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Usually it is best to
limit bathing your dog to no more than twice a month.
If you are particularly meticulous, you may find that
by thoroughly combing almost continuously, it is possible
that your dog's appearance can be maintained rather
creditably by bathing it only once a month. On average,
however, it will usually be found more advantageous
to abide by the bi-monthly routine.
It has often been wrongly
suggested that it is not advisable to bathe puppies
before they are four to six months old. However, if
human infants can be bathed soon after birth, then
does it not seem foolish to believe that to bathe
a puppy—relatively so much stronger than a human infant—is
dangerous?
This false belief seems
based on the notion that puppies that are bathed when
they are too young will get distemper. The fact is
that if a puppy is improperly dried after a bath,
and is permitted to go out into the cold air, it might
catch a cold and thus be more readily susceptible
to distemper. However, if the animal is completely
dry before being permitted outside, no harm will ever
come of a bath regardless of the age of the animal.
It is often even advisable,
and sometimes necessary, to bathe a very young puppy,
especially if it is very filthy or laden with fleas.
It is thus perfectly safe to bathe a dog, regardless
of age, provided that the simplest common-sense precautions
are taken. And the essential one is that the animal
must be thoroughly dry before being exposed to the
open air.
Learn more about
Dog
Grooming
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