Baths - How often?

Rarely. When I feel like it or if they've gotten in to something nasty (which is hardly ever). In the warm months they might get a bath or two just because it's so easy to do it outside. In the winter, I might take them to the self-serve dog wash once or twice. Right now though they've haven't had a bath since this past summer.

 I don't mind Marlowe's hound smell and it's really not that strong. The food he eats agrees well with him and it really keeps the hound odor down. Conrad is a very clean dog, very fastidious about his grooming, and has no smell at all.
 

The frequency of baths differs for different breeds as well as for other factors we typically think of - what environment it is exposed to, things it gets into, our own sensitivities. It depends upon skin type as well as coat type. A Cocker Spaniel, for example, needs frequent bathing because their skin produces oils that can cause skin problems. It also helps keep the coat in better condition if you condition or properly groom it with the baths. A double-coated breed often needs - or should get - very few baths. I currently have a dog that should get no more than two baths a year unless absolutely necessary. I also have a Cocker and must bath her nearly every month if not more frequently.

 If a dog smells in general (not because it got into something or faced a skunk), it might not be getting a quality of food it should get or isn't getting brushed enough. Or there might be a health problem.

wow. interesting replies.  I bathe mine all once a week.  Never have had any issues..i usually use a good tearless shampoo and a good conditioner, and then a forced air dryer to dry them.  It helps TREMEDOUSLY with shedding.  Kodi gets yeasty ears and such in the summer from the hot humidity and she swims in our pond, so nice ear cleaning with alcohol/vinegar and nice bath keep her yeast in check.  Diesel will get nasty stains/discolored hair in his thick white coat (white parts atleast) so i bathe him regularly to keep his coat in top condition..i use a good horse whitener on his legs/chest.  And tessa..shes just a bad puppy right now that like sto find every muddy spot to romp in, and sence she comes to work with me, she needs a bath often to not smell!  But yeah, it varies from dog to dog.  Ive seen some dogs that would dry out if they were bathed that often, but ive never had a problem, and all my dogs coats are soft, shiny,full,  and very low shedding!

Gracie, my golden, gets a bath about every 4 to 6 weeks.  The three Westies get a bath about every 4 weeks in the winter and probably about every 2 in the summer.  They seem to get dirtier in the summer--I guess they just spend more time outside.  If one of them decides to dig or get extra dirty, they will get one sooner.  More than likely this is Olivia.  Her texture is also just a little different, it seems a little oilier, so she sometimes needs a bath earlier than the other two.  Knock on wood, I've never had any problems with any of their skin.