bathing once a week, especially if you're using a good shampoo and conditioner. I remember using a different formula for mine when they were puppies. It was an IOD product, just the puppy formula.


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## littlebuddy (May 30, 2007)

should i be bathing more often? it seems everyone bathes their dogs a couple times a month. he's in a puppy cut and like i said, doesn't get smelly or grizzly.


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## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

Well we are going to keep it up then! 

Ginger is 4 months old and yes she actually went to the groomer and got her face trimmed. She gets teary so I like to keep the hair away from her eyes. 

Trimming is the next thing I need to learn to do. And cutting nails and pulling ear hair out! I know they say it doesn't hurt but I just can't bring myself to do it!


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## LilyMyLove (Jul 11, 2009)

Goodness Gracious Ginger is a doll!


I bathe Lily every week and always have due to my allergies. She gets so dirty from playing outside, I can't imagine not doing it especially when I let her in my bed and on the sofa, etc. To make my life easier, I have her body shaved down quite a bit (1/2" long) at the groomer every 6-8 months or so and leave her ears and tail long (she had a few bad grooms that chopped off her ears and tail, arrgh!) then comb her face, legs and tail with a comb a couple days a week. Tuesday is her bath day because I come home from the barn in the afternoon reeking and can just throw her in the shower with me to make it easy. She prefers it to a sink bath. I suds her up, hold her up under the shower head, rinse well then condition, rinse and swaddle her in a towel then we go have snuggle time while we dry off. I also cut between her eyes Tuesday before the shower( I cover the eye with my left hand and cut at an angle anything that hangs over) and trim the front bangs so it doesnt all fall down in her face. I also trim around her bottom for hygeine. I feel like I finally have it down to a science and am saving some $ at the groomer!


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## HavaneseSoon (Nov 4, 2008)

Dexter is in a shorter cut than Jack. I could almost get away with bathing Dexter once every 14 days. Dexter is so easy to bathe compared to Jack, I just go ahead and bathe him. The hair is soooooooooooooooo soft when the boys are clean.


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

Your groomer is definitely a keeper. What a fabulous job on her face. I'd love to see a close-up to see what the groomer did.

I don't have to remove the hair from the dogs' ears. I always check with the vet or the groomer and they're all fine. The nails are another thing. The only way I can do nails is when they're very sleepy and I sneak a cut here or there.


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## Kathie (Jul 31, 2008)

Ginger is a doll! I am partial toward the name because my late red poodle was Ginger. Abby gets a bath about every two weeks just depending on whether she needs it or not. She doesn't get very dirty so I can get away with it. I have to admit I love how she feels after a bath - so soft and sweet!


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## Becky Chittenden (Feb 4, 2009)

Ginger is so cute. I don't bathe as often as I should, so won't add in to that.


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## unjugetito (Jan 2, 2011)

We do every week too. My daughters and I do spa day every friday night where we do manicures, pedicures facial etc on each other (they are 9 and 3 years old) and Vanilla has always joined us. She get bathed and blow dried and decked out in bows . Oh and occasionally gets her nails painted ound:
I have never had any skin problems with her from bathing her weekly...


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

She looks squeeky clean . We only do Molly once a month . She's a neat dog. Never pulled a hair from her ear yet. ound::canada:


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## Moe's Gram (Oct 9, 2009)

Ginger is absolutely adorable!! 

My boys get baths about every 2 weeks. One time at the groomer's and then 2 weeks later I give them one and then 2 weeks later they are back at the groomer's. They play out in the yard alot so if they need an extra one thrown in between they get it (especially this spring with all the wet weather and mud in the yard). It's not been a problem for their skin and they look so good after a bath and feel soooo soft.


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

Ginger is a gorgeous girl. What a doll!

I bath Eli weekly. He's white so he starts to a look a little grey after a few days of going outsides, particularly his paws/legs even though I wipe them after every walk. He also gets a little stinky so weekly bathing is a must. He looks like a different dog on bath day.


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## Jplatthy (Jan 16, 2011)

Ok my dogs are really dirty in comparison lol they only get a bath every 30 days..sometimes longer...but they never smell...the only time they get one sooner is if they have been at the "farm" and rolled in something they shouldn't have....yuck! 

