# Bathing - how often is TOO often?



## VioletVera

After having Violet home for a week and a half, I bought a whitening shampoo (Magic Coat from Four Paws) since I noticed her paws and beard were turning a greenish shade of gray from all of the going outside. I ran the warm water in the tub (without stopping it up) and put her in and used a cup to dump the water over her. Before I could even put the shampoo on her, she tried to climb out. I had a firm grip on her, so she didn't get out, but as soon as I started to lather her up, she started TREMBLING... I felt SO bad! Has anyone else had this experience with their pups? Do they out grow it?

Then we went to a relative's party a week later and I bathed her again since she was getting gray again (and I wanted her to look pretty for my relatives meeting her for the first time). A friend told me that once a week is too much and I should only bathe her once a month- is that true? I try to use doggie bath wipes in between (every day or every other day since she now owns the couch, LOL), but she still gets pretty dirty on her paws and beard, the bath wipes don't clean her as well as the shampoo.

So- how often is too often to give a bundle of white fluff a bath?


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## jan149

Hi,

Personally, I bathe Haley at least once a week (every 6-7 days). I alternate between a regular dog shampoo and a whitening shampoo. White dogs, especially Maltese, show dirt really quickly (and get a little stinky too), so a good bath always takes care of it. 

I also clean her eyes several times a day and daily with a tear stain cleaner, plus brush her teeth and clean her paws almost every time she gets back inside after doing her business (plus her underside and tushy area). 

Oh, and Haley really doesn't like baths. She will shake a lot or if I am in there with her, she will sulk in the corner. I just try to do it quickly and give her calm praises. She will never like it, but it is managable (of course the shower door needs to close otherwise she's clawing to get out!)

The friend who said you should only bathe your dog every month may just be speaking from experience with other types of dogs. Haley is my first dog and I knew that their grooming requirements were much more high maintenance than other dogs, so I think weekly baths are more than ok. I believe that you do need to watch out for the whitening shampoos though - I'd look a little bit online. Hope this helps.


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## uniquelovdolce

i bathe dolce every 7-8 days , if not he looks kinda grey after all he is white.. 

if i take him out right after bath which is usually the case cause i like taking out a clean pup , when we come bk if his paws are dirty i put him in sink n just wash his feet , his face everyday almost ..

ooo n yes they do tremble n try to get out , dolce stays still now but he does try to get out every so often .. put the water lukewarm so she doesnt get cold ..


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## Orla

For a maltese once a week is fine - people always try to tell me that bathing Milo once a week is bad - but its not - maltese have a different coat type to other dogs.

When Milo was younger he would tremble in the bath and after while he was being dried - he grew out of this though


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## CrystalAndZoe

Most of us on this board bathe weekly. Those in show coat are bathed even more frequently. Try to think of it this way, Maltese have hair, like we do. So they really do need to be bathed more frequently. However, there should never be an odor. Maltese do not have the typical 'dog odor'.

I would caution you on whitening shampoos. Most whitening shampoos are pretty drying and even show breeders are careful as to how often they use them. Be sure to use a quality shampoo and conditioner that's safe for puppies and your little girl should be sparkly white, with no problems what so ever with weekly baths. For dirty paws, just do a foot bath in between regular baths. Daily face washes are a must. Again, be sure to use a good quality shampoo that is tear free.


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## sones

jan149 said:


> I also clean her eyes several times a day and daily with a tear stain cleaner, plus brush her teeth and clean her paws almost every time she gets back inside after doing her business (plus her underside and tushy area).



I was just wondering what sort of tear stain cleaner do you use? I'm trying to find a good one, and was wondering if just the puppy bath wipes or even baby wipes would suffice?


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## jmm

I bathe every 3-7 days. I would never use a whitening shampoo more than every 3-4 weeks. They are typically very drying.


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## VioletVera

Thank you everyone for all of your good feedback. Glad to know that bathing once a week is OK!!! She gets a little "dog smell" after 5-6 days and REALLY needs that weekly bath!

The friend who told me once a month has an indoor wee-wee pad using Maltese in NYC- who rarely gets to romp in the grass, probably why she only bathes him once a month.

I will try to only use the whitening shampoo once a month, thank you all for telling me it's very drying, I had no idea. Any advice for a good weekly shampoo?


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## CrystalAndZoe

VioletVera said:


> Thank you everyone for all of your good feedback. Glad to know that bathing once a week is OK!!! She gets a little "dog smell" after 5-6 days and REALLY needs that weekly bath!
> 
> The friend who told me once a month has an indoor wee-wee pad using Maltese in NYC- who rarely gets to romp in the grass, probably why she only bathes him once a month.
> 
> I will try to only use the whitening shampoo once a month, thank you all for telling me it's very drying, I had no idea. Any advice for a good weekly shampoo?


