# How often do you bath?



## wrldtravlr345 (Aug 14, 2017)

By the weekend our little guy will be with us for two weeks (he's 12 weeks) and I would like to bath him. He's been rolling around lots in the yard so I'm hoping to keep the dust and allergens down from his coat. I have allergies. Is every 2-3 weeks too much?


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## Askavi (Nov 5, 2015)

Every week! Sometimes twice if they need it.  Especially as young pups so they get used to the bath process, including blowdryer.


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## DuketheDog (May 1, 2017)

Weekly! Usually on Sunday's. We started bathing our pup at 10ish weeks. HE LOVES THE BATH. Blow drying not so much, we just let him air dry, our typically drying process is to warm a towel in the dryer and just hold him in it until most of his hair is dry


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## Magnadoodle (Apr 19, 2017)

Once a week here too. Maggie is mostly white and loves to play in the backyard with our greyhound. She gets filthy! I also comb her throughout the day, to get yard debris out of her hair.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

Also once a week. If you are using high quality grooming products, frequency shouldnt have too much effect on the dog.


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## wrldtravlr345 (Aug 14, 2017)

Thanks, we went for a car ride tonight that didn't turn out too well (got sick) so we had to have a bath. He didn't like it too much but I think he will be having one weekly so he will get used of it. I use Isle of Dog products.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

I think it depends in part on whether they get into something AND if you're keeping them long or in a puppy cut. Perry's in a puppy cut and I actually don't bathe him more than once a month, sometimes 6 weeks (and since we live where it's warm year around, he air dries). In fact, right now it's been longer than that (because of his leg - he's not crazy about baths and I didn't want him to hurt his leg more squirming in the bath). It's been probably around 9 weeks since his bath but he's also not running around much and definitely not rolling in anything outside (since he's never more than 2 feet from me on a leash if he's out of his crate). Yes, he's gotten a little stinky, but I gave him a haircut last weekend and that got rid of a lot of the stinkiness


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

Wow. I bathe Sophie about every two months! Unless she gives me a better reason to.  Even then she doesn't seem to need it that badly but I do brush her a lot. And her little feeties that have dug holes in the yard get rinsed off often too. <3


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*2 months*



Dee Dee said:


> Wow. I bathe Sophie about every two months! Unless she gives me a better reason to.  Even then she doesn't seem to need it that badly but I do brush her a lot. And her little feeties that have dug holes in the yard get rinsed off often too. <3


I don't think that's really out of line. I said 6 weeks, but honestly it could be longer than that - I only really noticed Perry getting a little stinky within the last 2 weeks and most of that went away when I trimmed him... so if I keep him trimmed at 6 weeks or so, then he's probably good with the baths


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

I generally stay out of the "frequency of bathing" conversations, because I've been a little embarrassed to share that unless something out of the ordinary happens, Shama only gets bathed at the groomer's every six weeks. At first, it was because she was so little, and we were afraid of hurting her while giving her a bath, but then it was because we didn't want to deal with blow drying her. We haven't invested in a dog blow dryer, and it takes forever to dry her with my human hair dryer on the lowest heat setting even with high speed. We do find ourselves giving her frequent butt washes as sometimes her poop sticks to her hair, but I'm hoping that my new method of mixing kibble into her training treats will reduce the frequency of sticky poop.

Thanks, Dee Dee, for giving me the courage to confess to our "less often than many forum members" Shama bathing habits.

Below are photos of Shama just after an outdoor agility lesson including mud and horse manure as well as photos of her in the bath. (I ended up letting her mostly air dry but then combed her out to make sure no hair would mat.)


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

And here she is afterwards!


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

wrldtravlr345 said:


> Thanks, we went for a car ride tonight that didn't turn out too well (got sick) so we had to have a bath. He didn't like it too much but I think he will be having one weekly so he will get used of it. I use Isle of Dog products.


