Of bathing, or not bathing

This may be a controversial piece. I usually try to evade answering the question "how often do you bathe your dogs?", because a short (truthful) answer is often misunderstood.

Let me give it anyway: I don't bathe my dogs.

Aboriginal dogs (I can at least vouch for West African aboriginal dogs) spend a lot of time every day grooming themselves in the way cats do. This one was known to trim his nails too:

I kid you not. I'm yet to see (or hear) another dog do it, though.

So, I don't bathe my dogs. And here are my reasons:

1. They do very well by themselves.
2. As we now know for human hair too, frequent washing with (often inadequate) soap removes the natural, protective oils and exposes the skin to itches, rashes, pimples, and other uncomfortable and unsightly evidence of imbalance.
3. Aboriginal dogs naturally smell far less than Western breeds. I don't have an explanation for that (except the constant grooming of course), but it's a fact.
4. For tick and flea treatment, which is another reason often given for bathing, I use a once-a-month spot-on treatment, which is very efficient, even now that we live in the bush and the dogs are free to roam.
5. Like most Ghanaians, I don't allow my dogs inside the house. Although we play with them a lot, washing our hands afterwards (and of course having a shower and changing into nightwear before retiring in the evening) seems to be hygienic enough.

What if they become very dirty?

If the dog is muddy after running/playing outside, you may want to hose it down, especially if it's not used to obey when asked to stay away of you and risks transferring the mud on you. You don't need to use soap. If your nose tells you it rolled in cowdung or carrion or something similarly affronting, a bath (with a very gentle ad hoc soap or baby soap if you can't find a pet soap) may be in order. In that case, make sure you rinse the dog thoroughly afterwards. It may sound a silly advice, but don't spray deodorant or dab perfume on your dog.

Is seawater good for them?

Short answer: no. If you take your dog to the beach, be sure to rinse it down thoroughly afterwards.

What if they have skin problems?

Ask your vet. Washing and soaping more often won't make the problem go away, especially if you're using an ordinary soap. It may rather make it worse. Bald spots that start oozing (typically on the ears, joints, and buttocks) are usually seen in dogs chained/kept in kennels most of the time or even around the clock. Again, washing/bathing/soaping the dog won't improve it. Do your dogs a favour: don't chain them more than they can stand. If they start urinating and/or defecating on a regular basis where they are chained, you're doing something wrong. Animals in general, and our aboriginal dogs in particular, wouldn't soil deliberately the place where they sleep and/or eat. This dog wouldn't dream of doing his business on our one-acre property and will literally scratch under the gate until his nails bleed to be able to go out and relieve himself far from where he lives.

This too is a bit extreme. My other dogs wouldn't escape to do their business, but I'm yet to see any soiling their living/sleeping/eating area, unless they are sick (and they'll give ample advance notice of the impending disgrace).

This somewhat long digression has a point: a dog that lives all day in a soiled place will develop skin problems, which won't be solved by frequent bathing and soaping. Don't chain your dog more than absolutely necessary. If you have to chain it at all, be consistent about it, so that it can plan its bowel movements. I'll develop the chaining/kennel-ing topic in a future post.