Posts Tagged ‘bathing your dog’
How to Give your Dog a Bath
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.Bathing your pet takes time, make sure you have allowed for this. 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 had past experiences or visions of your dog running through the house half-soaped up and shaking water all over your furniture. Bath time doesn’t have to be a an occasion to dread if you plan ahead and give your pet 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 pet. 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 will never get upset with her, I show her that I won’t hurt her and the bath is a good thing. I still have to be very slow with her, but she has accepted bath time without to 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.A word to the wise, don’t use prodcuts made for people to bath your pet, these prodcuts don’t have the appropriate pH balance and may harm your pets 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!
Checking the temperature of the water is important to your pet, make sure it 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.Don’t forget to shampoo between their toes and make sure you get there bellly. 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 to keep your cream rinse from going on to heavy, mix it half and half with water. Massage 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.I have found if your hold a towel up and stand back your pet will shake themselves almost dry.Towel drying your dog as much as you can. If they have 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 your dog should be a regular practice with your dog grooming program.Be sure to have the appropriate grooming supplies and equipment on hand, makes theings so much easier during bath time.
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Dog Bathing
Pet hygiene is essential for human and animal health and wellness. 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 is a great occasion to brush the pet’s hair, clean its ears and eyes and trim the nails. If you don’t have 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.
If you accustom your dog with bathing when it’s still a puppy, a dog grooming bath will always be a source of fun. A young animal will always be more open to new experiences because it is playful; that is the time to take the first bath together. If you get an adult dog, bathing could be difficult, although, it’s your duty to pay someone to do it. Check with local groomers for grooming and bathing services in one, because they are usually cheaper. Depending on the hair thickness and the pet size, the costs are sometimes over $100 for large hairy 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, do not neglect the importance of a dog grooming bath. You can find out what shampoo or cleaning product to use by asking for the vet’s advice. 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!
Dog Bathing
Pet hygiene is essential for human and animal health and wellness. 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 is 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.
If you accustom your dog with bathing when it’s still a puppy, a dog grooming bath will always be a source of fun. When the animal is young, it is more playful and open to new experiences; 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 hair thickness and the pet size, 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, it tries the dog’s patience really hard when it has to wait during this delicate procedure. There are even cases when coat shaving is required for mat removal.
To conclude, do not neglect the importance of a dog grooming bath. 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. Consequently, try to always adapt grooming decisions to your pet’s preferences and individuality!