First Coast Pet

Posts Tagged ‘bathing your dog’

How to give your dog a bath

Bath time, it could turn out to be a looked forward event or a dreaded event for your dog. It all depends on what you make out of it.  Be sure you set aside enough time to complete this event.  This will make your dog more comfortable if you are not rushed.

Dirt and odors love dogs, which makes learning how to give a dog a bath an essential part of caring for your pet. You may have visions, or past experiences of your pet tearing through the house all soaped up and shaking water all over your new furniture. Remember bath time dosen’t have to be an occasion to dread, if you plan ahead and give your dog a bath he’ll enjoy.  Have patients with your pet.I am a groomer and believe me when I tell you patients is awarding for both you and your dog.   I have a couple clients that have dogs that only have three legs , one is terrified of water, but all these dogs have trust in me, I have taken the time to show them how to stand, how to relax in the tub, bath time can be frightening to many pets. 

If you have read “about Cheyenne” in my blog, you will understand that not all dogs are the same.She used to be scared when I bathed her, she would hit the panic button big time!  I never would get upset with her, and showed her I wouldn’t hurt her and that bath was a good thing.I still have to be very slow with Cheyanne, but she has accepted bath time without much trouble.

First you want to gather you bath supplies, collect all the supplies you’ll need for bath before you start.  Some of the essential dog bath supplies that I like to use include:

Brush or comb: Have on hand the appropriate grooming brush or comb for your dog’s coat. One of my best recommendations is the Soft Rubber Dog Brush – Removes loose hair like a magnet, stimulates capillaries and natural oil production for healthy skin and coats.

Dog Shampoo and Cream Rinse: Be sure to use a Shampoo and Cream Rinse formulated for your pet.  Product made for people don’t have the appropriate pH balance for dogs and this in turn can damage the coat and skin. I like to use an Oatmeal base shampoo; it seems to help with the itches. 

Small Cotton Balls: These are for there ears, you need to keep water and soap clear of their ears.

Plastic Pitcher or Removable Shower head:  The pitcher works great if you don’t have a removable shower head for wetting and rinsing you pet.

Lots of Towels for Drying your pet.

A couple optional items you might like to use when you give your dog a bath are special ophthalmic ointment to keep your dogs eyes from being burned by the shampoo this is available from your veterinarian or a pet supply store, and an ear dry solution if your dog has a lot of ear infections.

Eight steps for bathing your dog:

When you have everything gathered up, its time to give your dog a bath!  A word of warning is be sure to close the door to the bathroom or whatever room you’re using to bath them, you don’t want any escapee’s…

Step one: Brush you dog

Be sure to always brush you dog before giving them there bath (this is also an important step in weekly dog grooming) you want to remove loose hair, tangles, and mats – bathing them before your do this will only make the tangles worse.

Step two:  It time to jump into the tub

Place your dog into the tub, if they will climb in the tub this is very helpful if not gently place your pet into the tub, remember you don’t want to scare them.  This is when you will want to put the cotton balls in the ears and apply the protective eye ointment in there eyes if you’re so inclined.

Step three: Get your pet wet!

Comfort to your pet is critical, make sure the water is lukewarm.  Start from the front and move to the back and the underneath, save his head for last – a dog with a dry head has less of a tendency to shake, since the best shakes start from the front and move back.   You can keep a better hold of your pet with his hair dry around his neck and head.

Step four: Time for the Shampoo

You will want to use a generous amount of shampoo, (but go easy on the shampoo around his head and ears).  Work the shampoo in to nice lather starting at the neck and moving back to the tail.When shampooing be sure to get ther belly and between the toes.  If your dog has a longer coat, be sure to squeeze and press the shampoo through his hair rather than rubbing it, this can cause tangles.

Step five:  Rinse and repeat if necessary

Rinse out the soap completely, Turn you hand over your dogs and check for any left over soap.  Soap left on your dog can cause skin irritation.  Be thorough when rinsing!  If you dog is real dirty and smelly you may have reapply the soap to the offending areas wash and rinse again. 

Step six: Wash the face last

Wet you dog’s head carefully and use your fingers or wash cloth to soap up his skull, muzzle and ears.  Keep the soap away from his eyes.Rinse everything again from front to back and do one last check for soapy residue that may need rinsing. 

Step seven:  Apply the cream rinse

Once you have your dog completely rinsed, it is time to apply the Cream Rinse.  A good hint for this is to mix your Cream Rinse half and half with water, this way the cream rinse isn’t to thick and it won’t go on to heavy.Work the cream rinse evenly all over your pet. I like to try and comb or brush the cream rinse into there coats, I feel this enhances their coat, and helps eliminates snarls in there coats. Be sure to rinse your pet thoroughly front to back as you did when you shampooed your dog.

Step eight: Prepare Yourself for the shake!

Remove the cotton balls from your dog’s ears.When you hold a towel up between you and your pet, they can shake themselves almost dry and you don’t get a shower.Then use the towel to dry as much of your dog as possible.If your pet has long hair remember to pat them dry this will help avoid tangles.If your dog will stand still for this, you can use a blow dryer to help dry them.  After a pleasant bath your dog may go nuts!Expect a sudden burst of craziness – rolling and running threw the house.  Keep them inside and out of drafts until they are completely dry.I have found that where ever your pet likes to lay, place a towel there to help absorb any excess water. 

That is it; you are all done with your pet’s bath.  See it isn’t that bad.  Bathing should be a regularly practice with good dog grooming.  Make sure you have the appropriate grooming supplies and equipment on hand and close by saving lots of confusion and trouble during there bath time. 

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Correct pet hygiene keeps the animal happy and healthy. And although dog bathing is recommended once a month most of the time, what are you to do after a weekend camping? Water and shampoo are bliss and any dog grooming bath makes a great occasion to trim nails, clean eyes and ears and brush the hair. In case you lack the basic grooming skills or you prefer professional grooming services, you can pay for a dog grooming bath with a local business weekly, once or twice a month. While hair brushing should be done regularly, bathing hardly has any rules.

A dog grooming bath can be an occasion for great fun if the pet is accustomed to bathing as a puppy. A young animal will always be more open to new experiences because it is playful; consequently, start a bathing routine as early as possible. If you adopt an older animal and you can’t handle the dog grooming bath on your own, it’s your duty to have it done. Check with local groomers for grooming and bathing services in one, because they are usually cheaper. Depending on the size of the pet and the hair thickness, you can pay up to $100 or even more for very large breeds.

High-maintenance dogs require great skill for dog grooming bath and only an experienced groomer will be able to handle heavy coats for instance. The advantage of professional services is that all sorts of bumps, lumps and even injuries may pass unnoticed by the owner under the thick coat, and the sooner they get detected, the better for the dog’s health. Unless you prevent matting, you’ll pay a great deal of money to get the dog’s hair untangled. Moreover, such a delicate procedure really tries the dog’s patience. There are even cases when the coat has to be shaved off to remove mats, and that is certainly not desirable at all.

To conclude, dog grooming bath should not be neglected regardless of whether you carry it out at home or you hire a professional. Ask the vet for the most suitable shampoo or cleaning product so that you may solve the issue of coat parasites as well. Drying the dog’s coat is another issue you need to handle carefully, because the blow-dryer may be useful, but it is not accepted by lots of dogs. Make the best of decisions starting from your pet’s preferences and individuality!