How often should I bathe my Shih Tzu Puppy?

[Madame Sarcastic]

He's six months old and frequently getting dirty. I have a special shampoo, made to keep mats and tangles at bay, but that's not the problem. The problem is that he's constantly getting himself filthy. I swear if we were in the middle of a drought, he would find a puddle of mud and bathe in it. But I read an article that said I should bathe a shih-tzu every other week. I didn't that that could possibly be accurate, because wouldn't it dry out their skin?

[Psistidan]

I have heard that once a month would be ok but even that might dry out their skin and also not be too good for their hair. They need a little bit of natural oil in order to stay clean. I think if you bathe too often, you will end up with a dirtier dog in the end because their coat will not be able to repel the filth. The best thing to do is watch the puppy and make sure he doesn't get into filth. You may want to get him to groomer and have them give him a puppy cut so his coat will be shorter and easier to keep clean. Once he is an adult and not so full of "it", he should stay pretty clean.