How Often Should You Bathe a Husky? Husky Bathing Tips

Are you bathing your husky too much or too little? It’s important to get it right, as this can be the difference between a nice healthy coat, or a dull greasy smelly one!

This article explains just how often you should be bathing your husky and includes additional tips to make bath times more effective and less stressful.

Huskies are naturally hygienic dogs and do not require frequent bathing. It’s recommended to bathe a husky once every 3-4 months, or only when needed. Overbathing should always be avoided.

How Often Should You Bathe a Husky?

So how often? You should only really bathe your Husky once every three or four months.

This is a good average to go by. It’s not too little or too much. Some owners bathe their Husky even less and never report any skin, coat, or odor problems.

But keep in mind, you may need to bathe your Husky unexpectedly. If you go out for a walk or hike and your Husky gets very dirty, it’s likely you’ll need to bathe them, and this is perfectly fine.

And don’t hesitate to keep your Husky clean if they get themselves very dirty.

Times you may need to bathe your Husky out of this frequency:

● If your Husky goes out for a walk and comes back very mucky

● Once your Husky starts to blow their coat, a warm bath can help with loosening up dead fur

● After using topical flea sprays

So that’s the ideal amount, but remember, unforeseen situations may require you to bathe your Husky immediately, and this is ok.

The key is to avoid consistently overbathing your husky. If you do it a few times by accident, it’s ok.

⭐ This also applies to Wooly Huskies too. (click the link for the full guide!)

Why Huskies Do Not Need Frequent Bathing

This fact is something very important and ultimately changes how often you should be bathing your Husky.

Huskies are extremely hygienic. They act much like a cat in this respect and will take the time to clean themselves. Licking their fur and maintaining their coat is something they do naturally (even if you rarely see it, they still do it).

As Huskies do a lot of ongoing cleaning themselves, this means they do not produce a lot of “doggy odor” that many other breeds have. It’s unlikely to walk into a household with Huskies and smell the typical dog smell we all know of.

Related Article: Are Huskies Hypoallergenic?

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Psst. A quick word on training! Brain Training For Dogs is one of the best training methods suitable for a husky. Other owners and I are seeing improvement in obedience, behavior, and stubbornness quicker than ever before. I seriously recommend checking it out.

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Why You Shouldn’t Bathe Your Husky Regularly

There are many different discussions and opinions from Husky owners over their own bathing routines, what’s correct and what isn’t.

It can be difficult to really know whose advice to follow. Fortunately, by now the majority of Husky owners have it right, and they make the wise decision of only bathing their Husky a few times per year.

So, why shouldn’t you bathe your Husky too much? If you bathe your Husky too much, even using a specially formulated shampoo that is mild and natural, over time will cause more harm than good.

Despite all that hair, Siberian Huskies are clean dogs, don’t have much of a “doggy odor,” and typically don’t require too many baths.

Dr. Karen Becker from Healthy Pets

Frequent bathing will likely strip away too many of their natural oils found on the skin and coat. These natural oils do a great job of keeping their skin and coat as healthy as possible.

Once there is an imbalance of oil, your Husky’s body will naturally produce more oil to compensate, but it’s likely that too much oil will get produced…

Too much oil can lead to a greasy coat, skin issues, and eventually, your Husky will start to smell, and you will think you need to bathe them again, effectively repeating this unhealthy process, over and over again!

What Shampoo Is Best For Huskies?

With so many shampoos out there to choose from it can be hard to pick one that will actually benefit your Husky and keep them healthy.

What to look for in a safe, healthy shampoo?

Opt for a shampoo that is all-natural, mild, and made for dogs with sensitive skin (recommended even if your Husky doesn’t have sensitive skin).

Remember, the fewer ingredients used in the shampoo the better. If you see many chemicals included, do not buy it.

My Happy Husky No.1 recommendation

4Legger Natural Dog Shampoo USDA Certigied Organic

See latest reviews here (link opens Amazon)

● USDA certigied, natural product.
● Soapless (tear-free) formula
● Non-toxic
● Natural vitamins and minerals

Three Types of Shampoo To Avoid

1) Human shampoo

We have a different PH level from all canines. The human PH level is around 5.5 and for dogs, it’s 7-8. Therefore our shampoo is formulated differently, and suitable for us.

Our shampoo is too acidic for dogs and can destroy the acid mantle of your Husky’s skin. This can cause serious health issues. Source

2) Regular pet shampoo

I know, this one seems outrageous. But once you start reading the ingredient labels of regular pet shampoo, you’ll see that they all contain harsh chemicals, detergents, soap, alcohols and parabens, and a bunch of other stuff you’ve never heard of.

It’s exactly these ingredients that strip away the natural oils. So please, stick to a mild natural ingredients shampoo.

3) Dawn washing up liquid

This is commonly seen as a good way to kill fleas. Some people even use it as their regular dog shampoo. Dawn washing up liquid is for washing dishes, not a dog.

It kills fleas because it has harsh chemicals and degreasing ingredients in it. Firstly, this isn’t necessary to effectively remove fleas. Secondly, this is terrible for your dog and will strip them of their oils quicker than anything else!

