Gentle Dog Shampoo for Allergies & Itchy Skin

Dogs need to be bathed frequently either weekly or biweekly. When bathing your dog, always use a gentle dog shampoo to add moisture back to your dog’s coat. Gentle dog shampoos will clean your dog’s coat beautifully as regular shampoos, but they’ll also keep his skin moisturized and coat conditioned. I highly recommend using gentle dog shampoos as your regular shampoo, which can be used as needed.

Why You Should Bathe Your Dog Frequently

There are many different reasons, but usually frequent bathing is needed due to allergies. Here are the most common reasons:

• If someone is allergic to dog dander, weekly dog baths are recommended to keep allergens (i.e. dog dander) to a minimum.
• If your dog sleeps with you, I highly recommend frequent baths as well. This minimizes outdoor allergens and dirt from your bed.
• Dogs with itchy skin usually benefit from frequent baths. Most veterinarians recommend a medicated shampoo, so always follow your vet’s recommendations.

Frequent Dog Bathing Tips

Make baths fun, especially if your dog needs frequent ones. Smear peanut butter on a paper plate and let your dog happily lick away while shampooing and rinsing his coat.

RELATED: How to Make Bath Time Fun for Dogs

Rinse, rinse and rinse some more. So many times, people don’t completely rinse out shampoo residue from their dogs’ coat, which makes their dogs itchy. When you don’t thoroughly rinse your dog’s coat, you leave behind dander (shedded skin cells), which can trigger allergies. While gentle dog shampoo will loosen dander, rinsing removes it from your dog’s coat. Just when you think you’ve rinsed enough, do it one more time.

Please always bathe your dog indoors and never outside. Water from outdoor water hoses are freezing, and it’s painful for your dog. You wouldn’t like bathing in cold water, so your dog shouldn’t be forced to either. Choose lukewarm water, as hot water can scald your dog’s skin. Make sure to check the water’s temperature often.

Gentle Dog Shampoo Recommendation

Gentle dog shampoos contain colloidal oatmeal, rich moisturizers and natural ingredients free of detergents. Plus, they easily rinse from your dog’s coat and leave his coat and skin clean and healthy.

By far, my favorite gentle shampoo is EQyss Premier Pet Shampoo. It’s packed full of moisturizers that clean and condition your dog’s skin and coat, yet doesn’t leave a waxy or oily residue behind. What’s left out of this shampoo is just as important; it’s free of silicone (which coats hair and weighs it down) and detergents (which dries skin). Plus, it smells wonderful and lasts several days, which most natural shampoos lack. Seriously, you’ll notice a huge difference just after one shampoo use–it’s that good.

Personally, I would skip conditioning short or medium-haired dogs’ coats, especially if you bathe them frequently. While a side effect of over-bathing dogs is dry and brittle skin and coat, over-conditioning will leave a heavy residue behind that attracts dirt. In addition, no one likes gummy hair, which happens often with over-conditioning. For long coat dogs, choose a light spray of moisturizer and only use in your dog’s coat tangles post-bath.