I never go more than 2 weeks between baths on mine... more often weekly. The two with long coats tangle more if they aren't kept very clean, and the one in a puppy cut... well, let's just say she's the "Tom Boy" in the family and needs to roll in EVERYTHING!!! LOL! Plus they cuddle on the bed with us, and I don't like cuddling with stinky dogs! 

And, yes, few of them ever "like" having a bath, but they learn that it is a fact of life, and put up with it with good grace.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ShamaMama said:


> I generally stay out of the "frequency of bathing" conversations, because I've been a little embarrassed to share that unless something out of the ordinary happens, Shama only gets bathed at the groomer's every six weeks. At first, it was because she was so little, and we were afraid of hurting her while giving her a bath, but then it was because we didn't want to deal with blow drying her. We haven't invested in a dog blow dryer, and it takes forever to dry her with my human hair dryer on the lowest heat setting even with high speed. We do find ourselves giving her frequent butt washes as sometimes her poop sticks to her hair, but I'm hoping that my new method of mixing kibble into her training treats will reduce the frequency of sticky poop.
> 
> Thanks, Dee Dee, for giving me the courage to confess to our "less often than many forum members" Shama bathing habits.
> 
> Below are photos of Shama just after an outdoor agility lesson including mud and horse manure as well as photos of her in the bath. (I ended up letting her mostly air dry but then combed her out to make sure no hair would mat.)


I don't think there is ANY hard and fast rule on when you "should" bathe a Havanese... People tolerate more or less "doggy" smell (NOT talking about turkey or deer poo here!  ) have allergies or not, and with long haired dogs, need to find a frequency that keeps the coat in good condition. I think that if you're dog can look good and smell OK with a bath only every couple of months, GO FOR IT!!! I would! LOL!

What I try to get people over is the idea that it is somehow "bad" for the dog to get bathed more often. It is not. It doesn't "damage their skin" any more than it damages OUR skin to take a shower every day. As long as you use good quality, gentle products, bathe your dog when ever it works for YOU!!!


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## Sheri (Oct 11, 2008)

^^What Karen says. Tucker gets bathed on average every 2 weeks, occasionally every week.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

This has been a very interesting thread. I am really surprised how many bath so frequently. I have never noticed any kind of bad smell with Sophie even after weeks of no bathing unless she does roll in a dead worm or something. It takes me 4 hours to brush, bath, trim and brush again so we avoid it. Although I must say she does seem to enjoy it and will leap up at the sink sometimes when we go in there. She would look so forlorn when I was bathing Aunt Edna and not her. Or when I rinse my own hair off in there. But i also have always tried to make bath and grooming time super fun with treats and special toys and lots (and lots) of praise and baby talk. 

I just reached a major deadline with an art thing and kept telling Sophie Aug 16 (the day after) was going to be a spa day for her. But oddly her coat lately has seemed super easy to manage. Not many mats and when I brush it out it stays that way. Maybe because it's been so dry we get a lot of rain and wet here in winter so am guessing it will go back to being hard to care for this fall. But for now I'm loving being able to brush her out and have her look pretty and stay that way. Her coat seems to me to have a different texture too not sure if it's my imagination or something to do with all the silvering? She likes being brushed so it's not a hardship for her and I love brushing her. So I am not going to trim her down short this time just her bangs and feet. I love her in her longer coat. <3


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## Tux's Mom (May 24, 2016)

ShamaMama said:


> And here she is afterwards!


Oh my oh my. What a before and after of Shama! Also, I couldn't help but notice all the fruit growing along that beautiful lattice work. If there is a world war, and we are all in survival mode, would it be okay to come over to your place?


