I bathe Belle every week, my shih tzu also has a weekly bath. When I was looking for a new shampoo at Petco last month, a woman who works there looked at me like I was nuts when I told her how often I bathe them. She thought that it would be bad for their skin/coat. I said they are both healthy and have beautiful coats. I wouldn't do it any other way
(As far as 3 times a year.... that's crazy - even my big dog gets a bath at least once a month!)