Bathing

[akschnapp]

How often should I be bathing my maltese? I have heard different stories from different people. My groomer says once every 6 to 8 weeks, while I have talked to another maltese owner who says she bathes her maltese about every 10 days to two weeks. I am not sure I want to go 6 to 8 weeks to bath Max, but I don't want to dry out his skin either. I use the whitening shampoo. Is this ok for his skin?

[Daisy517]

Everyone's bathing schedule for their maltese is different. Personally I bathe mine once a week and make sure she is well conditioned as her skin tends to dry out, especially during the winter months, but no more than 2 weeks at most. I've heard of one professional breeder who bathes her show dogs every 2-3 days, but she claims to use top of the line products that do not dry out the skin.

Of course you would have to take into consideration your lifestyle, whether your fluff gets dirty easily or not, and how long can your maltese go without a detectable odor. It's really up to you. Hope that help some :)

[akschnapp]

Thanks. I was bathing him about once a week but my groomer made me feel like I was the worst dog owner in the world. She actually scolded me for bathing him too much. Needless to say, I am finding a different groomer. He needs a bath at least once a week. I was told to use baby wipes between baths, but that really doesn't do much. He loves to play with our labs. (although he is small, he rules the roost..lol) Because he romps so hard with them he gets pretty dirty. He loves to go outside too and as long as the weather permits I get him out as much as I can. Both the romping and being outdoors tend to make him messy... Is there a good skin conditioner I should be using?

[love.my.babies]

I bathe Fifi once EVERY week. Especially in the winter because her skin tends to get a little bit on the dry side. In the summer I try to go a week and a half or two... But that's really pushing it. Fifi likes to play outside a lot as well and like to go on walks so she gets dirty easily as well.

I use the Spectrum 10 Hydropac on Fifi and I love it. It leaves her coat shiny, soft, smelling good and it doesn't dry her skin out at all. I would look into it. I'm sure everyone else will give you great suggestions as well. :D

[Morkie4]

How often should I be bathing my maltese? I have heard different stories from different people. My groomer says once every 6 to 8 weeks, while I have talked to another maltese owner who says she bathes her maltese about every 10 days to two weeks. I am not sure I want to go 6 to 8 weeks to bath Max, but I don't want to dry out his skin either. I use the whitening shampoo. Is this ok for his skin?

Well, I bath mine once every 7-10 days depending on how dirty they get when they are outside and how their coats are doing. As far as the whitening shampoo, that should be used sparingly as it tends to try out the coat and make it brittle. Try using a premium shampoo routinely and the whitening shampoo every 6 to 8 weeks. I have been using a good conditioner called Spectrum 10 and it does wonders for the hair and the skin! You might want to give it a try. It is sold by Chris Christensen.....

WELCOME TO MALTESE TALK!!!!! Love the picture of your baby in your avatar!

[angeleyes]

:mtwelcome: Hi and welcome to Maltese Talk. Your little guy is so cute, I think I saw that you called him Max? Bathing is kind of a as needed for some puppies depending on their activities. You said he likes to be outside and play with your Labs, funny how fast the little ones become boss:lol2: I have a female Morkie named Belle and we had a big Lab and she played so funny with him and she was for sure the boss. I also have a 1 year old male Maltese named Sammy and we just adopted a 4 pound female Maltese named Rosie. It doesn't say what area you live in so it's hard to tell about your weather. I live in Minnesota and the colder it gets here the drier the air is and that means drier skin. I use Chris Christensen products and they have a conditioner called Hypro that puts moisture back into the skin plus makes their coats so soft and smell so awesome. I bathe my babies about every 10 days. If they are outside and get dirty they get bathed sooner. Don't let any groomers make you feel bad about what you choose to do, you are the one who knows what your little guy needs. As long as you keep his coat conditioned he should be fine. How old is your baby? Sometimes it makes a difference if they have their puppy or adult coat. Glad to have you join us here on MT. Just a note that we like to remind people of who's dogs go outside, watch carefully for coyotes they are out and hunting and these little dogs are tempting to them. Hope to see more pics of your baby, he is super cute!

[Zuly4034]

I bath Sofia every 16 to 20 days. She don't go out, not even to potty. Her skin get really dry so I can't bath her every week.

[JiJi's Mom]

:mtwelcome: Glad to have you here.

Bathing your dog is normally up to you. I bath mine every two weeks and that's if their lucky. I would not use the whitening shampoo frequently like Carol mention. Once a month should be fine and the other bath times any other shampoo will do. I like to use an oatmeal shampoo for dry skin. Conditioner is very important so shop around until you find something that works for your baby.

My maltese JiJi is the only one out of my three dogs that comes in with soaking mud ears so I really understand :D

[Lucas Mama]

WELCOME TO MALTESE TALK!

I bath Lucas every 7-10 days! No more that that!! I use the CC Spectrum 10 shampoo and conditioner!! You should try them! Since we started using it more than a year ago his coat and skin has been pretty good!:)

[akschnapp]

Thanks for all of the responses. :) Where can I pick up these products that you mention? My little Max will be five months old on the 20th. The picture was taken a few weeks ago. We live in Ohio so we get the cold temperatures too, and I will have to watch his skin. Max only goes outside when I am with him. I will let him run around in the yard because he likes to chase our labs but he never goes out without me.

[Emma's Mama]

Hi there and welcome! I think bathing really varies depending on the situation. For instance, my Emma typically only gets a bath every 4 or 5 weeks. She goes to the groomer every 7 weeks and then I usually give her one bath in between groomings. However, she is very much an INSIDE dog! She is puppy pad/potty trained, so she never goes outside when it's wet/muddy, etc. I wash her face two or three times a week (with Spa Lavish blueberry facial scrub) and will "spot clean" as needed, but she just doesn't get that dirty. I used to think I had to give her a bath every two weeks no matter what and then I asked myself why I was bothering to wash a clean dog! Just go with your instinct...if he's dirty, dunk him in the tub! I use a whitening shampoo on Emma, too, but like the others said, I wouldn't use it more than once a month or so.

PetEdge (http://www.petedge.com) is a great place to look for grooming supplies, including the facial scrub I mentioned above. I also use baby shampoo on Em's head when I bathe her....plain ol' J & J No More Tears!