I don't like to bathe Cooper more than necessary, but we've had so much rain lately that every trip to the dog parks inevitably leads to a silly dog romping through big muddy puddles-- leading to a much-needed bath at home. Since we let Coop up on the couch and in our bed, I'm a bit anal about bathing him when he's dirty. This past weekend he got three soapy hose-downs after trips to the dog park and Lake Michigan.

I'd like to be able to take him to the dog park and lake more frequently, but I know daily baths aren't good for his coat. What products can you recommend that are particularly gentle for his skin/fur? 

I use Dawn to degrease (especially my Hound) and then Buddy Wash for a nice moisturing finish. I hardly ever give a bath b/c they swim almost every other day in the summer. It is nice once in a while to give a good scrub to get some of the dead coat out.

Murphy's (the original formula and this is important) is the right pH and is all organic. Before they were bought out by Palmolive they even had on their label dog wash as one of the uses. I do have a concern about dish washing detergents including Dawn for bathing dogs. It cuts grease well and is made to clean greasy pots and pans so I can see where it might be attractive as a dog shampoo. The problem is twofold 1) over time it will dry the skin and make the dog itch, 2) it is not the proper pH for a dog. So, if you were only using it once in a while it probably would not be a problem, but not something I would use for regular bathes. By the way, Dawn is often used in the de-skunking home formulas.