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The Best Dog Shampoos for 2022
Updated: 18 hours ago
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A great dog shampoo is your secret weapon for keeping your four-legged friend looking and smelling their best.
Choosing the right shampoo for your dog is essential as it will not only keep their coat in tip top condition, but help deal with underlying itchy skin conditions, dandruff and even fleas.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
How to Buy the Best Shampoo for your Dog
Our Picks of the Best Dog Shampoo for 2022
Top Tips for Bathing your Pooch
Buying Guide for Dog Shampoo
Dog shampoos are big business. With 33 per cent of UK households owning a dog post- pandemic, grooming product sales have exploded and the upmarket beauty brands have sat up and taken notice.
So how do you know that you are buying a good quality shampoo for your four-legged friend?
The first thing to say is that this isn't a 'one size fits all' answer. There's no single shampoo which is best for all dogs or all situations. Dogs shampoos are as different as the dogs themselves.
Ideally look out for a shampoo with ingredients known to be sensitive to skin and reduce any unwanted irritation. All of the shampoos featured in our Top 10 are kind to dogs.
Ultimately, it's down to you to buy a shampoo suitable for your dog’s coat and colour whilst dealing with any problems they may suffer from. So before you decide to buy a shampoo consider your dog's individual needs.
We've provided this buying guide to help you choose which shampoo features are essential to you and your four-legged friend and offer a selection of shampoos which will fit the bill.
How to Buy the Best Shampoo for your Dog
If you're struggling to choose a shampoo, here are a few things to consider :
Problem Skin
If your dog suffers with dry skin, they're sensitive or prone to allergies, take a look at the natural dog shampoos which avoid adding harsh chemicals and ensure their shampoos are pH balanced for dogs.
Type of Coat
A labrador fur is very different from a poodle's fur and they need to be treated as such. Some shampoos have been specifically formulated with coat types in mind.
Colour of Coat
Very pale or white coats can always benefit from a specifically formulated whitening shampoo. These shampoos are great at removing tear stains and can keep that pale fur shining bright.
Foam
Everyone loves lots of foam as it makes us feel our dog is super clean. However the more foam created, the more time it takes to rinse. Reduced foam shampoos are aimed at making the whole process quicker which might be perfect if your dog hates bathing.
To keep your pampered pooch happy, clean and smelling gorgeous, here are the best dog and puppy shampoos on our radar for 2022....
Our Picks of the Best Dog Shampoo for 2022
1. Groom Professional Baby Fresh Shampoo
Best Smelling Dog Shampoo
We rate Groom Professional Baby Fresh the best smelling dog shampoo with a totally gorgeous baby powder scent which lasts for several days.
It's also a great all-round option for most dogs. This shampoo is ideal for dogs that love to roll around in the mud or splash in stinky puddles.
A firm favourite with dog groomers everywhere and Freddie our cockapoo, it lathers easily and deep cleans.
Made in the UK, it contains aloe vera so is moisturising and gentle enough for you to use once a week to cater for seriously muddy dog walks.
The truth is that this is a great all-round shampoo if your dog doesn't have any specific needs or allergies. It works particularly well on double coated fur and smelly dogs.
Available in three different sizes so you can try it out without investing too much with the 250ml bottle or save money by bulk buying a 4lt bottle. Conditioners are also available.
Reasons to Buy
+ Amazing smell
+ Easy to lather
+ Range of sizes
+ Great value
Reasons to Avoid
- Doesn't cater for specific skin issues
- Creates lots of foam
2. Groomers - Choca-Doodle 2-1 Shampoo
Best Shampoo for Doodle Coats
In a recent survey dog groomers stated that 47% of the dogs they groom are doodles. So if you have a cockapoo, labradoodle, cavapoo or poochon, the Choca-Doodle dog bathing range has been designed for you.These shampoos and conditioners from Groomers have been developed specifically for poodle-crosses which have super fluffy and dense coats.
We recommend their shampoo as it's not only designed to encourage dog hair that stands proud from the skin but it smells totally gorgeous too.
It should be diluted before use and lathers really well on thick coats.
Anyone with a doodle will know how time-consuming rinsing can be and this shampoo rinses really easily leaving a gorgeous sweet chocolate orange fragrance.
The Choca-Doodle range also includes a Conditioner and Comb Thru Spray which can be used in combination with the shampoo or on it's own between grooms.
Reasons to Buy
+ Ideal for dense coats
+ Easy to lather
+ Easy to rinse
+ Gorgeous scent
Reasons to Avoid
- Dogs with double coats
3. Purplebone Oatmeal Dog Shampoo
Best Dog Shampoo for Sensitive Skin
If your dog suffers with sensitive and dry skin, Purplebone shampoos are great at rebalancing their skin's moisture levels gently.
We recommend Purplebone because as London's leading dog groomers, Purplebone have a unquestionable expertise when it comes to dog shampoos!
Both their tea tree and their oatmeal shampoos have been developed to be cruelty free, PH balanced and free from any harsh chemicals.
Purplebone's shampoos are extremely concentrated so this unassuming 500ml bottle can be diluted into 7.5 litres, making it fabulous value for money.
We love the bottle design as the pump dispenser can help reduce waste (as each wash needs a small amount of concentrated shampoo).
