How Often Should I Wash My Dog

How often should I wash my dog?

As the owner of a Dog Grooming business, I am asked several times a day about how often a dog should be washed. I answer the question this way: If you as a human stop washing your hair or if you stop using conditioner, what happens to your hair? It gets dirty oily and smelly without even rolling around in the grass or mud!

“But Matt”, you say, “I am not a dog”. No, you are not a dog. However, butt like you, your four legged friend has either fur or hair that must be washed. A clean dog is a happy dog I always say and a happy clean dog makes for an even happier owner. To date, no human has ever disagreed with me!

I’ll give some reasons why your dog needs to be bathed at least once a month if not more.

1) What types of activities does your dog partake in?

How much time does your four legged friend spend outside your home? Do you take him or her out for a walk everyday or do you just open the back door and let them have free roam of the yard? Does your dog roll in the grass or any puddle of water they can find? How about eating cat poo (or any other animal faeces for that matter) or better yet, roll in it? How about digging? Is your pet a digger?

If your dog is like most dogs, then he or she partakes in some or all of these activities. I do not know about you, with a lifestyle like this, regular bathing is a necessity.

2) Does your pooch scratch their skin?

Unlike humans who absorb allergens through their mouth and nose, dogs actually absorb them through their skin. Sure, a good scratch now and then is fine. After all, even I do that from time to time. A dog that is consistently scratching signals something is wrong. Bathing your dog on a regular basis can prevent allergens from being absorbed through the skin. During the spring/summer time, this is extremely important to your dog’s health and well being. Many times, pets need to be washed on a weekly basses.

3) Fleas and ticks.

By having your pooch washed on a regular basis, you are alerted to fleas and or ticks that your dog is carrying. It is common practice today to use flea and tick products. However, nothing is ever 100% full proof. If the suburb you live in is experiencing a dry or hot spell, then you probably have an abundance of fleas and ticks in your area.

Washing Fido on a regular basis using a flea or tick shampoo will also help in repel them. The last thing any owner wants to deal with is a house full of fleas. It makes them and Fido very, very, uncomfortable and both will feel like they are in the dog house.

My advice is: The benefits of washing your dog on a regular schedule far outweigh the cons. Do you and your dog a favour get them washed.

For those of you who do not know about James Mobile Pet grooming, we are a full service pet grooming business that conveniently comes to your home to groom your dog . We only use only high quality products that are bio-degradable. We offer a series of shampoos & conditioners designed to treat your pet’s skin and fur to keep it clean, healthy and shiny. We offer shampoos with optical brighteners to enhance the color and shine, oatmeal shampoo to reduce itching and skin irritations, Quit-itch shampoo – a soothing Iodine based shampoo to reduce stress, itching, burns and abrasions, and of course, flee & tick rinses! There are a variety of conditioners available including Aloe-veen Re-Moisturizing treatments for dry skin and coat, De-matting conditioners, like Fudge Thick to reduce matting. For more information about us, go to: www.1james.com.au We look forward to helping you keep your dog clean and happy!