hi my bc pup is nearly 10 weeks and due to the wet weather and her love of mud she could do with a bath!!! is there a limit to how old a pup should be before you can bath them, i was told by someone that pups should only be bathed 2 or 3 times a year!!!!! surely that would be 1 smelly dog!!! any ideas welcome thanks

A lot of breeders will bath their pups before they go to their new homes, so often at 6-7 weeks of age, if a large or medium breed. I bath my Papillons and Cavalier at least once a fortnight, always, could never live with them always sitting on my lap otherwise. The big dogs are less often (like before a show, but not before ALL shows) but then they don't spend lots of time on my lap either. :) Just use a good mild shampoo for dogs or puppies, don't use medicated or flea shampoos frequently.

ok thanks for that, i say she is a house pet so shes always on our laps or im on the floor playing with her and couldnt stand it if she stunk all the time lol, off to get some shampoo now, thanks!!!

I bathed my two 16 week olds yesterday  ( in Johnsons Baby shampoo in case it gets in their eyes) for a puppy party and when they got home they danced in the water feature then dug a hole!!!

They went to bed like swamp monsters :-)

Thats going to be fun when you have afully grown bc  on you lap LOL

bathed my pup for the first time, brought a gentle pup shampoo from pets at home, and she hated it lol i turned the water on and slowly used a little water to wet her to get her used to it, she kept trying to jump out of the tub, but she'll get used to it hopefuly, and she smells MUCH BETTER!!!!

crikey!i only ever bath my dogs if theyve rolled in something pongy!They dont seem to smell!- - -

well shes been running around in the rain and going in and out of the flower beds over the mud and grass so thought she could use a freshen up

Same here Colliepam but have to say after the terrible rain today they are smelling doggy at this moment in time!

Perhaps yours dont sleep on the bed :-)

> crikey!i only ever bath my dogs if theyve rolled in something pongy!They dont seem to smell!- - -

Then you are very fortunate, have two large lap dogs and if there is one problem with them and it is only a small complaint, they can smell at times!

yes,they do!maybe im losing my sense of smell wjth age!

>i was told by someone that pups should only be bathed 2 or 3 times a year!!!!! surely that would be 1 smelly dog!!!

My old boy, nearly 12 years old, has only been bathed once in his life, when he got covered in oil. Many dogs, when kept properly brushed, have a self-cleaning coat, and don't smell. Too much bathing can make the skin over-compensate and that's when your dog gets smelly.

Its the coat length that makes the 'dirt magnet' effect. They bring in - suck up - get coated with - grub up - with whatever they run in or roll in.

The little ones dont smell doggy, they smell of what ever is stuck to their coat :-).

The boxer coat never needs bathed except for the greasy times when they make too much dander and oils or when they have jumped in a pond surrounded by slipper clay :-(

Mine don't often smell bad (apart from the Yankee when he rolls in stuff!) but I tend to bath them when the fur starts feeling greasy and doesn't look clean and soft anymore, probably every 2 - 3 weeks.

My long haired BC pup (11 weeks) spent a day running about in the rain, mud and german shepherd spit, then happily chucked herself into a big dish of water which SOAKED her through so we gave her a bath last week.
She didn't enjoy it. Before we got her, I'm not sure she'd ever seen a puddle, even now she waddles through them lifting her feet out so you can imagine she gets walked through as many as possible. I will do it again in the not too distant future to ensure she doesn't fear it as she grows older but definately not every couple of weeks. I wouldn't recommended bathing them often if there is no real need as it won't do the coat and skin much good as the essential oils in the coat are stripped out with each bath with shampoo, but at the same time, it should be pretty obvious when your dog could do with a good dunking!