Everyone needs a bath from time to time. It keeps you clean and freshens you up. Dog owners should know that dogs usually require much fewer baths than humans. Golden Retriever owners might wonder how often to bathe Golden Retriever.
Golden Retrievers require one bath every 6-8 weeks. Bathing too often can damage the Goldie’s skin and coat and bathing too little can lead to bad smells. Some reasons may cause a need for more frequent baths.
- The Perfect Amount Of Baths
- When Should You Shower Your Golden Retriever?
- How To Bathe A Golden Retriever
- What You Can Do Before Bathing
The Perfect Amount Of Baths
Bathing too much and bathing too little can both cause problems with your dog. This is why you should keep a bathing schedule so you don’t cause these problems.
Too Many Baths
The too-frequent bathing schedule can cause a few problems for your dog. If you bathe it more than once a week, you do it way too often.
Bathing your Golden Retriever twice a week can damage its double coat. It leads to the decrease of the natural oils your dog’s skin secretes and causes its skin to become dry. This dry skin can get irritated quickly and this can lead to frequent infections. The same goes for most Goldie mixes like the Golden Retriever mixed with Pomeranian for example.
In the summer, a quick bath can be fine after some big activity. In the winter, bathing too often can lead to your Goldie getting cold and exposed to illnesses.
Too Little Baths
If you keep a bad bathing schedule and leave too much time between baths, your Golden Retriever will start to smell. Bathing your dog with a couple of months in between baths is a bad schedule.
Besides the bad smells, you might notice some changes in your dog’s coat. Its coat hair will start forming mats and tangles and just look bad. It will also start shedding a lot and leave its loose hair everywhere. There is also the possibility of contracting a flea infestation or some infection of the skin.
So to avoid this, how often should you bathe a Golden Retriever? Every 6-8 weeks.
When Should You Shower Your Golden Retriever?
There are some situations where you should give your Goldie a bath even if it doesn’t fit your schedule.
Exposure To Chemicals
If you’ve just sprayed your backyard with toxic materials like insecticides, it should be closed off to your dog. But if your dog finds a way to play in it and get all those toxins on its skin, it needs a bath. Getting any chemical like detergent or fabric softener accidentally spilled on your Goldie also requires an instant bath.
Stepping On Salt
During the winter, people usually put salt on the roads and sidewalks to melt the snow. If you walk your dog during these days, it might get some salt on its paws or coat. This sidewalk salt adds up in your Goldie’s paws and starts drying them. This causes irritation, itchiness, and cracking of the skin.
Fleas And Ticks
You should follow up with proper Golden Retriever grooming whenever you notice that your dog has fleas or ticks. These little parasites live in muddy, swampy environments and hide under your dog’s coat. You might notice symptoms like intense scratching, biting at the skin, hair loss, and irritated and scabbed skin.
It Played In Puddles Or Dirt
If you let your Golden Retriever outside to play and it comes back all dirtied up, it may need a bath. The mud from the puddles can stick to its coat and become very difficult to remove. Also, the ground may be infested with parasites and cause diseases to your dog. Besides that, the smell of mud and dirtied water is not very pleasant to have at home.
It Smells Bad
Whenever you notice that your Goldie starts smelling bad, it might need a bath. There are a few diseases that can cause bad smells and can’t get fixed by having your Golden Retriever in a bath. Skin and ear infections are quite common. A bad diet and flatulence are also possible. Anal gland impactions and UTIs can cause very bad smells.
How To Bathe A Golden Retriever
There are a few steps you need to take in order to have a successful bathing session with your Goldie.
Prepare Your Supplies
If you want the bathing to go as smoothly as possible, you should have everything ready before you begin. One reason is that if you open the door to get something else, your dog might run out. Another reason is that you want to make the bathing process as quick and efficient as possible. So, do the prep work carefully, prepare a towel, shampoo, a brush, some treats, and a blow drier, and you are good to go.
Test The Water Temperature
To give your Golden Retriever a proper relaxing bath, make sure the water temperature is good. Hot water can burn your Goldie, and cold water might cause hypothermia. You should aim at having the water temperature be lukewarm. This means heating it up to 100-110 F or 36.5-40.5 C. A good way to check the temperature is to put your elbow in the water. If the water is lukewarm for you, it will be the same for your dog.