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Dee Dee said:


> This has been a very interesting thread. I am really surprised how many bath so frequently. I have never noticed any kind of bad smell with Sophie even after weeks of no bathing unless she does roll in a dead worm or something. It takes me 4 hours to brush, bath, trim and brush again so we avoid it. Although I must say she does seem to enjoy it and will leap up at the sink sometimes when we go in there. She would look so forlorn when I was bathing Aunt Edna and not her. Or when I rinse my own hair off in there. But i also have always tried to make bath and grooming time super fun with treats and special toys and lots (and lots) of praise and baby talk.
> 
> I just reached a major deadline with an art thing and kept telling Sophie Aug 16 (the day after) was going to be a spa day for her. But oddly her coat lately has seemed super easy to manage. Not many mats and when I brush it out it stays that way. Maybe because it's been so dry we get a lot of rain and wet here in winter so am guessing it will go back to being hard to care for this fall. But for now I'm loving being able to brush her out and have her look pretty and stay that way. Her coat seems to me to have a different texture too not sure if it's my imagination or something to do with all the silvering? She likes being brushed so it's not a hardship for her and I love brushing her. So I am not going to trim her down short this time just her bangs and feet. I love her in her longer coat. <3


I think Pixel's coat is similar in length to Sophie's, and like Sophie, she matted TERRIBLY as an adolescent. But also like Sophie, her coat has been MUCH easier to manage in the last few months.

My problem with HER the most, and to a lesser extent with all of them, is that we have turkeys that roost in the back yard trees... and poop all night. So there is ALWAYS fresh turkey poop to roll in. THEY seem to think it is like French perfume. Me? Not so much! LOL!

I DO have the bath/blow dries down to 2 hours for all three, though. That doesn't include any trimming of hair, but does include nails on Panda and Kodi. (I can only do Pixel's nails if Dave is around to hold her... She is DEFINITELY a two person job when it comes to nails!)


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

OH seeing the pics of Shama wet and dry now! My heart is a puddle at my feet. She is SO adorable! Wet or dry, pre or post bath.  She looks like such a little doll and I bet she is. I agree with Tux's can we come stay with you too that trellis looks delicious and the little girl at the bottom is even better! You may have said but how much does she weigh? She looks tiny in her pics Sophie is 9.2 but is pretty tall although people who see her in pics only and then in person ALWAYS...every time....first thing they say is they can't believe how small she is. Must be since I take most photos of her up close and at eye level so she looks bigger.

Karen very interesting that Pixel's coat has been easier to manage for you too lately! I hope it stays that way! But I'm thinking maybe it's the time of the year, between coat changes maybe this is the easiest time for everyone? or their age? Or the dry weather? Or a miracle??? 

Oh man am I glad I don't have those turkeys. Sophie would eat the poop for sure and I'd have one sad sick puppy on my hands! Bad enough when the birds fly overhead and poop. 

I can't believe you do three in two hours. Part of my time for Sophie is filled with the brushing and getting every little knot out so it doesn't get hung up in the clippers. But that hasn't been as big of a problem lately. Also includes lots of trimming. So since I won't be doing that this time will be interesting next bath to see how long it will take. Surely if you can do three in two, I can do one in one!


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*bathing and brushing*



Dee Dee said:


> This has been a very interesting thread. I am really surprised how many bath so frequently. I have never noticed any kind of bad smell with Sophie even after weeks of no bathing unless she does roll in a dead worm or something. It takes me 4 hours to brush, bath, trim and brush again so we avoid it. Although I must say she does seem to enjoy it and will leap up at the sink sometimes when we go in there. She would look so forlorn when I was bathing Aunt Edna and not her. Or when I rinse my own hair off in there. But i also have always tried to make bath and grooming time super fun with treats and special toys and lots (and lots) of praise and baby talk.
> ...She likes being brushed so it's not a hardship for her and I love brushing her. So I am not going to trim her down short this time just her bangs and feet. I love her in her longer coat. <3


