Dog Longevity Survey Part II: How Important Are Regular Baths to Longevity? ~ CookingFood.Org

I confess this was a trick question. I wanted to see if you guys were paying attention. I wonder how many of you answered that regular baths are important simply because it was listed in the survey?

Naturally, grooming is indeed important; we've over went over that one. It is important to keep your dog clean, free of mats, free of parasites, and monitoring for any wounds, lumps, and bumps. But is bathing really something dogs need?

Extremely important	23.33%
Important	13.33%
Somewhat important	33.33%
Not important	23.33%
I don't know	0.00%
Other	6.67%

Fess up. Do you bathe your dog for their sake or yours?

Nobody wants a dirty dog on their couch or bed, some wouldn't even want them on a fancy carpet. I admit I don't either. Most of the time, though, thorough brushing is enough to remove most of the dirt they collect during their play and outdoor romping.

When walking Jasmine and JD, we used to meet a guy with a sweet, lovely Golden Retriever. Every time they got out of the truck, she looked beautiful and clean. Every time they were leaving she was dripping with mud. Because we have always had short-haired dogs, I asked him how he deals with all that dirt and gets her so nice and clean. All he customarily did was brushing her.

The only time a bath can be crucial to health is to remove toxins or irritants.

If your dog has environmental allergies, washing off the allergens is helpful keeping the skin happier. If your dog's skin is already fighting infection, medical baths can be crucial. You have to wash your dog after being sprayed by a skunk, or if a topical product, such as flea or tick preventive is causing issues such as the reaction Cookie had to Canine Advantix.

In all these cases, bathing is important, and some dogs might need it regularly.

All other dogs do just fine without being regularly bathed.

Dogs have been designed as "self-cleaning." Natural oils travel up from hair follicles to the tips of the hair, pushing along any dirt and debris. By the time the oils make it to the tips, it's all dried up and just falls away. So, in general, dogs don't need baths.

Jasmine had skin issues, so we bathed her regularly with a medical shampoo. Cookie or JD, though, only ever needed a bath for a specific reason, such as those I listed above.

Regular baths may or may not be important for your dog's well-being, depending on the situation. Typically, though, dogs do not need them.

All that said, everything depends on how "toxic" their environment might be.

If your dog might live in areas where they might be using pesticides and herbicides, if you like using dryer sheets or other chemicals for house cleaning ... then you might want to shower your dog regularly to wash off the toxins.

Do you bathe your dog regularly? Why?