Tips for Bathing!!

Category: Pet Health, Pets, Puppy Care | Tags:

Date: April 2nd, 2013

Has your dog gone without a bath for too long, because the process is daunting to you??

When should you bathe your dog?  Whenever he starts to SMELL like a dog!  Or about once a month for the average dog I would say.  You don’t want to bathe too much because then his skin will dry out.

Here are some tips!

1) Start bathing your dog regularly at a young age to get him use to the process.  Puppies should be at least 4 weeks old before their first bath.  I have been bathing Valentino since I got him a 10 weeks, once a month, and he is very use to it now- still hates it- but he will stand in the shower and let me wash him.  I even taught him not to shake until I’m out of the shower!

2) If bathing inside, make sure your house is warm, also do your prep work before hand- like getting shampoo and towels ready to go.  Also is you are bathing in the tub (or a slippery shower), make sure there you have a non-stick matt, or else your dog will slide all over and get scared, and possibly hurt himself

3) Start by combing out any matts if your dog has long hair.  Otherwise the water turns the matts into hard masses.  If your dog’s hair is matted with a sticky material, trim with clippers or soak the area with mineral oil for 24 hours.  (Or consult a professional groomer for difficult matting).

4) Prep your dog.  You can put cotton in their ears to prevent water from dripping in.  I do not do this, because im afraid of the cotton slipping down the ear canal, but if the cotton is large enough it wont slip.

5) Bathe your dog as quickly as possible to make the process less annoying for both of you.  Be thorough and do a good cleaning.  Make sure you get out ALL the soap or else his coat with itch, and you’ll have to do the whole process again.  Dry your dog immediately.  Use a good pet chamois, lots of big soft towels, or a hair dryer set to a low setting, not too hot.  Or use all 3 like I do!

Good luck!