Even a Maltese who never goes outside needs to be bathed more then once a month. I've found that just the oils in my hands will make them look not so nice after about a week during the winter when we only go outside to 'do their business'. Also, a dog who is bathed and conditioned weekly is much easier to keep matt free. :thumbsup:

I'm concerned about the 'dog odor'. Mine go outside to play all the time. In fact my Zoe romps around the creek, garden and field at G'ma and G'pa's house during the day and even she never has a 'dog odor'. Sometimes she may roll in something 'stinky' outside, but her own body does not produce an odor. Is it truly a 'dog odor', or is it more of a corn chip odor coming from their paws? Or is it a yeasty odor coming from tear stains?


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## VioletVera

Crystal&Zoe said:


> Even a Maltese who never goes outside needs to be bathed more then once a month. I've found that just the oils in my hands will make them look not so nice after about a week during the winter when we only go outside to 'do their business'. Also, a dog who is bathed and conditioned weekly is much easier to keep matt free. :thumbsup:
> 
> I'm concerned about the 'dog odor'. Mine go outside to play all the time. In fact my Zoe romps around the creek, garden and field at G'ma and G'pa's house during the day and even she never has a 'dog odor'. Sometimes she may roll in something 'stinky' outside, but her own body does not produce an odor. Is it truly a 'dog odor', or is it more of a corn chip odor coming from their paws? Or is it a yeasty odor coming from tear stains?


You know, it's funny, but until you mentioned it, I hadn't realized that the smell IS a corn chip smell... and yes, the smell is from her paws. Is that something to be concerned about? Is there any way of getting rid of the smell?

I don't smell anything yeasty from her eyes.


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## CrystalAndZoe

VioletVera said:


> You know, it's funny, but until you mentioned it, I hadn't realized that the smell IS a corn chip smell... and yes, the smell is from her paws. Is that something to be concerned about? Is there any way of getting rid of the smell?
> 
> I don't smell anything yeasty from her eyes.


Dogs’ feet have areas of reduced air circulation. The spaces between the toes on the top of the feet and between the pads on the bottom of the feet are most prone to this. The reduced air circulation in these areas allows more moisture to build up in these spots than elsewhere on the body. What you are smelling is a yeasty bacteria. I would look at what you're feeding. Make sure you avoid foods with corn, wheat and soy. In fact, you may even want to look at a grain free canned food or one of the pre-mixes where you add your own meat. You may also want to add probiotics to her diet to get the yeast level down in her body. Both Zoe and Jett used to have 'Frito Feet' until I changed their diet and added probiotics. Now I'm happy to report that all 3 of mine have 'frito-free' feet!


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## Cosy

Hahaha! Frito feet! I never use a whitening shampoo. A good clarifying shampoo should remove any buildup and can be used every third bathing (that's what I do).
A conditioner is always necessary after. I'm for bathing every 7-10 days in most cases.


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## The A Team

I bathe mine once a week. I don't like dirty white doggies. When I showed Ava, I bathed her every four days. But you should use a good quality shampoo. There are even some "people" products you can use, like Pantene Ice and Dove (the yellow bottles)...forgot the name at the moment. Chris Christensen and Pure Paws have good products. I'm sure there are a lot of good products around. For the face I use Spa Lavish. 

I use a clarifying shampoo every few months to get out any build up.


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## Cosy

By the way, I was told years ago frito feet is due to moisture from the sweat glands in their feet. I imagine no one's feet smell pretty after a few days of no bathing.


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## Punky

I myself have never used or had a whitening shampoo on Max, he is such a boy dog and plays pretty rough as more often then not I am removing twig's, leaves and whatever else those two thought would be fun. Oh yes the roll they took c in the charcoal was a lovel shade of grey on him :blink::blink:

He does stay pretty clean with a bath every 7 day's just got in the habit. But figured no extra stuff on him since he does need touch up area's alot at times, muddy paw's ect so I just skipped it 

Great info on Frito feet!


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## princessre

We bathe every 4-7 days. Nothing more wonderful than a clean, warm puppy!!! I didn't know about smelly feet because I wash their feet between baths.


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## Nikki's Mom

Well I guess that my dogs are the exception to the once-a-week rule around here. 

I brush them, brush their teeth, and wash their faces every other day. I clean their private parts with baby wipes every night before bedtime. 

I give them a full bath only every 2 weeks. In between baths, they don't get an oily coat, they don't get smelly paws, and they stay very clean and fluffy. They are inside dogs and eat homecooked, grain-free food. Believe me, I wouldn't allow them to sleep in the bed with us if they smelled or were dirty. 

I rotate between Earth Bath Coat Brightening Shampoo, and Earth Bath HypoAllergenic Shampoo. I use very little conditioner, and I rotate between a human conditioner (Desert Essence Organic) and a human spray-on leave in conditioner. (I think it's Shi Kai) 

I think that you have to do what is right for you and your dog. If your dog needs a bath every 7 days, then go for it. Some don't.


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## aprilb

Weekly is pretty much the norm but I tend to bathe less in the winter. One of my girls can go two weeks and look gorgeous but the other one does best with a weekly bath.


