Good timing, porkchop! We’ve had Lily since December and had her groomed twice. Just this morning she came home dirty from a walk with DH. We did bathe her but I need to call the groomer. She also has those floppy ears that can get kind of ”scraggly.”

Every few months I smell that it’s time to put on the latex gloves, and she gets a bath after that. Or any other time she starts to smell extra dog-like, or when I feel like it’s been a while. No set schedule.

I take umbrage with you referring to my DH that way!!!

😜

^^ LOL!

Working in the humane industry I owned a lot of dogs.

The bathing schedule varied by breed, gender and health issues.

My current dogs include 2 female dogs - A german shorthaired pointer who has her nails trimmed every 6 weeks and a bath once or twice a year and an austrailain shepherd who gets a bath, trimming and deshedding every 6 weeks. She has such a heavy haircoat and sheds more than any other dog I have every owned. Even with bathing every 6 weeks I have to scrub the floor space in my foyer where she lays to keep the oils from accumulating and looking dirty. My GSP sleeps on the bed with me on a coverlet that has a white background. I wash the coverlet about once a month and even then there isn't any discoloration from the oils in her haircoat where she lays.

I have found that some breeds have oilier haircoats and need bathing more often. Bathing too often can remove too much of the natural oils and allow bacteria to grow. That makes a dog stink. The more people wash the dog the worse the smell gets.

Male dogs tend to have stronger scents than female dogs. Old dogs sometimes develop stronger scents. Dogs with floppy ears tend to get yeast infections in their ears and they smell terrible. Keep their ears clean and dry to prevent infection.

One thing I noted is that your dog is getting their anal glands expressed every time they go to the groomer. My experience is that dogs who develop chronic issues with their anal glands have often been groomed regularly by a groomer who thinks every dog should have the glands expressed every time they are groomed. Dogs who have never had their anal glands expressed often go their entire life without ever needing the glands to be expressed. There are some dogs breeds that seem to have more issues and need to have the glands expressed, but that should be discussed with your veterinarian. Please ask your groomer to stop doing this as part of the regular grooming schedule. It should only be done when medically necessary.

My pup is bathed only when she needs it which is at most, every couple of months. Papillons are a spaniel breed. They aren’t double coated so don’t shed like many short haired double coated breeds do. They aren’t oily skinned either. Their hair is very fine & soft - think rabbit fur to visualize texture. She is brushed thoroughly several times weekly & scissor trimmed a couple times monthly. Nails are ground - not cut or clipped - about every two weeks. Teeth brushed several times weekly - should be a daily thing. I don’t take her to a groomer. I’ve had a poodle & Yorkies & I did their hair too. The Yorkies were bathed more often as they are oily skinned.

Also - ditto to what @Jennifer Hogan explained about anal gland care. Pay attention & your dog will alert you to a problem at that end. If you’re unable to express the glands, take them to a vet. It’s not a vet appointment - should be able to have a vet tech appointment only. They can tell you if there’s a problem too. A groomer can’t really do that.

That is good to know about the anal glands, thanks for mentioning it.

I think the Pappillon is the breed most likely to be picked as a favorite breed by people in the humane industry. Never met one that wasn't pure joy.

Yes, Jennifer! Though I readily admit my bias, I can attest to their joie de vivre! My pup is our second. My icon pic is our first. She was the most often seen ”butterfly” prick ear style which Americans seem to prefer so there’s more of them.. My current girl is the original drop ear ”Phalene” / moth ear style. They are extremely social and prefer their human companions to other dogs.

my two get bathed only when it's warm enough outside to do it on the deck. i've searched in vain for a groomer with a walk-in shower and never could find one. my danes are too big to fit into the standard grooming tub.

i found a nozzle called a "pet jet" that has an attachment for shampoo. the nozzle switches from "soap" to "rinse" and is SO handy. i can have both dogs bathed in under 2 hours.

coming from show homes, both of them are used to being bathed and really enjoy all the attention.

@Jennifer Hogan What a great story & I‘m sure makes a great picture with the huge person and tiny dog! Your friend must be a show stopper whenever he’s out and about with his pup! Anyone who’s familiar with Papillon Gabby, the Westminster dog show agility star, knows about the athletic prowess of these 8” tall dogs.

I don't believer in bathing most dogs more than a few times a year. Currently I own two very large doodles. Female has a coarse frizzy coat and the male looks like a large flat coated retriever. Nails get clipped every few weeks. Brushing almost daily. Especially for the male. He grows a thick undercoat and is constantly shedding. The female gets clipped once a month. She looks disreputable otherwise. More if necessary. I keep her cost pretty short. The male gets his pantaloons trimmed with thinning shears maybe every other month.. Baths are maybe 3 times a year.

