Corgi enjoying the rain

How Often To Bathe Corgi? [Corgi Bathing Guide + Tips]

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Corgis are small dogs that are very close to the ground and prone to get dirty when walking outside. So many people wonder how often to bathe Corgi.

You should bathe your Corgi once every two months. If you wait too long, your Corgi will get dirty and start smelling. If you do it too often, you can cause skin irritation to your dog. But there are a few things to keep an eye on when bathing your Corgi.

Do Corgis Have A Smell?

Corgis are not considered a foul-smelling breed. If you groom them properly, you will not have problems with their bad smell. That said, like any dog, the Corgi will get dirty and if you do not clean it, it will start to smell.

It also depends on where you take your Corgi for a walk. If you go through dirt, mud, or water, you can expect it to get dirtier and smellier than going to the clean dog park. Another important thing is the shampoo you use. Bad shampoos can damage the skin and cause it to smell bad.

There may also be other reasons for your dog to smell bad like bad breath, ear infections, and other health conditions.

How Often To Bathe Corgi?

Corgies have a double coat made of two layers – an undercoat and a top coat. This fur coat is waterproof and will protect your pup from getting too dirty. This means that you won’t need to bathe it too often.

On average, you should bathe your Corgi once a month to once in two months. Of course, whenever the Corgi gets too dirty, you need to give it a bath. During shedding season, your dog might require more regular baths. Corgis shed most during spring and fall, so that’s not too often.

If you don’t remember when was the last time you gave it a bath, just follow the smell. If it smells bad, it means it’s time for a bath. If you miss bath time for a week or two, it will not matter as much. Try not to over-bathe your dog by doing it too often.

Signs Of Overbathing A Corgi

Bathing your Corgi too often can strip it from the natural oils its body produces. This will remove the protection the skin has and cause it to get dried and irritated easily. You will notice symptoms like:

  • Excessive shedding of dead hair
  • Licking a certain area of the body
  • Itchiness
  • Biting, scratching, or rubbing its body
  • Rashes

How Do You Bathe A Corgi?

The process of bathing your Corgi follows a few steps. First, you need to prepare your pup by calming it down and getting it in the tub. Then get your shampoo and lather it into the coat by massaging it. You will then rinse thoroughly to get all the soap out, and you have your clean pup.

Prepare Your Pup For Bathing

Some dogs like baths, but others aren’t very fond of them. To trick your pup into getting a bath you can put some peanut butter in the tub. While the dog is preoccupied with licking it off, you can give it a bath. 

You can give your Corgi a bath by reassuring it with a sweet tone and giving it positive reinforcement. Give valerian root to your dog to calm it down a bit.

Pick A Good Shampoo

Make sure you get a special shampoo for your dog. Don’t use the one you use for yourself. Dogs need shampoos that are gentle and that don’t have many artificial ingredients. This means avoiding ingredients like chemicals, detergents, alcohol, and parabens. Human shampoos will destroy the healthy natural oils from your Corgi’s skin. There are special shampoos made for certain coats. For example, the wire hair Jack Russell Terrier requires a shampoo made for wiry hair.

When you choose your shampoo, don’t always get the expensive one, but find the one with natural and organic ingredients.

Fill A Tub With Water And Soak It

Once you are ready, you need to fill the tub with lukewarm water. Don’t make the water too hot like you make it for yourself. Dogs are more sensitive to heat, so nice warm water for us may be too hot for them. Also, warm water may dry out its skin more. When you get the water ready, rinse your dog and then soak it in.

Apply Shampoo And Lather

Now that you started giving your Corgi a bath, you need to apply the shampoo. Massage the shampoo all throughout the coat. Pay special attention to the belly, legs, neck, ears, feet, and rear end. You can also put some shampoo in the water and use that soapy mixture to reapply on your pup. After you put the shampoo on, you can also use the conditioner to keep its coat healthy.

Rinse Thoroughly

It is very important to rinse all the shampoo and the conditioner out after you are done lathering it in. You can use the water that is inside the tub first, to go through the whole body. Then you can let it out and do another final rinse with clean water at the end.

If you feel the pup is extra dirty, you can rinse once, then apply shampoo once again, and do a final rinse at the end.

How Do You Dry A Corgi After A Bath?

Now that you know how to bathe a Corgi, let us see how to dry it afterward. After you have rinsed out all the shampoo get a towel and try to soak up as much moisture as possible. Be thorough and do not leave any wet spots. After towel drying, you can let your Corgi air dry for the rest of the day. Just make sure it stays inside while it is drying out.

Another thing you can do is use a blow dryer to dry the dog. There are blow driers made specifically for dogs. They are great for dogs that shed a lot because they help with reducing shedding. After you are done with the bath, you can brush it off carefully. This will reduce shedding.

Spot Cleaning A Corgi

If you’ve just bathed your Corgi a few days ago and it decides that it will get dirty, there is a way to clean up. You know that you should not wash Corgi puppies often, so you can resort to spot cleaning. The name implies that you will just clean up the dirty spots on your Corgi’s fur.

Whenever you do spot cleaning, you don’t need to use the expensive dog shampoo you use for the usual baths. Just make sure it is a natural formula. For example, you can use baby shampoos or oatmeal shampoos that are beneficial for the skin. Just make sure to rinse and dry properly afterward.

Other Corgi Grooming Needs

Besides bathing, there are a few other things you should do to keep your Corgi clean and healthy.

Brushing your Corgi’s coat is an important thing you need to do regularly. Corgis need to be brushed at least 3-5 times per week, for 15 minutes a session. Doing it before and after you bathe it is also very beneficial. Use a special undercoat rake to brush the undercoat. Then you can switch to a slicker brush to brush the top coat. Pay special attention to the back, neck, sides, and back legs because they are heavy shedding spots.

Proper coat grooming may also include trimming. Make sure to never shave your Corgi, because you will ruin its double coat.

Other important grooming practices include regular trimming of the nails, daily brushing of the teeth, and cleaning the ears.

Pembroke Welsh Corgi looking wet

So How Often Should Give Your Corgi A Bath?

Just like any dog, your lovely Corgi will need a bath from time to time. On average, a Corgi needs a bath once a month, or once in two months. If you don’t give enough baths, your Corgi might smell bad. If you give too many baths, you risk overbathing your pup.

Bathing your dog is a process and you need to follow a few steps. First, you need to prepare your dog. You can give some treats like peanut butter and positive reinforcement to entice it to enter your tub. Then you can let lukewarm water flow and rinse off the dog. After that, wet it and apply enough shampoo to massage it over the whole coat. You finish by rinsing thoroughly and drying the dog.

If it gets dirty too often, you can also consider spot-cleaning your Corgi.

FAQ

Are Corgi high maintenance?

Neither the Pembroke Welsh Corgi nor the Cardigan Welsh Corgi is a high-maintenance dog. They do have a medium-length double coat which needs to be groomed regularly, but this is not a problem.

How often to bathe Corgi in winter?

If it’s time to bathe your Corgi, you should do it, even if it’s wintertime. Make sure you use lukewarm water and then dry out really well after the bath. Also, don’t go on a walk after you’ve done the bath.

Do Corgis need to go to the groomer?

If you feel like you can’t groom your Corgi properly, you can take it to a professional groomer. They will help with bathing and brushing your dog and might give it a little trim if you ask for it.

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