Apply Shampoo And Rinse
Once you get your dog’s coat wet you can start by applying the shampoo. Make sure you use a high-quality dog shampoo and avoid using human shampoos. Those can irritate your dog’s skin or cause an allergic reaction. Apply it from the neck down and don’t let it go on the head and face. Rub the shampoo in, especially on the belly and paws. Make sure to rinse all of the shampoo out of the coat. Leaving some stuck on its coat can lead to skin problems.
Dry And Brush Properly
Golden Retrievers need to be groomed and dried properly after the bath. You can use a clean dry towel to dry all the excess water, especially the undercoat. Make sure to clean its ears as well to prevent ear infections. Afterward, use a blow dryer to dry your dog. Keep the temperature low and make sure you don’t burn your dog with the hair dryer. When you finish drying you can brush its hair. You can also trim your dog’s nails because they’re easier to cut when wet.
What You Can Do Before Bathing
Now that you know how often you should wash your Golden Retriever, here are some tips to have a better outcome from your bathing session. You don’t have to do all of these, but doing them will help.
Tire Your Goldie Out
A tired dog is a calm dog. If you don’t want your Golden Retriever to splash around in the water or cause trouble, you should tire it out completely. Go for a long walk beforehand or get involved in some activity like playing fetch or running. You can let your dog enjoy itself as much as it can because a clean bath is waiting for it at home. Try playing some relaxing tunes in the background as they can calm your dog.
Get Someone To Help Out
When you get a new puppy, besides knowing how often to bathe a puppy Golden Retriever, you should also ask for help whenever you do bathe it. For the first few months, you will need someone to calm and distract the dog. They can pet the dog, talk to it, or even sing to it. Whatever makes it calm and doesn’t disrupt the bathing. The whole process will get much faster than usual when you get someone to help you out.
Shut The Door
Always shut your door carefully before you begin the bathing process. You don’t want to have your dog run out in the middle of a bath and get all the floors messy and wet. Prepare all you need before the bath and do not open the bathroom door until you are finished bathing. You can also train your dog by locking the door and making a clicking sound every time you shut it. This will make it known that the bathroom door can not be opened and it’s bath time.
Prepare Yourself
You know how often to groom a Golden Retriever, but do you know how to do it? Of course, you do, it’s simple. You just have to be prepared well. Besides getting all the stuff you need for a good bath like towels and shampoos, you also need to calm yourself. Your dog can easily sense if you’re feeling anxious about giving it a bath and it can get anxious as well. Do the same thing you would do to calm your dog. Get some relaxing music on and just have fun.
Prepare Some Treats
Treats are a great tool to trick your dog into getting a bath and keeping calm while at it. You can even give some valerian root to calm your dog down. Give treats as a reward when your dog is acting calm and behaves well. If you see it getting too stressed, you can also offer some. A good trick is to put a bit of peanut butter on the wall near the bathtub. Your Goldie will be too distracted by it to notice you are bathing it.
So How Often To Bathe Golden Retriever?
Golden Retrievers require a bath once every 6-8 weeks. Bathing it more than once a week can damage its coat and skin. Bathing it too little can lead to bad smells, matting, and shedding.
There are a few instances when your dog will need an instant bath. If it’s winter and it steps onto the salted sidewalks, or if it gets exposed to chemicals, it needs a bath as soon as possible. If it plays in the mud and puddles and starts smelling bad, it will need a bath to not make your house dirty.
Before you start the bath, you should prepare yourself and close the door. Wet the dog and use a good shampoo to clean all the dirt and debris. Then you can dry it carefully and groom it. You will end up with a beautiful-looking, good-smelling Goldie that loves you.
FAQ
How often should you brush a Golden Retriever?
Try brushing your dog at least once a week. You can also do this after you give it a bath. Do it while you wet it once, and then again after you dry it.
Where is the best place to bathe your Golden Retriever?
The best place is your own home in the bath or shower. You can put a non-slip mat on the floor to prevent it from slipping. You can also bathe it outside with a hose if it’s urgent.
How often to bathe Golden Retriever as a puppy?
Well, you can start giving it baths immediately after you adopt it. This is considering the fact you adopt it after it’s 8 weeks old. Then you can bathe it every 6-8 weeks as normal.