How often should you bathe your dog is a frequently asked question. It really depends on how dirty your dog gets and the breed. If you own a dog that needs to be groomed, it will be bathed at the time of grooming, and that can be between every 4-8 weeks. People who own large breed dogs and dogs that don't need to be groomed can bathe their dogs every couple of months. Brushing your dog every day will rid the coat of dirt and loose hair. Using a natural scented spritz in between baths will keep your dog smelling  fresh and clean.  When you do give your dog a bath, using a natural shampoo with essential oils and no harsh soap ingredients will assure a glossy shiny coat. The one thing most people don't know to do is to dilute the shampoo. If you don't rinse all the shampoo out of the coat it looks dull and can make your dog more prone to get dirty faster. So, when you dilute the shampoo it is easier to rinse out of the coat. Use a blow dryer and brush out the coat while you dry it, this will keep it tangle free. Use a cotton ball or gauze pad and wipe out the ears. Don't go too far into the ear canal. Bath time is also a time to cut the nails. I like using a dremel. It takes down the nail and smooths it and best of all you don't have to worry about cutting the quick of the nail with a dremel.

A healthy coat and skin comes from within and this is achieved by feeding a healthy natural pet food and giving a supplement to make sure the dog is getting all the nutrients needed for a shiny healthy coat. Dogs are alot like us, if you are healthy on the inside it will show on the outside. The reason to supplement your pets food is that in the cooking process all dry kibble food is cooked at such a high heat that many of the nutrients are depleted.

Fleas and ticks are the unwanted guest that take up residence in our pet's coats. If you own a dog or cat, you can almost count on having to deal with them. It is not easy to rid our pets of them and it is not easy to get them out of our homes or yards. Flea and tick control products will kill them, and I worry that if it can kill fleas and ticks, what does it do to my pet. I prefer to use a natural flea and tick control product. It does not kill them, but it will keep them from hitching a ride on my pet.

If you own a cat I would not worry about how often to bathe it. They do it every day. They usually spend at least 3-4 hours a day grooming . Brushing your cat will remove any unwanted dirt and loose hair.

Our store Dog Scents and Suds offers natural shampoo, spritz, flea and tick control, and supplements to help keep your pet clean, healthy, and happy!

Factors that contribute to skin health and disease:

Genetics. There are certain breeds of dogs and genetic lines within breeds that are prone to skin diseases.  The Shar-Pei, for example has a high relative risk factor for mange and hypothyroidism and Cocker Spaniels exhibit a higher incidence of seborrhea.

Immune system. The immune system is a two lane highway. The animal's innate immune ability affects the health of the skin and the immune system located within the skin needs to be healthy for it to transfer an accurate immune response from the externally received antigenic stimuli to the inner reserves of the immune system.

Hygiene. As with all holistic approaches, balance is the key to managing your dog's hygiene, too much or too little is not healthy. Too much cleansing can be drying to the skin. Dry skin is physically irritating which may cause the dog to dig and scratch excessively. The skin's oil glands produce a substance that is antibacterial so excess cleaning actually removes the anti-bacterial barrier. Many shampoos or soaps contain substances that are irritating to the skin. And you must remember, what works well for some dogs  may stimulate extreme itching for others. Nutritionally enhanced shampoos that have added vitamins or antioxidants can be very beneficial. Healthy skin should be dry but not flaky, pliable, and possessing a slightly oily feel.

Bugs. It is clear, for example that bug killers are toxins and they also affect the animal we apply them to. It is also known that the anti-bug drugs can produce an allergic response in the animal creating a skin irritation that is exactly like the one we were trying to prevent by keeping the bugs away.  Therefore, using natural bug control is a solution to controling fleas and ticks and enhancing your dog's whole body health.