Proper Bathing for Your Dog
Proper grooming for your dog includes following a correct bathing procedure to keep your dog clean, while not taking too much of a toll on your patience and time. While there are some who believe that bathing their dogs frequently will keep them clean, dogs should only be bathed when they are is dirty or if they are infested with fleas.
A vast majority of dogs hate baths. This is why knowledge of the correct techniques in bathing dogs is necessary to make bath time much easier for you and your dog.
If you opt to wash your dug in some kind of a tub, it would be good to think of ways, like a game, to make him used to entering and leaving the tub. While doing so, make sure that the tub is empty. As soon as he adjusts to the act of going in the tub, get him used to water – or at least the sound of water at first. You can then gradually fill the tub with more and more water until he is able to fully adjust to bathing in the tub.
Procedure for Bathing Your Dog
Prior to starting to give our dog a bath, prepare all the equipment for bathing and grooming. These equipment would be rubber mat, hair dryer, comb or brush, towels, cotton balls, ear powder, ear wash, nail clippers, cotton swabs, mineral oil, toothpaste, toothbrush, blunt scissors, small pitcher, stripping knife and a couple of dog treats. This is so that you will have them where you need them once you need them.
Also, before plunging him in his bath, it would be wise to thoroughly brush his coat. You can remove the mats and tangles using blunt scissors or a stripping knife, as bathing can make these worse.
Make sure to put some kind of rubber matting in the base of the tub, to avoid slips and slides while bathing which could hurt him. If you have a smaller dog, a rubber basin could be sufficient enough. Remember to fill the tub with only a couple of inches of water.
If you have already gotten him used to the tub or bath area, then getting him to enter the tub would no longer be an issue. But if you haven’t, you could try to use a leash and harness, and probably also a muzzle if he tries to bite. This would only be until he gets used to bathing time.
As you start bathing him, use a detachable nozzle or small pitcher to wet him. Make sure that you keep water away from his face, as this might scare him and traumatize him, making him fear water. You can make use of a small washcloth along with mild soap to cleanse the face.
Veterinarians and dog grooming specialists recommend dog shampoo for dog bathing. Never use other cleansing agents like detergents, human shampoo or dishwashing liquid, as these may remove the natural oils of your dog’s skin, causing it to look dry and chaffed. Look for a dog shampoo that will be suitable for the age, breed and type of your dog’s fur.
To protect the eyes from being irritated, apply some mineral oil on the surrounding area using a cotton swab.
Put on the shampoo beginning at your dog’s head down to the tail then work up a lather. You would probably have to use more shampoo on his paws and legs because these may have accumulated a lot more dirt than any other part of his body. As you shampoo him, do not get shampoo in his ears, his eyes and his nose. Ensure that you are able to clean his stomach properly.
After doing the shampooing, you can start rinsing your dog’s face using a small cup, and not a nozzle that is detachable. You can just use it to rinse the body. Rinse him a few times over so that you would be sure that you were able to remove all the soap, since any leftover soap could cause skin irritation.
After that, wrap a towel around your dog and then playfully dry him, so he would think of bathing as a pleasurable activity.
After towel-drying your dog, groom him. You can probably use a dryer to completely dry him or just put him out in the sun.
