How Often Should You Wash Your Dog?
Naja Yehia
Ask five people and you will get five confident answers, from every week to twice a year. Here is the truth from the grooming table: there is no single number, but there is a right number for your dog, and you can work it out in about ten seconds below.
It depends on exactly two things: the coat your dog wears, and the life your dog lives. A curly coated beach lover and a short coated couch cruiser should not be on the same schedule, and putting them on one is how skin problems start. Tap your way through; this whole page is built to be played with.
Work out your dog's wash schedule
Type their breed and we will identify the coat for you; most people are never taught what their dog is actually wearing.
1. What breed are they?
Mixed breed, or not finding them?
2. What life are they living?
Whatever answer you landed on, one rule sits over all of them: dry the coat completely and finish with a brush. A thick or curly coat left to air dry is how a clean dog turns into a matted one, and we wrote a whole guide on what to do when that happens.
Is it actually bath time today?
Schedules are a guide, not a law. Tap every sign that is true right now and read the verdict.
The full schedule, coat by coat
Screenshot this one. These are the ranges we work to at the salon, and the one rule each coat will not forgive you for skipping.
| Coat | How often | The rule you cannot skip |
|---|---|---|
| Curly or fleece | Every 3 to 4 weeks | Complete blow dry every time, never air dry |
| Silky or long | Every 3 to 4 weeks | Condition every wash, then brush to the skin once dry |
| Double coat | Every 6 to 8 weeks | Brush the undercoat out before the water goes on |
| Smooth short | Every 6 to 8 weeks or when dirty | A weekly wipe and brush beats extra baths |
| Wire coat | Every 6 to 8 weeks | Overwashing softens the harsh texture; brush weekly instead |
| Hairless | Every 1 to 2 weeks | Gentle wash and moisturise; the skin is doing all the work |
If your dog has a skin condition or your vet has prescribed a medicated wash, their schedule wins over every number on this page. Medicated bathing is treatment, not grooming.
Getting it wrong in either direction
The coat tells you. Here is what each mistake looks like.
Washing too often looks like
- Dull, dry, straw feeling coat
- Flaky skin and fresh dandruff after baths
- More scratching in the days after a wash
- That clean smell fading faster and faster
Not washing enough looks like
- Doggy smell that survives a brushing
- Greasy feel when you run fingers through
- Buildup at the collar line and rump
- Long coats starting to clump and tangle
True or false?
Three bath beliefs almost everyone carries. Take a guess.
Human shampoo is fine for dogs if it is the gentle kind.
Dogs keep themselves clean, the way cats do.
If a dog smells, more baths are the answer.
Bath day, done properly
Tap each one off as you go. The order matters more than the shampoo brand.
Check the coat before the water
Tight or dense mats come out before any bath. Light tangles are fine to wash if you condition them and blow dry fully afterwards.
Brush through first
Loose hair and debris out now means shampoo can actually reach the skin, and the drain stays alive.
Lukewarm water, always
Hot water dries their skin and most dogs hate it. If it feels like a nice bath to you, it is too warm for them.
Dilute the shampoo
A little dog shampoo in a jug of water spreads further, rinses cleaner and is gentler on skin than a neat squeeze down the spine.
Rinse, then rinse again
Leftover shampoo is the number one cause of the after bath itch. When you think you are done, rinse one more time.
Dry completely
Towel, then dry all the way to the skin. Thick and curly coats should never be left to air dry; damp undercoat is where smell and mats are born.
Finish with a brush and comb
Drying ruffles the coat. A final brush and comb through sets it, spreads the oils and catches any tangle the bath created.
Print it, laminate it, stick it where the towels live.
Puppies, beach dogs and itchy dogs
Puppies: less is more. Wash only when genuinely needed, with lukewarm water and a puppy shampoo, and make it short, warm and full of treats. The goal of every early bath is a dog who loves bath time for the next fifteen years.
Beach and river dogs: salt, sand and river water irritate skin if they stay in the coat, but they do not need shampoo every time. A thorough fresh water rinse after every swim, then a complete dry, keeps the schedule intact.
Itchy dogs: constant scratching, redness or hot spots are a skin question before they are a bath question. See your vet first; the right medicated wash on the wrong schedule beats the wrong shampoo on the right one.
Your questions, answered
The right schedule is the one your dog's coat agrees with. Now you know how to ask it.
In Adelaide?
Book a bath and tidy at Dog Love in Tranmere. Warm water, proper drying all the way to the skin, and a dog who comes home smelling incredible.
Book a bathWashing at home?
The after bath brush out is where good coats are made. We are building coat specific grooming kits with the exact tools for it, tested on our grooming table. Join the Dogify kit waitlist and be first to know.
Join the kit waitlist
How often does your dog get the spa treatment?
Drop a comment below. We read every one, and your routine might be exactly what another owner needs to hear.