How Often Should I Give My Newf A Bath?

Newfoundlands should be bathed as needed but most people in the Newfoundland community will say that they give their Newfoundland a bath about every 6-8 weeks. 

I’ve always given my Newfies a bath as needed and don’t follow a typical schedule. 

Their bathing needs will vary based on their age and activity. 

The Truth About How Often To Give a Newfoundland Dog a Bath

There’s no correct answer to how often a Newfoundland should get a bath.

I don’t know what’s written in the Newfie handbook but my advice would be to give your Newfie a bath when they need one. 

Do they swim often?

Do they have skin issues?

Do they roll in poop?

Do they have crusty slobber dried on certain body parts?

Do they lay in the house all day?

Do they smell?

Before You Give Your Newf a Bath

Before you give your Newfoundland a bath you should first comb and brush the entire dog.

Brushing and line combing is what really keeps the coat healthy.

Remember that Newfs have a double coat.

Their outer coat catches the dirt and debris so brushing that out daily helps to clean the coat and remove loose hair. 

You’ll also want to remove any mats before you wet the coat. Mats on a dog will only get worse when they are wet so removing them with a mat splitter, greyhound comb or clippers is recommended.

Mats usually like to form under the front leg (think armpit), on the hair on the front legs, on the back legs, on the inside of the thighs, behind the ears and on the bottom of the pads. 

You can also blow their coat out with a high velocity blow dryer. This not only removes debris and loose hair but also blows out the dust and dander making bath time much easier and productive.

The Easiest Way To Give a Newfoundland a Bath

You’ll want to spray the dog with lukewarm to saturate the coat down to the skin.

This may take a little bit of time because Newf’s have a waterproof coat and just when you think they are wet enough they shake and look completely dry!

Be patient and keep that water flowing.

Be careful around the face, especially the eyes and if you’re concerned about getting water in the ears, you can gently place a cotton ball in each ear for the bathing process. 

When the coat is wet you can apply the shampoo.

Make sure that if you’re using a concentrated shampoo that you dilute following the directions on the bottle. 

Lather up the shampoo making sure to reach the skin.

When you’ve applied and lathered the shampoo on the entire dog, rinse, rinse and rinse some more. 

Make sure all of the shampoo has been washed away.

Leaving shampoo on the coat and skin can cause irritation and leave a flaky residue behind.

In 2020 I purchased the E-Zall Bathing System which was recommended by a fellow Newfie owner. 

It’s a game-changer and I recommend it for anyone looking for an easier and quicker way to bathe their Newfie.

This system allows you to skip the pre-soak step because you soak and shampoo at the same time. 

I’ve included a video below to show you how simple it is!

 

I dilute the shampoo with water when I add it into the container but you don’t have to. 

Time to Dry

Next comes the drying. 

Using your high-velocity dog dryer start at the top of the dog and work your way down.

You’ll want to blow dry the way that the coat lays and pay attention to the skin as you go.

This is a great time to check your Newf’s skin for any issues such as sores, flakey skin, hot spots, ticks, and fleas. 

Using a brush as dry is a good way to remove some of the water from the coat and try to stay away from blowing in circles.

This will cause the hair to twist and become knotted and it’s not fun to try and unknot it when it happens. 

Completely drying a Newf can take up to a few hours depending on what type of dog dryer that you have but making sure that it’s dried down to the skin will help hot spots from forming. 

It’s not recommended to use a human blow dryer on a Newfoundland because it can become too hot and burn the skin.

Not to mention it does not have enough power to dry a double-coated breed. 

All Done

The next step would be to trim your Newfoundland but if you’re leaving the trimming to a professional then the next step would be to give your dog a special treat or tons of praise for being such a patient Newf during their at-home spa day!

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