• When I first got my B, I would bath her every couple of weeks just to get her used to it, for the times down the road when she would really need it such as getting muddy or whatever. Nowadays she hardly gets one but she is now very "comfy" in a nice bathtub filled with warm water…she will actually sit her but down in the tub with tail relaxed and not just stand there tense and hoping it will be over soon!


  • Kipawa has had 2 full baths, both when he has been mud soaked from not caring where he is running. Other than that, I will wipe his paws if a walk has gotten them grimy, or just do a quick wipe on his body with a lightly damp cloth if a dog has drooled on him. He is blessed with a lovely shiny coat that I don't want to ruin.


  • Shaye has gotten two full baths in two and a half years since she was a baby. When her paws and legs get muddy at the dog parks, we spray them off on the way out, and she's fine by the time we get home. Gemma has more fur, and has had more baths, but she's a mix. She's had maybe 5 baths in two years. If we take them into salt water, we always spray them down really well with clear water just to get the sand and salt off their skin.

  • First Basenji's

    Walter, that's pretty amazing about your B just sitting in the tub!

    Bowpi luckily does not seem to be a stink-roller, nor has she shown any allergies (knock on wood!). Bowdu the Shiba has become more and more prone to rolling though, and over the summer he was getting 2x weekly medicated baths/soaks for his allergies and pododermatitis… it was really time consuming!

    So I'm glad that Bowpi does not seem to need frequent bathing at all. Giving her a dip to help with shedding sounds like a good idea though.


  • Well.. I dont know if its the tropics or the fact that Santo Domingo is very polluted city, but Ayo gets a bath, about every month. He gets filthy to the point where the white on his coat, his legs and neck and belly get gray. When I bathe him the water comes out black, its disgusting and i know that its not good to bathe too much, but its is very very humid hear and muggy and we really dont have that much of a dry skin problem.. I cant bear having him get on my bed when he is that dirty!!!.. He really dislikes the bath, definetly prefers hot water!!


  • @Walter:

    Nowadays she hardly gets one but she is now very "comfy" in a nice bathtub filled with warm water…she will actually sit her but down in the tub with tail relaxed and not just stand there tense and hoping it will be over soon!

    Scarlett, I AM IMPRESSED! 🙂


  • Thanks curlytails! It is a sight to see for sure…but on bottom of tub with a slight relaxed tail wag. If I wasn't paranoid about dropping the camera I would have a pic of it to post! 😃


  • I wipe my b's down with baby wipes, when they need it. They don't mind that as much as they would a bath.


  • Mine had several during crate training as both girls tended to roll in their poop the first couple times in a crate, fortunately for all of us, we seem to be beyond that now.


  • We bathe them more in the summer when the white fur turns dark gray, from dog-park dirt that won't come off with a baby-wipe. And when Nicky rolls in something dead.
    Ed is not a roller, but I usually bathe them at the same time. They like being clean and don't really mind baths, but we would never have to bathe them if not for dirt and dead fish!


  • @MacPack:

    …we would never have to bathe them if not for dirt and dead fish!

    Dirt and dead fish… what a lovely combination. :D:eek:


  • How many baths?

    Zero. Zippo. Nil. I can not recall the last time I bathed one of my kids. Not even for shows.

    With the amount of rolling on wet towels, I see no need to ever bath them. Which is why I like them so darned much.


  • :DSinbaje, thats too funny… I was just going to ask if rolling on wet towels counted...if it did then Oakley bathes himself everyday!!


  • This is a very interesting post. Mine don't get bathed at all. I do just wipe them down before showing particularly if it is a wet and muddy show ground. When they get dirty at home they clean themselves up very efficiently. We never have less than white whites once they've done this. Jewel being the senior gets a 'little help from her friends'!


  • I usually bathe mine every 3-4 months. If something is being shown, I bathe it more frequently.


  • When we were showing, baths were done the night before we left for each show. Now, they get two a year, once when the coats are shedding and the other right before cold weather is going to start. Of course, the muddy situations sometimes occur and that throws in another one or two a year. But they are such clean dogs, they pretty much take care of it themselves. But when we had pups did bathe more frequently until each accepted it as a matter of course.

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