Related Article: Does Baby Shampoo Kill Fleas on Dogs?

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Helpful Bathing Tips

Here are some helpful tips that will supplement bath times nicely. Following these extra tips will ensure you get the most out of every bath time and will keep your Husky clean and safe.

1) Brush before starting

First things first, It’s a great idea to brush your Husky before you bathe them.

Fortunately, Huskies typically need less brushing than other double-coated breeds, but it’s still very important.

On top of a solid brushing routine that you already have in place, brushing your Husky thoroughly before each bath is a must.

Start with a wide-toothed rake brush, this should untangle any matting and remove larger clumps of dirt.

After this go through the coat again with a slicker brush which will remove most of the excess dead fur.

These two types of brushes work nicely together because the rake brush reaches the undercoat and the slicker brush focused on the topcoat.

2) Only use room temperature water

Siberian Huskies are very tolerable of the cold, but only when they’re dry. Huskies are not used to being cold and wet at the same time.

If it’s a hot summer day or you live in a hot climate, by all means, use cold water to bathe your Husky, this will do them a favor and help cool them down.

If you don’t live anywhere particularly hot, then use room temperature water. Never use hot water as this will dry out your Husky’s skin after you finish.

3) Talk to your Husky during bath time

Maybe this surprised you, but it’s important to maintain communication with your Husky while you’re bathing them.

Some Huskies love bath time, most will not love bath time. Therefore it’s important to reassure your Husky and speak to them in a calming voice.

Help your Husky enjoy bath time instead of fear it. The more reassuring and calming you are, the more comfortable they will feel.

4) Repeat rinse

Rinsing is when we tend to slack off the most! We think we can’t see any more suds so we finish the bath.

When you can’t see any more suds, this is exactly when you give one more thorough rinse off. Just to be sure.

If any soap or shampoo is left in your Husky’s coat or skin, even the smallest amount, it can irritate the skin and potentially cause further skin problems. Rinse, rinse and rinse again.

5) Dry your Husky properly

The preferred option here is towel drying, but you can use a blow dryer, just ensure it’s only warm, and not hot. If you blow-dry on the hottest setting, you can risk drying out your Husky’s skin and coat.

Be sure to dry your Husky as much as possible before they give you the classic post-bath hyper dash off! If your Husky stays wet too long, especially if the weather is not particularly hot or sunny, they can become too cold and skin problems can happen.

6) Brush again when dry

Just like you brushed them before you started, once your Husky is properly dry which could be a few more hours, brush again.

Do the same style of brushing you did before, starting with a rake brush, then finish off with a slicker brush.

The warm bath will definitely loosen up more dead fur that can be removed easily once they’re dry. It’s always best to help your Husky get rid of dead fur, although it will naturally fall out eventually, it’s a way to keep their coat healthy at all times.

Related Article: Best Brushes For Huskies

Husky Doesn’t Like Taking a Bath? Here’s What To Do

There are many Huskies out there that have a strong fear of water. This is normal for Huskies as they were never around water for most of their existence thousands of years ago. Just ice and snow.

This can be quite an issue for bath time and many owners can understandably struggle to control their Husky when the moment comes.

So, instead of waiting for every bath time to be difficult, it’s best to start training your Husky to not fear water, help them get use to it.

Fortunately, I have a complete article dedicated to this. The article is about teaching your Husky to swim, and it has an entire section on how to help your Husky become used to the water.

If your Husky fears bath time, I really think this post will help you.

FAQ’s

How Often Should You Groom a Husky?

When it comes to overall grooming for a husky, bathing should be infrequent and kept to no more than once every 3-4 months. In terms of brushing your husky, a good schedule would be around 3 or 4 times per week for 20 minutes at a time.

Bathing is infrequent, brushing is frequent. Remember this, and your husky will look, smell, and feel great!

How Often Should You Bathe Your Dog In Summer?

Again, bathing should only happen when absolutely necessary. Keeping the shampoo at bay will ensure you don’t strip unnecessary oils from your husky’s coat and skin. Their natural oils play many important roles and this doesn’t change throughout the summer months.

You can by all means get your husky wet in order to help cool him down, but don’t incorporate shampoo. Leave that to dedicated bath times which happen every 3-4 months.

Can You Bathe a Husky In Winter?

Yes, if the time to bathe your husky falls in winter then it’s absolutely fine to bathe him. However, you must only bathe him indoors with lukewarm water (neither hot nor cold). Dry him thoroughly afterwards, and then keep him inside a warm room until properly dry.

A wet coat takes away your husky’s ability to remain warm in cold weather, so it’s essential to keep him indoors.

Summary

Hopefully, now you know how often you should be bathing your Husky and why it’s important not to bathe them too regularly.

With the advice, tips, and recommendations above, you’re ready to bathe your Husky with confidence.

Thank you for reading and if you have any bathing tips, comment below!

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If you would like an easy to read guide for training your husky puppy, check out my book The Husky Puppy Handbook on Amazon. All purchases are greatly appreciated.

Other helpful resources:
Dog Time
https://news.vet.tufts.edu/2017/05/dear-doctor-dogs-gotta-swimbut-should-they-be-bathed-afterward/