You are so lucky! One of the reasons I keep Perry in a puppy coat is that he isn't crazy about being brushed (he'll tolerate it) and I'm not that crazy about having to do it too often. In fact that's my main gauge of when he needs a haircut - when it starts to mat and I have to brush him more frequently 

he's also really not crazy about baths, but again he tolerates them (after trying once or twice to guilt me into letting him out - soaking wet, standing with the front legs on my leg, giving me the really sad puppy eyes) so I only give them when he's getting noticeably stinky which is at least 6 weeks, often closer to 8 weeks. I can't even imagine having to go through all of it and blow dry him (baths are always early enough in the day when it's warm so that he can air dry)


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Dee Dee said:


> OH seeing the pics of Shama wet and dry now! My heart is a puddle at my feet. She is SO adorable! Wet or dry, pre or post bath.  She looks like such a little doll and I bet she is. I agree with Tux's can we come stay with you too that trellis looks delicious and the little girl at the bottom is even better! You may have said but how much does she weigh? She looks tiny in her pics Sophie is 9.2 but is pretty tall although people who see her in pics only and then in person ALWAYS...every time....first thing they say is they can't believe how small she is. Must be since I take most photos of her up close and at eye level so she looks bigger.
> 
> Karen very interesting that Pixel's coat has been easier to manage for you too lately! I hope it stays that way! But I'm thinking maybe it's the time of the year, between coat changes maybe this is the easiest time for everyone? or their age? Or the dry weather? Or a miracle???
> 
> ...


Yes, clipping Pixel is AT LEAST a couple of hours, since I'm not very good (or fast) at it, and don't want to make horrible mistakes! LOL! So if I did that with every bath, it would take CONSIDERABLY longer!!! But just a bath and blow dry on Pixel is well under 1/2 hour. I don't worry about getting her head or legs completely dry... She'll just go out and get them wet agaiN! I just get her body dry so she isn't cold.

Panda I dry completely, Kodi HATES his face being dried, so on him, I dry his body and legs, and get the majority of moisture out of his ears, then let his face dry naturally. He has the most coat, so he takes the longest anyway.

Last night I bathed all three, and did Kodi and Panda's nails, and blow dried ALL of them only body and legs, because it was late. I got them all done in well under 2 hours. No trimming at all, though.


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

That makes more sense I don't feel quite as bad.  I could see doing Sophie in that amount of time if I just bathed and didn't dry completely. I am not going to clip her this time around so will see how long it takes. 

Melissa Sophie did NOT like brushing or grooming at first either. I worked very slowly with her for weeks just touching a brush to her, praise and treat, being very careful to never pull her hair (I took her to a groomer friend as a pup to learn how to do it and without warning she grabbed a knot of hair on Sophies little foot and give it a big YANK and tore it right out! Sophie yelped and I was like WTH?? She said we have to preserve the coat. I said I'd rather preserve the puppy don't do that again). As she tolerated it I went further and further. She is expected to stay and let me finish the grooming but I in turn respect her tolerance level and comfort and don't push her too far from her limits. Same with nails, brushing teeth, etc. She used to fight like a caged tiger with her nails lol now she doesn't like it but does lay there quietly and only rarely will pull a foot back (which I dont' let her have but am gentle doing it). It takes me ages to do her nails because I don't want to hurt her so I shave the nail in thin layers so I don't hit the quick. (I do have a dremel but prefer the clippers). The whole time with all of these I am praising and baby talking her and giving her tiny bites of treats when she is extra tolerant. She sometimes will leap up toward the bath sink now if I'm messing around in it and she is not center of attention.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

You have done a wonderful job if she looks forward to bathing!!! All of mine tolerate it with good grace (which can be seen because their tails stay up in the sink! LOL!) but NONE of them LIKE it... especially face-rinsing. They just realize that it is part of Havanese life. 

Kodi took YEARS before he stopped resisting nail cutting, but he's good about it now (at 8 years old!!!) Panda has been SUPER about all grooming from day one. What can I say, she's just a little "glamor girl"!  Pixel is fine about bathing and blow drying, I have to be VERY patient and slow with clipping, and nails? That's still a two-person job. BUT it has gotten better. For a long time, we had to swaddle her in a towel, Dave held her and I took out one foot at a time. Now she's quite good about it as long as he's holding her. I MIGHT be able to do it alone at this point, but I DON'T want to get in a fight about it.


