Marsha, Have always thought like you: Too much bathing would mess up their natural oil. Perhaps a year or two back, a vet told me to bathe them once a month. Well that seems extreme. IMHO two or three times a year is good. Just gave both of them a bath yesterday, because the outside tempature was near 70 degrees and now its in the 30s. I'm thinking three times a year is good and that's what I'm doing. Just wanted to get other folks' opinions, to see how on target my own thoughts are. The Goldendoodle is constantly groomed, with a brush and once-a-year at a professional groomers, where she's trimmed as close as possible. The Corgi we brush too, but her hair doesn't grow like the Golden's does. The Corgi, however, sheds like crazy.
Thanks Mountain Ash for weighing in. I know how much you miss your baby; I miss all my dogs that have gone to Heaven.