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## cyndrae

Lilly gets a bath every 3-4 days. I use pure paws and just love her clean smell. We get a bath on Sunday because we go to the dog park on the weekend and play in the garden, basically I let her get dirty on the weekend. We could probably do just once a week but for now we bath more often.


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## VioletVera

Thank you everyone for your reassurance that once a week is fine to bathe my little Violet. I'm going to bathe her today and then again Thursday night before we go to Fire Island for a 3 day weekend. I suspect she might get pretty dirty there playing in the sand and surf, but she'll have lots of fun with her boyfriends Caesar & Spanky (Malts that inspired me to get one in the first place). 



Crystal&Zoe said:


> Dogs’ feet have areas of reduced air circulation. The spaces between the toes on the top of the feet and between the pads on the bottom of the feet are most prone to this. The reduced air circulation in these areas allows more moisture to build up in these spots than elsewhere on the body. What you are smelling is a yeasty bacteria. I would look at what you're feeding. Make sure you avoid foods with corn, wheat and soy. In fact, you may even want to look at a grain free canned food or one of the pre-mixes where you add your own meat. You may also want to add probiotics to her diet to get the yeast level down in her body. Both Zoe and Jett used to have 'Frito Feet' until I changed their diet and added probiotics. Now I'm happy to report that all 3 of mine have 'frito-free' feet!


When I read "frito feet", I literally laughed out loud, not just a LOL as people usually type, ha, ha! But actually, it doesn't sound like a laughing matter. I checked her food and it is soy, wheat, and corn free. It was highly recomened at the pet store where I bought it (they carry only high quality foods there, no supermarket brands- and NO they don't sell puppies, only fish and small animals like gerbils and rabbits). What I bought is called Health Extension "Little Bites" by Vet's Choice, and it already contains probiotics. Vets Choice: Products - Holistic Health Extension Little Bites

The only wheat & corn product she does consume are little dog biscuits I baked with whole wheat flour, corn meal, vegetable oil, and chicken broth with added chicken bullion for stronger flavor. She only gets 2-4 1" wide bone shaped treats a day. Is it bad to feed her these? Do you have any biscuit recipes that you can recommend for her to chomp on? The reason I baked in the first place is because she's a picky eater and would not touch any of the store bought treats I got her (which I suppose is a GOOD thing, right?) She just LOVES these biscuits, but I never give her more than 4 per day. Her treats for training are generally small bites of sweet potato, tiny pieces of baby carrots, little pieces of cooked green beans, or chicken (the "high" prize treat). Any advice or recipes would be most appreciated!


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## sweetladejane

thats funny cause when we had our first Maltese over twenty years the kids used to say his feet smelled like "Doritos" lol


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## iheartbisou

I didn't read through all the responses so I'm sure somebody else posted about this too...but weekly is perfectly okay with Maltese- and recommended.

I find that people who do not own Maltese (or even Yorkies) but other types of dogs with actual fur and an undercoat, will always try to tell you to bathe once a month or so. I just listen and smile, but I don't pay attention to them because they don't have a single coated dog with long hair. It's different when your dog has 'fur' and an undercoat.


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## iheartbisou

PS- I bathe Bisou every 4-7 days too.


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## princessre

iheartbisou said:


> I find that people who do not own Maltese (or even Yorkies) but other types of dogs with actual fur and an undercoat, will always try to tell you to bathe once a month or so. I just listen and smile, but I don't pay attention to them because they don't have a single coated dog with long hair. It's different when your dog has 'fur' and an undercoat.


Yes, OMG- people w/ Yorkies tell me all the time I should only bathe my babies once a month. :blink: Yeah, I just don't pay attention to people, period. :HistericalSmiley: I'm bathing every 4 days now for maximum snuggliciousness. :wub:


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## missiek

Those are the best adjectives! I love it!!!



princessre said:


> Yes, OMG- people w/ Yorkies tell me all the time I should only bathe my babies once a month. :blink: Yeah, I just don't pay attention to people, period. :HistericalSmiley: I'm bathing every 4 days now for *maximum snuggliciousness*. :wub:


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## Jadzia baby

I have a little maltese pup, almost 7 months old now. She has a short coat, I keep her length around 2 to 3 inches. Will go shorter in the summer. I've been washing her every 7 to 12 days since she was 2 months old. So far she seems ok, I let her sit in a whitening shampoo/conditioner for at least 5 minutes and alternate between medicated/hydrating shampoo and her whitening. She also doesn't really like the bath or dryer but she gets a couple treats during and after so she puts up with it 😄. Also She gets really nappy looking after just a couple days, so I brush her everyday to every otherday. She doesn't really get too dirty though, cuz I walk her in the grass and most of the time she goes out on the patio to potty cuz shes a puppy still. 🤷‍♀️ I also hope I'm not bathing her too much but like I said, so far she seems fine.


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