Bath Time

ChrisMcGuire

Shogun is my first NK (Kai) and I wanted to get an idea of how other owners spread out baths. With other breeds I've owned I usually waited until they're filthy, they stink, or about every 4 months, but Shogun doesn't stink and his coat seems to reflect dirt (Awesome!). Also, I'm unaware if there are any potential issues with the skin that maybe somebody else has encountered. Any advice is appreciated.

Also, If you have some cute bath time photos please feel free to put them here and I'll do the same when it's time.

Losech

I bathe my dogs when necessary. If they get stinky or dirty, or if I just feel like it. I only use shampoo/soap when they are gross, but I rinse and rub them down more than I shampoo them. So, something like 2-4 actual baths and 4-8 rinses per year per dog. I brush them all at least once a week and that helps keep the coat clean.
My mixes get coat grease that I don't like so I wash them more often than the Shiba. but if I don't give him a bath or rinse every now and then his coat will accumulate dead hairs and dirt over time. Most of it comes out on it's own or with brushings but I'd rather he not track it into my bed.

WrylyBrindle

My kai is 18 months old and gets lots of outdoor time with me in the forest. Despite all this Nature, I have not given her a formal bath. She smells wonderful (as you know from Shogun!) and her weekly brushing seems to keep her coat really nice. She has been towelled and gets wet from swimming, rain etc. and I think once I gave her a cat-bath with Quick-Bath pet wipes, but she seems not to need an official bath. She's so naturally clean that my husband (a fastidious cat-person) lets her sleep on our bed...Go, Kai Ken!

atlas

I bathe my shiba about once a season - sometimes it averages out to a little less than that. She pretty much always stays clean and her fur is always nice and soft, so it seems unnecessary to bathe her any more than that. She seems to just deflect mud and dirt. My dalmatian, on the other hand, tends to stink after being active, and since we take them on nature hikes a lot, he gets baths more frequently.

Unfortunately I don't have any cute bath time photos, because Mitsu hates baths, haha. All my energy goes into making sure she stays in the tub long enough to get clean. Despite her dislike of baths, though, she'll wade through lakes and large puddles no problem.

MirkaM

I usually bath my Kais twice in a year or when they really are dirty.

Saya

I bath Saya during coat blows when she is almost done it helps get a lot of the loose fur out.

I'll bath her if she been swimming in the pond or lake..

She doesn't get dirty much she loves to dig will have dirt on her paws, belly and face, but on the way home from camp site she is dirt free.

Amazing how less she smells compared to my neighbor's lab/mastiff. man that is one greasy big dog.

Her coat is very water repellent after a swim she dries quickly.

As a pup she got often baths to help her get used to being bath so she wouldn't scream each time she got a bath.

ChrisMcGuire

Thank you for the advice everybody. I'm happy to hear that 2-3 times a year is normal. They just seem to stay clean by themselves... I love it!

lindsayt

This may not be so much an issue for some of your Kai yet, but Akuma has had several Shiba girlfriends for playdates just before and just after they were in heat, so he gets a grodey belly from lots of humping (TMI, but a fact of life for the intact boys). He needs more bathes because it's gross when he is in the house and all crusty. My Shiba boy is a lot cleaner then that, but he isn't a humper. Other then that, he doesn't get oily or anything, just dirty from rolling around with the other dogs and digging.