What is this about pulling he hair out of their ears???


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## heatherk (Feb 24, 2011)

Awww she is so pretty!

Ceylon is only 3 months and we still haven't worked our way up to giving him a 'full' bath yet (full brush, shampoo, conditioner, blow dry) but we are working on it! We also work on his nails twice a week or so, both to get him used to it and because those little things get SHARP if they are not kept clipped! We don't pull the hair from his ears. I talked to my vet about it at Ceylon's last checkup and he said, with the little bit of hair in his ears, it's just as likely it would cause him irritation and possibly an infection if we did - not that that advice is right for every dog but I would definitely ask your vet about it (same with expressing the, ahem, anal glands... for some reason I keep talking about Cey's butt a lot lately rofl!)


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## lkwilson (Mar 6, 2011)

I hope you submitted that photo to the calendar... I almost spit my wine out when I saw that adorable photo! 

Precious


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## SnickersDad (Apr 9, 2010)

Snickers and Snoopy get bath's every 10 - 14 days. They stay pretty clean, except their faces, and boy when their faces get dirty do they ever stink. Don't know if it's the "bitey face" playing they do, or if it's something else, but by the end of two weeks I'm ready (more than ready) to clean them up.

BTW -- Ginger is a beauty!


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## The Laughing Magpie (Aug 20, 2009)

Ginger is a cutie!!!! I bath my guys every week and Misty the white one sometimes every four days. We have a lot of pollen this time of year and she has allergys. I think it just depends on the dog and where you live. My guys are in full coat so they get lots of yard stuff caught in their hair.


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Ginger is a doll!

My Tori sleeps in bed w/us, mostly on my pillow :biggrin1: so, she gets a bath _at least_ once a week, occasionally more often. I don't think it's a big deal. Compare it to how often you wash your own hair. I think if you're using a good shampoo and conditioner, it shouldn't be a problem. Tori is almost 4 yrs. old and has always been bathed this frequently. Her coat is one of the nicest, softest, shiniest coats of any Hav I've ever met.


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## Cindy3kids (Nov 16, 2010)

Thanks for all the compliments! I think she is pretty adorable myself!! 

Since none of you do the ear hair thing, I'm not going to bother! 

As for the anal glands - yek, I so do not want to go there. Maybe I'll keep taking her to the groomer ever few weeks!


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## Leslie (Feb 28, 2007)

Cindy3kids said:


> Thanks for all the compliments! I think she is pretty adorable myself!!
> 
> *Since none of you do the ear hair thing*, I'm not going to bother!
> 
> As for the anal glands - yek, I so do not want to go there. Maybe I'll keep taking her to the groomer ever few weeks!


I _do_ pull Tori's ear hair. She grows a ton of it! The vet recommended pulling it after she ended up w/fungal ear infections because the hair wouldn't allow for adequate drying after her baths. Besides pulling the hair, he also recommended that after every bath I rinse/clean her ears with a 50/50 vinegar and alcohol solution. So far, so good :thumb:

As for anal glands, I'd suggest if they're not bothering her don't bother them


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

Cindy3kids said:


> Thanks for all the compliments! I think she is pretty adorable myself!!
> 
> Since none of you do the ear hair thing, I'm not going to bother!
> 
> As for the anal glands - yek, I so do not want to go there. Maybe I'll keep taking her to the groomer ever few weeks!


 Have your Vet teach you what to feel to even see if she needs her anal glands done . Maddie is 8mo old and has never had it done. I was told not to do it if it does not need it. A sign is if they rub their but on the ground or have problems getting the poop out.
The sisters need a bath! it has been about 3 weeks


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## dodrop82 (May 21, 2010)

I pluck Yogi's ears, but not Boo's yet. At 17 weeks (almost) she's not real tolerant of the whole grooming thing...and I know the ear thing would really put a bad taste in her mouth! Luckily she doesn't have very hairy ears just yet. And I never drain anal glands. I was taught, that they normally aren't a problem, unless you start draining them, then they stop draining on their own, and you need to do it. I have yet to have a problem with any of my many dogs down thru the years....Now my Mom, who was also a dog groomer, was taught that draining anal glands is a part of the groom, so she alway does her dogs....so whatever.....


