# How often to bathe?



## joeyoey

I just got my first Havernese puppy last week & I'm wondering how often can I bathe him? With all of the trips outside he seems to be continually dirty (even though I try & wipe off his feet & face each time he comes in). 

How often is too often?


----------



## Hanna

Hello! Congrats for your new baby. Mine every other day.


----------



## KarMar

Depends in the dog, in part. Nino is a show dog in full coat, and he is all boy (constantly dirty and getting into stuff). We try to bathe him every weekend, but sometimes we miss one. Even with him wanting to get as dirty as possible, this has worked wonderfully (7 months old and still 100% mat free!) Mario, on the other hand, is kept in a puppy cut and he has a very dry coat. He has grooming appointments every 2 months and only gets baths if he is really gross and dirty. As a rule of thumb, I wouldn't make a habit out of bathing more than every 5 days frequently (though butt and paw baths are sometimes necessary 3x weekly ha!), but 2 or 3 weeks between baths is a-okay!


----------



## Heather's

Scout and Truffles are groomed every three to four weeks. Every two weeks would be best.


----------



## boomana

Watson, my non-havanese, but in a similar coat I keep long, gets a bath every two weeks, and groomed once a month. He's really dirty by then. Lola, my havanese, gets a bath at the groomer weekly, which I had started around what I though would be blowing coat stage. I don't know if it's due to the grooming, or I got lucky, but she's had no blowing coat phase that others speak of, and no mats, so I'm going to cut her back to every two weeks. Both mine play at the park near nightly, and they get really dirty.


----------



## Molly120213

Molly goes to the groomer every six weeks. In between I give her a full bath about every two weeks. She gets a face, paw, or butt bath as needed.


----------



## articshark

I take Java to the groomer every 5-6 weeks. She gets a bath weekly, although she probably needs it more. She gets VERY dirty almost everyday. So I wash her face every couple of days and her butt area as needed. I'm just getting rid of my last human kid this fall so our house has already been furnished with two teenage boys in mind. So a dirty little girl doesn't do too much damage. But if she starts to smell like dog, we know it's time. lol


----------



## krandall

I bathe mine about every week to 10 days. That said, I don't agree that more frequent bathing is necessarily bad for their skin and coat any more than bathing ourselves is bad for our skin. We bathe daily, (at least most of us!  ) and our skin and hair does just fine. It's a matter of finding gentle products that don't dry the skin and hair out, and using a good conditioner too. Also, remember that using a human hair dryer can be VERY hard on skin and hair because of the heat. A force dryer that doesn't get hot is a must if you plan frequent bathing. (or, if it's warm enough, you can just let them air dry... especially if their hair is short) 

When Kodi was blowing coat, I had to bathe him every 4-5 days or he matted horribly. He never had AND problems with his skin as a result of the frequent bathing, but I also conditioned him well each time.


----------



## PaulineMi

I bathe Lola once a week. She's not "outdoors dirty" it's more of a grunginess from when she potties and on her face from food and chewies.


----------



## katscleancutdogs

Kati is once every week to 10 days&#8230; She usually stays really clean and pretty for about four. 
I don't do any in between cleaning except combing out her eye area. I find this is best because brushing out dry hair tends to be more damaging and so she doesn't seem to mat as bad since I quit brushing between baths. 
I am her groomer so I usually trim her a bit between her back legs every six weeks or so and that seems to keep anything from getting caught. 
The way you're Havanese's coat is makes a huge difference on what products you use. Kati is very cottony and kinky and so she gets heavy, heavy conditioners. But I have Havanese that I do at work that have very fine silky hair and they don't need the same treatment.
As krandall said finding the right products is a must. And do not skimp on conditioner. 
One of the holistic groomers I follow&#8230; Jun the groomer&#8230; recommends even if you're going to skip the shampoo to condition the coat for their skin. It also helps with tangles. 
I only brush when Kati is clean -mostly as I dry her and finishing whatever is left after
Hope this helps.. And glad to have another to add the party here 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## joeyoey

Thanks for all of the great advice. I'm going to go with trying once a week. 

Is there a shampoo that's better for their coat &/or what about conditioner? When I bathed him Sat night I just used a generic tearless puppy shampoo.