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## Pucks104 (Aug 16, 2012)

I mostly bathe Leo and Rex every week or two depending on how dirty they get each other racing about the backyard. Leo's coat hardly tangles at all when it's clean. It will tangle a bit more if it goes much more than 2 weeks without a bath. That's only happened a couple of times when work or life got crazy. After Rex was neutered in early March he went through a second coat blow that was even worse than the first. I decided that I was going to give him
A really short haircut and hopefully by the time his coat gets much length he will be done with blowing coat. I bath him weekly because he gets itchy if he goes longer than a week. His coat is silvering and rather than black it's growing back in more a charcoal silvery color.


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## Nepa (Nov 8, 2016)

We give Leo a bath every other Sunday. He's not a big fan of it but has gotten better over the months. He's now almost 11 mos old.


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## KarMar (Jan 14, 2016)

I should mention that Nino is in full coat and is allowed to sleep on the bed, hence the weekly baths. He doesn't do anything to get particularly smelly or dirty, I just prefer that level of cleanliness. He also thoroughly enjoys his baths, and I think he looks much nicer when freshly groomed


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## Heather's (Jun 18, 2012)

The groomer comes every four weeks to groom Scout and Truffles. I try to keep them brushed and combed the best I can in-between. I bath their paws frequently. Scout loves to have his teeth brushed. He will stand in the bathroom to let me know he wants his teeth brushed. Truffles turns into a mad dog if I say let's brush your teeth! It's starts as a low growl and gets louder, but when I pick her up she licks me. 😊


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Tux's Mom said:


> Oh my oh my. What a before and after of Shama! Also, I couldn't help but notice all the fruit growing along that beautiful lattice work. If there is a world war, and we are all in survival mode, would it be okay to come over to your place?


Thanks, Tux's Mom! You can bring the fresh mozzarella so that we can have caprese salads. The only food we grow is tomatoes and basil. We grow it along with the flowers in straw bales. I love to take photos of Shama with the flowers!

https://strawbalegardens.com/


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## ShamaMama (Jul 27, 2015)

Dee Dee said:


> OH seeing the pics of Shama wet and dry now! My heart is a puddle at my feet. She is SO adorable! Wet or dry, pre or post bath.  She looks like such a little doll and I bet she is. I agree with Tux's can we come stay with you too that trellis looks delicious and the little girl at the bottom is even better! You may have said but how much does she weigh? She looks tiny in her pics Sophie is 9.2 but is pretty tall although people who see her in pics only and then in person ALWAYS...every time....first thing they say is they can't believe how small she is. Must be since I take most photos of her up close and at eye level so she looks bigger.


Shama is the runt of a runt, but she weighs a whopping 8.5 pounds now, which is more than we thought she would weigh. The vet has said that we shouldn't let her gain any more weight as she "feels right" (something about still being able to feel her ribs) at this weight. People are always surprised at how small she is too. I look at a small dog and ask how much it weighs and am always surprised at how much more than Shama it weighs and at how much shorter Shama is than it (and other dogs I thought were small before putting Shama near them)!

Shama is a little doll (in appearance; she's an imp in behavior). From the moment I joined the forum, you (and Whimsy!) have been my inspiration to capture her beauty and personality in photos. Thanks for all the photos you take and post as well as for the photo-taking tips!


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## Dee Dee (Jul 24, 2015)

I had never heard of straw bale gardening how cool!

Goodness Shama is a little princess! I would have thought her to weigh even less by her photos. (she is so so adorable!). My friends little May is about 7 lbs Shama looked about the same. Sophie is 9.2 so not a whole lot bigger and I also am surprised at how big Sophie looks in a group of dogs when all of them weigh more than her, some considerably. Must be their hair!