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## pjewel (Apr 11, 2007)

I've never expressed anal glands on any of my dogs. Haven't found it necessary.


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## lfung5 (Jun 30, 2007)

I give my guys a bath every 10-14 day. Less in the winter and more in the summer. If they roll in something, they get a bath!


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## Ellie NY (Aug 27, 2010)

I have the groomer pull Eli's ear hair. He hasn't had his anal glands expressed even though every once in awhile (once in the past 2 months or so) he can drag his butt on the floor. I think if they consistently have firm poop the anal glands get automatically expressed? Not sure but I haven't had it done yet and not sure what the indicators are for having it done. I do know it shouldn't be included as part of normal grooming unless they need it.


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

Ginger is precious! Great coloring, great face, great photo! 

Well, Augie certainly doesn't get a bath as often as the rest of the Havs here! Don't have any set schedule - just when his coat doesn't feel as clean to me or becomes harder to comb/brush, which is usually about 4 weeks. However, it is very wet during the late fall, winter, spring here. And he walks out through the wet grass 4-5 times a day to potty, and when he comes in he is sopping wet, so must be dried off. So he is being kept 'rinsed' on a regular basis. In the summer, when he picks up dust, his coat will feel 'gummy' and then I bathe him more often. He never smells except around his muzzle area and I try to keep his face and eyes washed at least every other day with a cloth.

I do try to pull a few strands of ear hair out occasionally if I see it building up. He has never had his anal glands expressed, doesn't scoot his butt, has firm potty. He is getting much better about the toenail clipping. I can cut all the nails on one paw now before I need to give a treat! Progress!


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## Carefulove (Mar 20, 2009)

When Bumi was younger and had shorter hair, I used to bathe him weekly. Now that he has a long coat (almost 2 years) I do it every 2 weeks (unless he gets very dirty and I have to give him a bath whenever). 
I brush his hair weekly so I remove dead hair and he doesn't really smell. In fact he retains his shampoo smell (Spa Lavish - shampoo/conditioner) most of the time.
It takes foooooooor eeeeeeeeveeeeeer to dry and brush all that coat!


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## Thumper (Feb 18, 2007)

Yikes, I'd DIE if Gucci only got a bath once a month, I can feel my allergies act up if its been 7-8 days, She gets a bath every week, sometimes during pollen season...every 5 days or so. They are like a pollen mop..lol

Plus, she sleep in bed with us, so I'd rather be nice and clean and smelling all purty! 

Kara


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

My understanding is that dogs with fur shouldn't be bathed more than once a month, they lose their natural oils on their skin, etc. my big dogs I bathe every 2-3 months or when they get stinky.

dogs with hair like hav's, it's ok to wash them once a week or so. I wash my little guy every 7-10 days (or when he looks greasy, like when you don't wash your hair for a few days) and he'll go to the groomers for either a quick bath and trim (tummy shave, nails and landing strip on the butt) every 2 months, full haircut 3-4 months. just depends what he looks like. I like his coat 4-6 inches long.

I check the ears every week, and trim nails every week, except my big dog, she hates it (and rightly so, was in 2 car accidents and had lost all her nails), I trim hers every 3-4 weeks.

When my little guy got fixed, while he was under they pulled all his ear hair out (I can't get that deep)... and he's been doing much better, with no ear infections. that's partly due to a change in meds, b/c otomax bites, and the new stuff a different vet gave me kicks some serious bootie! it's drops that are kept in the fridge. literally infection gone in 24 hours.


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## Missy (Nov 6, 2006)

Hey! what are you doing with my fantasy little red girl? Ginger is gorgeous. I do my boys every two weeks. but I would do every week if I only had one. Just be sure to use a good gentle shampoo and conditioner for dogs. there are a lot of threads on here about people's preferences. I love Isle of Dogs #10 shampoo and #51 conditioner. (now available on amazon) But there are a lot of great gentle shampoos out there.


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