as you are aware my dudley has been a poorly boy,waht with sicking and havin the runs he has become a little smelly i was wondering if any1 could help me and tell when the ideal time is to bath him?, and what i should use many thanks carly x

no problem bathing him as long as he's kept warm afterwards. either use the hair drier to dry him off or if he doesn't like that then towel dry him as much as possible and keep him in a warm room until he dries off.
i use a dog shampoo from from the pet shop but you can use most mild human shampoo also. i've never had trouble with anyone i've used with my dogs but make sure you rinse him off well.
it's good if they get used to being bathed young as it can be quite distressing for them when they don't know whats happening.
i put my dog in my bath and put a hand towel in for them to stand on, so they don't slip. t maybe a lot easier if there are two of you if he's not used to this, so one can hold his collar or head. don't get the shampoo in his eyes or ears if you can help it, although it want hurt him if you do.   
or seeing as he's small you can do this in the kitchen sink or a a large bowl.

I use no more tears shampoo for little ones and give them big cuddles in a warmed up towel :)

Comb his coat through first if you are going to bathe him or you'll never get the knots out and squeeze the coat from the skin outwards rather than massaging the shampoo in circles to prevent mats forming ;) a bit like washing your own long hair ;)

Johnsons Anti Tangle Shampoo for children should be no tears and will help with combing out ;) comb out while still damp - it'll help get him dry quicker and reduce any tangles that have formed ;)

Don't rub with the towel but just gently squeeze the coat and cuddle him in fresh warm ones till he's dry :-D

If he isn't too bad you can use Baby wipes (soft cloth wipes are easiest) to clean him up - Johnsons smell lovely as do many of the supermarket own brands :)

ahhhh thanks my friend said i shouldn't bath him as i will give him a skin complaint but after him being so poorly i think he would love to freshed up x

my friend said i shouldn't bath him as i will give him a skin complaint
I don't understand that at all. :(

you can buy a puppy shampoo that smells of baby powder , its lovely made by  'crazy dogs'
pets at home use to sell it but you can get it on the net or ebay

don't understand where your friend got that from.as long as it's a mild shampoo you can bath him pretty often.
my dogs get really excited once they've had a bath and i'm sure they feel better for it.

thats what i thought she said coz you can wash all oils out there skin i bet they do feel better it's like us we alweays feel better after a bath was gonna use a johnsons baby shampoo on himx

baby shampoo will be fine.
you can wash some of the oils out but not with a mild shampoo and you can use a conditioner to which will make his coat shine and help get the tangles out his coat. 

was gonna use a johnsons baby shampoo on himx
Put a couple of dessertspoonfuls in a litre jug and fill it up with warm water. Use this to shampoo him - it's easier to rinse out.  It's not rinsing well enough that will cause problems, not bathing.