My dog almost never gets bathed. She is the dog as my avatar but she was very young then. She is over 14 y/o now. She just needs regular brushing and she never smells. I think I just got very lucky! :)

A lifetime of female Aussies. Never pro groomed. All long lived. None ever smelled or had glands expressed. (why is it needed?)

Bathed about 6-8 times a year.

But, Wait! Our 13 year old will be groomed next week by dd friend who has a mobil service. Her fur dropping has gone crazy. I’ve read that can happen in elders. Its not the underoat, but thin and fluffy. It gets wound up the vac and sticks in corners and to furniture. A mop must be used daily..or more! Hope the grooming will help.

P.S .Chat agress with J. Hogan 100% re anal expressing.

I'm just curious about people who say their dogs don't smell. I've never lived with a dog but I can smell them immediately if I go to a house with one. Even if I pass one in the street I can smell it. Do you think it's like cigarette smoke where smokers are inured to it? I can smell a cigarette from yards away, even if it's a smoker passing outside the house. Could it be that all dogs smell but their owners don't detect it?

We have a golden retriever and we bathe her every 3-4 months. We actually bathe her more when it is nice because her skin is sensitive and she needs it washed after an ocean swim but all our rain doesn’t bother her one bit.

@floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK IMO - all dogs have a body odor / doggie smell. Some have a stronger smell than others. What I’ve noted over the years is that dogs with heavy jowls and dogs that drool a lot & actively, have a much stronger smell. The homes I’ve been in where that kind of dog lives always had a distinct dog odor that hit me the moment I walked in. That’s without regard to how clean, tidy etc the house was. Those dogs that drool leave that smell all over. My frame of reference is one friend with a Bassett Hound & another with a Newfoundland dog - both breeds heavy on the drool!. There is a thing about becoming ”nose blind” to a smell / scent that we live with every day.

Floral uk, You may be correct… its relative for me. Water dogs with their protective oily skin can be especially smelly if not cared for properly, and even then. Labs, etc. are naturally smellier than collies, aussies, etc. Still, you‘d likely smell my dogs inside my house, but outside…nah.

My dogs never went to a groomer, and neither have they had their anal glands expressed. Both were very short-haired, and they got maybe four or five baths a year, ending in fall and continuing in the spring because we bathed them outside in big tubs.

One of my dogs is allowed to sleep on my bed, so once a month usually. Ours are all pit mixes and have oily skin, and are male. I do cherish bathing them in summer because I can wash them on the driveway.

"Could it be that all dogs smell but their owners don't detect it?"

All dogs have an odor. Just like all people do. Some smell more than others; again, just like people. Owners will get used to their dog's smell and over time will fail to smell it, detect it -- however you want to put it.

"Labs, etc. are naturally smellier than collies, aussies, etc."

I had a purebred lab = P.U. She always smelled. For whatever reason she liked to sleep with her back right up against the wall -- whole room to herself but oh no she had to snuggle up with the wall. I was constantly cleaning a sort of oily residue off the walls all over the house.

It was explained to me by my vet, that runny stools or constant diarrhea causes the anal glands to fill up! If your dog...or cat...has normal BM's it shouldn't be a problem.

My last cat Peeka, a long haired Black Smoke, was getting his bloomers brushed and he showed extreme discomfort. I tried to do it myself and he wouldn't let me "go there". Took him to the vet...she had to lance one side and express the other. Just once was necessary in his 14 years.

Omigosh, this is an issue in my family. It's not a disagreement; it's just that I don't bathe my dog as often as my daughter would like. And I agree with her! Bowie (as in David) is a 14.5-year-old beagle-Jack Russell mix. I adopted him 16 months ago. He has allergies and takes medicine for itch. He's not exactly sweet-smelling.

When I had multiple dogs, mostly fairly large, I would bathe them outdoors in summer, and that was pretty much it. I've never been to a groomer. I could bathe Bowie outdoors on a sunny day, although it wouldn't be the easies thing for me because of scoliosis and sub-normal energy. The other problem is that he dislikes being outside. Unusual, I know.

My daughter makes the 17-mile trip over the mountain to bathe him in my shower. When I was in the hospital last year she took care of Bowie at her house and bathed him often with a probiotic shampoo that she found improves his irritated skin. He always smells better afterward as well. I have a very small shower, and I can't handle bathing him in there myself. I appreciate that she does this, and Bowie seems to like it too. Of course, she can do no wrong as far as he is concerned. 😊

When my pekes were alive I bathed them in the kitchen sink with doggie shampoo. That is why I liked smaller dogs…easier to pick up, bathe, gtoom with clippers…They got bathed every few weeks, were mostly indoors.

We have a mini Golden Doodle...standing appt every month. I cannot stand the smell of "dog" in a house-so that was always a must-have for me having a pet, to be regularly groomed. After 5 years-our Doodle still hates going into the SAME grooming salon! You'd think he'd be use to it and I know they are nice to him.