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## sprorchid (Mar 30, 2010)

My Ollie is disgusting after 7 days. Cleaner when it's raining, he hates the rain.


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## Melissa Brill (Feb 22, 2017)

*brushing teeth*



Heather's said:


> The groomer comes every four weeks to groom Scout and Truffles. I try to keep them brushed and combed the best I can in-between. I bath their paws frequently. Scout loves to have his teeth brushed. He will stand in the bathroom to let me know he wants his teeth brushed. Truffles turns into a mad dog if I say let's brush your teeth! It's starts as a low growl and gets louder, but when I pick her up she licks me. &#55357;&#56842;


So I haven't been brushing Perry's teeth - maybe ocassionally rubbing a little toothpaste on them with my finger... so I started brushing them the other day (quickly before he could think too much about it) and when I finished Perry sort of sat back/ pulled his head back and gave me this look - I swear in his head he was cursing at me because the look said 'wtf was that about' lol


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## kashcheema (Apr 11, 2020)

Apologies for resurrecting an old thread but didn’t want to start a new one aimlessly. 

I wanted to know if I should give my little one a bath as soon as get him home at 8.5 weeks of age at the end of May? I would like to and intend on bathing him twice a week.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

That seems like a bit of overkill. Most good breeders will have bathed the puppy for you just before sending them home, so you will be going home with a fresh, fluffy puppy anyway. If not, I would wonder why? Otherwise, why further taumatize a tiny baby who is going through the biggest change in their entire short life by also immediately giving them a bath?

Certainly, if your puppy gets into something, you can wash him any time he needs it. But there is no good reason to bathe a puppy twice a week. I can’t imagine that your house is so dirty that the puppy will get dirty that fast, will he? Even with show puppies, I don’t know anyone who bathes ROUTINELY that often. 

I wash mine that are in show coat every week to ten days. The ones that are in puppy cuts go 10 days - 2 weeks between baths... unless they roll in something gross. Then they get a bath no matter what! LOL!


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## kashcheema (Apr 11, 2020)

krandall said:


> That seems like a bit of overkill. Most good breeders will have bathed the puppy for you just before sending them home, so you will be going home with a fresh, fluffy puppy anyway. If not, I would wonder why? Otherwise, why further taumatize a tiny baby who is going through the biggest change in their entire short life by also immediately giving them a bath?
> 
> Certainly, if your puppy gets into something, you can wash him any time he needs it. But there is no good reason to bathe a puppy twice a week. I can't imagine that your house is so dirty that the puppy will get dirty that fast, will he? Even with show puppies, I don't know anyone who bathes ROUTINELY that often.
> 
> I wash mine that are in show coat every week to ten days. The ones that are in puppy cuts go 10 days - 2 weeks between baths... unless they roll in something gross. Then they get a bath no matter what! LOL!


Thank you. My house is spotless and now more so that I'm on furlough! I'll stick to once a week/every ten days.

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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

kashcheema said:


> Thank you. My house is spotless and now more so that I'm on furlough! I'll stick to once a week/every ten days.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


That's what I guessed.  Your puppy will stay pretty clean, and you can clean him up as needed!


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

Ricky Ricardo is an adult male. He gets a bath once a week for as long as he has lived with us - 5+ years. Today, Friday, is bath day! :bathbaby:

Ricky's Popi


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## Wulfin (May 3, 2019)

It has been 12 days since Denver's last bath.. and he'll get one today provided my breathing doesn't tank again today (I wanted to bath him yesterday, but ended up on the couch to try to normalize my breathing..joy!)


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## kashcheema (Apr 11, 2020)

Hi all, does it pose any problems for the pup if he is bathed once a week even if he doesn’t get out often? Just so we can keep a good clean hygiene routine for him? For example does his hair dry up, etc?


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## Yadi (Jan 12, 2020)

Once an weeks if fine. Just use a good quality shampoo and conditioner. 