----------



## Olliepup

I bathe Olive usually around once a week. She doesnt really get too dirty but her face (around her tear stains) really starts to smell stinky. I wipe her feet and butt after every walk and poo.


----------



## KarMar

Avoid generic brands for grooming. The investment in a pricier shampoo and conditioner is well worth it. Most of the best products need to be bought online or at a groomer. Chris Christensen is really popular among users here. Other good brands are Crown Royale, Coat Handler, #1 All Systems, and Groomers Edge. The show folks in my area all use and recommend Espana Silk. It's a local brand, all natural, and they have a nice line of products. So far, I've been very happy with ES.


----------



## krandall

Another line that works well on my dogs, but I find a little heavily scented is Biogroom. I use Biogroom Super White on Kodi sometimes, and other times CC White on White. I used Bigroom Silk conditioner for years, but then started getting allergic to the strong scent. (it smells nice, but my nose didn't like it!  ) Now I use CC Spectrum 10 conditioner. It has a much lighter scent and works just as well.

For the puppies, I use Proline Pure Advantage by CC, which is an all-in-one shampoo and conditioner. It works very well without weighing down light puppy coats, and because you only use one product, there is no need to rinse twice. (which makes the puppies happy! )


----------



## Heather's

Scout and Truffles groomer has tried several products on them to get the perfect one. Scout has a very soft, slight wavy, thick coat. Pure Paws Silk Basics Conditioner is the winner here. We have used it for a couple of years now. Scout's coat is like silk after grooming. She always completely combs the conditioner through the coat to the skin. Sometimes she will use their Silk Cream after the conditioner. She uses #1 All Systems Super Cleaning & Conditioning Shampoo. They always smell wonderful too!


----------



## 31818

Ricky gets a bath every 7 to 10 days depending on how dirty he is. A VERY mild shampoo is used.

Ricky's Vet recommends bathing every 3 to 4 weeks but that is because he is concerned about harsh shampoos. He said that frequent bathing does not harm a dog as long as a mild shampoo is used. He said harsh shampoos can cause skin irritations, allergies, and toxic contamination.

Although Ricky tolerates bathing, it is not one of Ricky's favorite activities.

Ricky's Popi


----------



## katscleancutdogs

We use Espree products at the salon I work for. I like them a lot. Have bought quite a few for home. Had both girls on CC.. Kati on Tame It & System 10, Lollipop on System 1 with a additional substance builder.. But once a week with Kati gets expensive so I only use CC once a month ( but her coat is like a bunny after! So soft...) and Lollipop has a grass allergy so she has been on oatmeal weekly )
But honestly am leaning toward going sulfate free for my weekly grooms... But there are very few choices and they don't feel the same "squeaky" clean. But they are much milder. Bio groom makes an Argan oil formula that is good. 
On Kati I like to start with a deshedding shampoo and conditioner but it is a fairly harsh treatment. I wouldn't use it on puppies for the most part..But it would be great when their coats change.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## 31818

katscleancutdogs said:


> We use Espree products at the salon I work for. I like them a lot.


We take Ricky to the local doggie spa for his bath. Before handing him back to us, they give hm a light spritz of Espree Plum Perfect cologne. Momi loves the smell of him and says Ricky smells like "a little......." oh never mind. Anyway, Momi likes the smell so much, we purchased a couple of bottles of Plum Perfect and Momi spritzes him every day after we brush him out. :thumb:

Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall

Espree products work well on my dogs' coats, but they are too strongly scented for my nose. They make me sneeze! What's the point of having a low allergy dog and then dousing it in stuff that makes me sneeze! :laugh:


----------



## 31818

krandall said:


> Espree products work well on my dogs' coats, but they are too strongly scented for my nose. They make me sneeze! What's the point of having a low allergy dog and then dousing it in stuff that makes me sneeze! :laugh:


SPRITZ Karen, SPRITZ! just a micro second burst. You can't smell Plum Perfect on Ricky unless you bury your nose in his fur. Now I have told you too much about Momi! 

Ricky's Popi


----------



## krandall

Ricky Ricardo said:


> SPRITZ Karen, SPRITZ! just a micro second burst. You can't smell Plum Perfect on Ricky unless you bury your nose in his fur. Now I have told you too much about Momi!
> 
> Ricky's Popi


But I bury my face in my dogs' coats 100 times a day! (And now you know too much about ME too! )


----------