Reasons to Buy
+ Pump bottle dispenser
+ Extremely concentrated
+ Free from 'nasties'
Reasons to Buy
- Pricier option
4. Ouai Fur Bébé’ Pet Shampoo
Best Luxury Shampoo for Dogs
If you’re prepared to fork out a little more on a dog shampoo then take a look at Ouai. Ouai are a french company renowned for their human range of beautifully chic hair products. Co-founded by hairstylist Jen Atkin, who has tended to the tresses of stars including supermodel Gigi Hadid and pop star Gwen Stefani.
Earlier this year they brought our their Fur Bébé shampoo so your dog can look effortlessly chic too!
It's full of gentle but super powerful ingredients to hydrate and moisturise your pooch's coat and skin.
Free from nasties, it's scented with Italian lemon, iris, white musk, lily, jasmine sambac and Turkish rose for some super sweet cuddles.
It even contains panthenol to soften and increase coat shine. Sounds good enough to use myself ...
Available from Cult Beauty so you can add it to your own beauty product order or (at the time of writing) available at John Lewis
Reasons to Buy
+ Luxurious scent
+ Moisturising
+ Luxury option
Reasons to Avoid
- Pricey option
5. Wildwash Natural Puppy Shampoo
Best Puppy Shampoo
If you've just welcomed a puppy to your family, opt for a dog shampoo specifically designed for puppies to avoid any adverse skin reactions.
Puppies have delicate and often more sensitive skin than adult dogs, so they need a much milder shampoo.
We recommend Wildwash as their sensitive shampoo is specifically designed with your puppy in mind.
All the Wildwash products are natural and their puppy shampoo combines aloe vera and evening primrose essential oils for their mild cleansing properties.
Wildwash suggest leaving the shampoo on your puppy's coat for 5 minutes to help the essential oils work their wonders.
The shampoo should be used diluted so add a couple of pumps to a jug of water and mix well before use.
Designed to give a light lather and rinse easily which is a must for a puppy shampoo as keeping the little wrigglers in one place can be tricky.
Reasons to Buy
+ Mild for puppy coats
+ Easy to rinse
+ All natural
Reasons to Avoid
- Needs diluting before use
- Scent isn't long lasting
6. The Healthy Dog Co. All Natural Shampoo
Best Dog Shampoo for Regular Cleansing
If your dog's coat is prone to matting then this is definitely the shampoo for you.
These shampoos aim to work at softening the coat make it easier to brush through. Ideal for breeds with curly hair that are prone to matting and tangle all too easily.
Their natural dog shampoo has some amazing reviews. It's worth noting though that because it is natural, it is quite a watery consistency and doesn't produce a lot of lather easily.
Don't be tempted to add more and more shampoo, it's designed to give a light lather and rinses really easily so great for dogs that want you to keep that bathing routine super quick.
It smelt nice with coconut oil, jojoba oil and lemongrass oil but the scent didn't last as long as Groom Professional Baby Fresh.
Reasons to Buy
+ All natural
+ Ideal for long coats
+ Easy to rinse
Reasons to Avoid
- Slightly pricier
- Temptation to add more
7. Wahl Diamond White
Best Dog Whitening Shampoo
There are lots of shampoos available on the market that are enhanced with ingredients to make your white or pale pooch’s coat gleam.
These purple shampoos work in a similar fashion to our human purple shampoos for blonde highlights!
If you are looking for a whitening shampoo we recommend Diamond White by Wahl.
Designed to enhance lighter coats and remove any staining from mud or tears.
Featuring white enhancers it can revitalise and boost the natural pigmentation of the coat.
As well as lightening the coat it does help to moisturises and leaves fur soft to touch. It has a pleasant smell albeit very faint.
If you're interested Wahl Diamond White can be used on dogs with multi-coloured coats, it won't lighten black or brown fur.
Reasons to Buy
+ Ideal for white coats
+ Ideal for tear-stains
+ Great value
Reasons to Avoid
- Limited scent
8. Pro Pooch Hydrating Shampoo
Best Dog Allergy Shampoo
If your dog has any allergies or is sensitive to any ingredients consider a natural dog shampoo, which excludes any chemical ingredients that could potentially worsen sensitive skin.
The main ingredients that can cause irritation in dogs are parabens, artificial fragrances and sodium lauryl sulfate (SLS).
We love Pro Pooch's Hydrating formula because it's free from alcohol, perfumes and enzymes so definitely fits the bill if your dog has sensitive skin.
Whilst it's mild and hypo-allergenic it combines oatmeal, pro-vitamin B5 and aloe, some powerful natural ingredients to clean your dogs coat whilst offering relief from itchy skin.
It should be used diluted and to achieve the most from the anti-itch properties, leave on your dogs coat for a few minutes before rinsing.
Amazing reviews from some very happy dog parents and their dogs.
Reasons to Buy
+ Ideal for sensitive skin
+ Easy to lather and rinse
+ No ' nasties'
Reasons to Avoid
- Needs diluting before use
9. Cooper & Gracie
Best Dog Flea Shampoo
Copper & Gracie's organic flea shampoo is the UK’s best-selling natural flea and tick shampoo.
Whilst you’ll find a wide range of flea treatment medicines for dogs on the market such as Frontline or Nexgard, you could opt to use a natural flea shampoo in addition to a topical or tablet anti-flea treatment.
As you probably guessed, their organic dog shampoo uses natural ingredients (lavender, chamomile, avocado, co