Havanese seem to be dirt magnets. Before covid, when we’d go to the dog park and let Yadi rdnd play, all the other dogs would look the same after playing. Yadi, who we keep in a long puppy cut, would always be filthy. His white paws were brown with dirt. And his fur would be full of sticks and leaves. When I would run water over him in the tub the water would turn brown.

He hates baths but they are necessary . Thankfully he does not mind grooming . He tolerates it and sometimes falls asleep .


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## Yadi (Jan 12, 2020)

So many typos ...sorry.

“Once a week is fine.”


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## mudpuppymama (Mar 24, 2012)

I clean faces, butts and teeth daily and comb thoroughly down to the skin. I clean paws and legs if necessary. I rarely do a full bath. She has no odor and no skin issues and looks clean. She is half Papillon...not sure if this makes a difference. She looks like she has a Havanese coat to me.


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## EvaE1izabeth (Nov 14, 2017)

kashcheema said:


> Hi all, does it pose any problems for the pup if he is bathed once a week even if he doesn't get out often? Just so we can keep a good clean hygiene routine for him? For example does his hair dry up, etc?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


I think it helps to do more frequent baths with a new puppy so he becomes more comfortable with baths. About 3-4 weeks after our puppy came home we found out he had giardia. The vet said to give him a bath every other day. By the end of that block he was so much better with baths. I'm not saying to give him a bath that often, that would probably dry him out! Once a week definitely won't, and more frequently in the beginning can help get used to baths and help you get comfortable with the process while his coat is easy to manage. It seems like puppies are messier eating and going potty and get into more anyway. As he gets older he'll probably need baths less often. It really depends on his coat.

Mine would do better with a bath every 5 days but it just doesn't work well with our schedule and every time I try it ends up being 5 days, then 9, and that ends up being worse. So, he gets a bath once a week. Day 5, I'm always saying, "He really needs a bath!"


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## 31818 (Oct 29, 2014)

kashcheema said:


> Hi all, does it pose any problems for the pup if he is bathed once a week even if he doesn't get out often? Just so we can keep a good clean hygiene routine for him? For example does his hair dry up, etc?


You should use a mild shampoo regardless of how often you bathe your Havadoggie. Equally important to use a good quality CONDITIONER after shampooing, while still wet. Let it soak in for a few minutes. In my opinion, any good quality human conditioner will work just fine, no need to purchase an expensive dog conditioner.

We bathe once a week to keep his butt area squeaky clean. Ricky is allowed on the furniture and we like to keep things sanitary as much as possible. On the rare occasion that Ricky might mess himself in the butt area, he gets an immediate "butt bath" to that specific area with lots of shampoo and soap.

Ricky has a beautiful, very silky, soft coat, so we must be doing something right.

Ricky's Popi


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## kashcheema (Apr 11, 2020)

Thank you for the kind advice all. I think it makes sense to get him into bathing initially as a pup so the routine is embedded.


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

Bathing once a week is fine. Bathing less is fine too, if that works for you. There are lots of different shampoo and conditioner combinations that work depending on the coat of your Havanese. It’s not one-size-fits-all. And I believe you are in the UK, so you’ll have different products to choose from than we do. Try small amounts of products to start with, brpecause you’ll probably tey several combinations before deciding on what you like best. Then it’s usually much cheaper to buy gallon size bottles and decant them into smaller bottles for use.

I don’t even use the same shampoo/conditioner combinations on all of mine or at all times! At least now that Kodi is in a puppy cut, he and Pixel are using the same all-in-one shampoo and conditioner. While Panda has her show routine shampoo and separate conditioner. Iused to use aDIFFERENT shampoo and separate conditioner on Kodi... THat conditioner was too heavy for Panda’s coat.

I don’t know what kind of people conditioner Ricki’s Popi buys... my personal conditioner, while it works GREAT on my dogs, costs WAY more than my dog conditioners, and I do NOT waste it on my dogs. LOL!


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