bathing

Question
Hi, Kim.
I'm Younsook Park from Brooklyn, NY
I recently adopted a 3 year old male toy poodle.
The previous owner said that she used to bathe him every two weeks.
I'd like to know if it'll be ok to bathe him more often: once a week.
My family takes him out to walk a lot, so he gets dirty quickly.
Some say that too frequent bathing may cause some skin problems to dogs..I wonder how often is too often.
And if you could share some tips and cautions about bathing a poodle, I'd appreciate it a lot.
Thank you.

Younsook Park

Answer
Hello Younsook,
Poodles are beautiful but that hair is easy to get dirty.  You want them to stay beautiful, but just how often should you bathe your dog.  

Having shown Poodles for a few years, I have had expirence with bathing our dogs weekly or more.  The thing was, we would apply a coat conditioner to their hair which would protect the coat until the next washing.  It was a mixture of Shampoo, Baby Oil, Conditioners, and a product called Super Cream which is a highly concentrated Conditioner.  This "Glop" was poured onto the coat and allowed to sit for a bit, then without washing it out, the dog was dryed. This protected the coat and skin from drying out with the frequent washings.  

For your dog, I would recommend that you don't bath it once a week unless you consult your Groomer first.  They should have some products that you can use that won't dry the coat and skin out as much.  
Dry skin is bad, but dry hair is bad also as it will break off causing hair loss.  
Every two weeks should be enough for your dog.

Keeping your dogs hair brushed twice a week will also keep it clean and will distrubute oils in the hair which will help repel dust.
I like to use a product called Silk and Finish that I get from Natures Specialities, and I love their shampoo called Plum Silky.  It has a great smell that really lasts and it keeps the hair looking great for a long time.  Its ultra concentrated so a little goes a long way.
Here is there address so you can visit them.
http://www.naturespecialties.com/NSDogs.html
Just scroll down until you find the Plum Silky and the Silk-N-Finish.

I hope this helps you some.  If you have other questions about this or Poodles in general, please feel free to ask.

Have a great day, and Many "Clean" Tail Wags.
Topkdog