Bath time frequency?

Question
Hello,

My wife and I just recently adopted a blonde lab mix.  We are both very active people with Recreation degrees and spend much of our time out of doors.  

The problem is that poor little LeeLoo has a stink to her after one week from her last bath.  I had some friends that said it wasn't good to bath a dog often.  Is this true?  Are there limits to how often you should give a dog a bath?  We want a clean puppy, but we would rahter smell her than hurt her!  

Answer
Too frequent baths even with good rinsing and using conditioner leave a dog's skin dry and itchy.  It can also lead to ear infections, a big step backwards in controlling odor. Start by checking the ears, look for excessive wax and smell them.  Either is a sign of infection, needing antibiotics from the vet to control.  Never let the dog roll in stinky stuff.  This means never letting it run loose by itself.  Keep an eye on her if you take her somewhere you can let her loose.  You may also have to keep her relief area cleaned up.  Without health problems, or the chance to roll in what she finds pleasing, brushing should keep the odor down.  It also leaves less hair to clean up.

Use one of the modern flea treatments, the creams, drops, or pills once a month to control fleas.  Again, more effective than baths.  Dogs also need to be on a heart worm preventative at least when mosquitoes are out, if not year around.   

My yellow Lab Aster has not had a bath in the year and a half she has lived with us.  She does get to swim in the river sometimes.  We take her in public where pets are permitted, and nobody ever complains about her.