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Giving Your Dog a Bath
The art of how to give your dog a bath is a skill that needs to be learned and mastered. By reading these tips, you can be effective and get started right away.
First, the basic thing to remember is this: dogs hate water. They hate getting wet. What should you do to give your dog a bath if they are afraid of the water?
What To Do If Your Dog Hates Bathing
Some dogs are really afraid of the water and cower when they know it is bath-time. Following these tips will make bath-time easier.
- Place a towel in the empty bath tub to give your dog a secure footing. Put a treat in there, and encourage him to jump in after it. Repeat this several times if necessary.
- Run a trickle of water with the drain open.
- Gradually allow the water level to rise with your dog in the tub. Distract him by beginning to apply shampoo.
- Offer your dog treats during the bath-time if it helps your dog to relax.
Few dogs like bathing at least initially, but by approaching it in a gentle, slow manner it makes everything so much easier.
Other Top Bathing Tips
Preparation
Before you start the bath, your dog must already be properly brushed with all matted fur dealt with, ears cleaned, and preferably with nails cut.
Cutting the nails before the bath will reduce the chances of cutting the quick. After the bath, the blood vessels will be dilated due to the warm temperature of the water, making the blood pressure build up inside the nails. For best practices, see our article on how to cut your dog’s nails HERE
Recommended Nail Clipper
We recommend The Peti Care Led Light Nail Clipper as the safe and easy way to clip your dog’s nails, the illuminated light working together with a magnifier makes it easy to see the delicate blood line so that you can cut in the right spot. It can be purchased from BeeBeeShoppingUSA.com via the link HERE
Placing Your Dog In The Bath
Ensure that your bath tub has a non-slip surface. A lead or leash around your dog’s neck will help her feel more secure and that she can’t go anywhere while being washed. This is because most dogs understand that they need to stay close to you when on a lead.
Some dogs react quickly when they hear a doorbell or phone ring, so being on a lead lowers the chance of the dog running out of the bath tub soaking wet.
Water temperature needs to be luke warm. We love hot baths, dogs do not. Run the water before placing your dog in the bath so that they can get used to the noise of the flowing water. Use enough water to soak their entire body, but not too much. Don’t give your dog too much water, since that can cause them to get drenched instead of relaxed.
Shampooing Your Dog
When bathing your dog, make sure that you use a safe preferably organic shampoo or a neutral one for the dog’s fur. A gentle shampoo is essential.
Wet the body first, leaving the head for later as many dogs panic when water is poured over their head. When your dog is calm, tilt the head upwards to prevent water going into the nose.
Applying the Shampoo
Apply shampoo to the dirtiest areas first (such as paws, bottom and belly) to be sure the shampoo has time to deep clean those areas.
The head and face should be last areas to get wet and shampooed and the first ones to be rinsed, to avoid excessive shaking and fewer chances for the shampoo to get into the eyes, ears and mouth.
With the help of the correct sized bathing brush, scrub the bottom of the paws making sure that no dirt is left in between the pads and the nails. When the coat is wet, closely examine the skin for fleas, ticks, cuts, scratches or another abnormalities
When You Have Finished Enjoy The Time With Your Dog
Once your dog’s body is perfectly scrubbed, lie your dog down on a towel after bathing, this will make your dog relax and the towel will soak some the water and give your dog a warm snuggly feeling.
Making bathing fun and enjoyable will make it more rewarding for you and your dog. Give your dog a hug and let him know you both did a great job and let it be something your dog looks forward to.
Thanks for Reading
For more dog “How to” articles click HERE
or visit some of the articles following the links below
How to Stop Your Dog Jumping Up
Check out my Traffic Underdog Review
