Giving Your Dog a Bath

Bathing dogs can be really tricky. To help you out with this task, here’s how you can do it without getting yourself all washed up.

First, choose a location where you will bathe your dog. You can go with a tub for big dogs or a sink for smaller dogs. You can also get a self-service dog tub from pet stores or you could bathe the dog outside.  Remember that warm water is best for the dog  so make sure to double check the temperature and confirm that it’s not too hot or too cold.

Make sure that your towel, shampoo, brushes and bath mat are ready. Being prepared saves you a lot of time from running around tring to remember where you set down the dog brush you used last week.

Of course, the first thing to do is to wet your dog. Make sure that they are thoroughly wet. Several dogs have coats that are waterproof, so you will have to spend a few minutes wetting them down. Put a hand on your dogs head while doing this to prevent shaking. Dogs will instinctively shake the water off and get you soaking wet in the process.

Apply shampoo on your dog’s hair creating a lather of soap with your hands. You can also try putting two-thirds of shampoo and one-third of water in a spray bottle. Avoid the face, eyes and genital area when soaping your dog, since these are all very sensitive areas.

Dogs love getting massages and the scrubbing part is probably the best part of bath time for them. Scrub and rub your dog. Use your fingers to help massage the dog, like when you wash your hair. There is also a rubber tool with nubs that you can purchase from a petstore that helps scrub the dog and massage him as well. Don’t forget to clean the feet and paws too! Let the shampoo sit for about 10 to 15 minutes keeping an eye one the dog to prevent them from trying to lick themselves.

Once done, it’s time to rinse your dog. Make sure you get all the shampoo out. And make sure that you don’t get any in their eyes and ears. Don’t miss out on the skin fold and the feet.

Lastly, it’s drying time. Don’t let your dog go. He’ll just get dirty immediately. Let him shake the water off, and you can towel-dry the excess water. Then lay a towel on the floor. The dog will instinctively run to it and rub itself on it. If your dog can tolerate it, you can also blow-dry his/her hair, however it must be very low heat if you do this!