Shower one a week a do or don't?????????

[Luisa]

Hi everyone I was wondering if it is a good thing to shower my F2b doodle every week I got him since he is 10 weeks and always shower him on weekends but he got some rash on his belly and it just got me thinking if I might be giving him to many showers. I read online and it could also be Folliculitis or  Impetigo so I got him antibacterial shampoo. he does shed so I try to keep the shedding low, any suggestion are appreciated .

[Diane, Hurley and Sidney]

I am no expert by far but I was told to go at least two weeks between bathing cycles.

[Stella]

I'd say that once a week is way too often. It can really dry their skin out. Hopefully, someone more experienced will chime in! I'm the opposite end of the spectrum, my F1LD has probably been bathed no more than once a year and he's seven years old! He's not a smelly dog and he sheds lightly so doesn't need clipping, so I don't bathe him! My multi-gen LD has seasonal alopecia and needs a special shampoo through the winter to help his skin, at most he gets bathed every two to four weeks.

[Abigail *George & Juno*]

We've always bathed once a week, we use gentle soap free shampoo and always use conditioner. When they were young it got them used to being bathed and blow dried and now it keeps them soft, clean, and their allergies seem to do better if we keep on top of their baths and wash their toys and bedding weekly too. :) I wouldn't say it's necessary, but I've read quite a few places that once a week is beneficial for allergies...and we've seen the results first hand. :)

You could also easily scale it back a bit. Once every 10-12 days or biweekly, ours really start sneezing if we go longer than about 12 days.

[Shari Becker]

Our vet told us to give our doodle a bath once a week, but she has really bad seasonal allergies. We find it helps keep her itchiness and sneezing at bay during allergy season. And my allergies, since she bring pollen into the house, too. If your dog isn't suffering and you aren't suffering from allergies (from the dog), I personally don't think you need to shower every week ... unless of course your dog is like mine and likes to roll in the mud regularly! :-)

[Laura and Angus]

We have a really itchy pup...we shower once every other week or so...we brush more to remove dirt. Of course he gets groomed every 6-8 weeks

[Laura and Angus]

Sorry I should've added that we don't wash as frequently to limit dry or sensitive skin issues which are common in lower shedding breeds

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

I would not do it for a while and deal with this rash. There is one very important rule in washing dogs and that is rinsing until there is not a drop of shampoo left. I know this sounds very basic but it takes an age to get all that soap out.  I shampoo mine about once every two months and neither of them are smelly or dirty. Lots and lots of brushing and combing are far more important. You may also want to change shampoo to one suitable for sensitive skins. (Ask Karen of Karen & Jack which shampoo, I think it's call Dulco? or something similar)