How often is your dog dirty? Ok, it’s not fair to answer a question with a question, but that’s what it comes down to. My Cairn Terrier gets groomed every 6-8 weeks; many poodles and other continuously growing hair coat dogs get groomed about that frequency. But, then all the short-haired pooches only need to be groomed/bathed when they get grubby. My beagle keeps himself clean, where my husband’s dog likes to roll in cow manure so she receives special situation baths. Then there are dogs with skin issues who need to be bathed regularly to keep grease under control. This last batch of dogs have underlying health issues – like yeast – and really need more than just a bath, but bathing helps with comfort. My own Lady dog has this – she fights yeast all the time, just when I have it under control, the weather changes and it’s time for a different supplement. But, she’s great about a bath.

Then there are nails. Really, once a month nails should be trimmed, unless your dog wears the nails down. Half my crew needs their nails trimmed, the other half takes care of it running in the yard. And what about ears? To pluck hair or not to pluck hair? If your dog’s ears are infected, it’s the wrong time to pluck as the infection may now get deeper into the skin. And, hair is meant to be in the ears. But, if you insist your pooch needs and aural Brazilian (plucked ears) then have it done when the ears are squeaky clean. How often does one clean ears? When they are dirty (shucks, I did it again). Ok, but Tink cleans Ollie’s ears. And The rest rarely need their ears cleaned. Chronic ear infections is a sure sign of a food allergy – thus, my Lady dog has ear issues to go with her yeasty skin. Poor girl – she has her share of issues. She needs her ears cleaned weekly. And, when it’s time to clean her ears, how do I do it? Fill the ear canal with great cleaner (like Herbal Ear Wash from Vintage Doggie Spa), massage the base of her ear, do the other side, then step away from the dog. Lady takes care of the rest.

So. Really. It depends. You can see in my house some are groomed more often than others, as their individual needs suggest.

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