8 Tips on Bathing Your Dog ...

Once you’ve successfully made it through the actual bath, there is the after-bath that needs to take place. Dry your dog with towels until his fur quits dripping. If your dog will let you, use a hair dryer to speed up the drying process. Using a hair dryer will get down deeper into the downy fur of thick-haired dogs.

Clear off the kitchen sink if you have a very small dog that is getting a bath in the kitchen. There are usually a number of items placed around the kitchen sink that can be potentially harmful. Make sure doors are closed so that he won’t escape out the front door as he tries to run away from bath time.

Shampoo and conditioners come in a wide range of choices. There are medicated versions for getting rid of fleas, natural liquids for sensitive skin, and even the type of fur being washed might determine what shampoo and conditioner should be used. Take a close look at the shampoo and conditioner aisle to see what you might need for your dog.

Soak your dog’s fur thoroughly before applying the first round of shampoo. You’ll end up using more shampoo by trying to rub the liquid into dry fur and it’s hard to work up lather in dry fur. It’s usually easier to lather up your own hair when it’s wet, right? This is the same principle; wet hair equals better suds.

Brush your dog’s fur to get as much of the loose hairs out as possible before bathing him. This will lessen the chance of a clogged drain from excessive amounts of hair. You should also be able to wash your dog without having clumps of fur collecting around your fingers and all over your hands.

Make sure the shampoo and conditioner are within reach. This will eliminate chances of the dog escaping as you stretch to reach the bottle of shampoo or conditioner. Dogs always seem to be looking for a chance to either bolt from the bathtub or shake water all over. As long as you have one hand on the pup, then neither escaping nor shaking should take place successfully.

If you are using the bathtub, then make sure it has water in it before you gather up the dog. The shower curtain should be all the way open or taken completely off. Anything that will be easily knocked off of the edge of the tub and into the water should be removed. There’s nothing worse than loosing a bar of soap in a fur-filled bathtub. Yuck.

Dogs are notorious for shaking at will and soaking everything in sight. Not only will your clothes be sopping wet, but also any books, magazines, wall hangings, and anything else in the bathroom or kitchen. I assume that my clothes are going to get wet, no matter what. I do try to remember to waterproof the bathing room as much as possible before giving my dog a bath.

I think that giving the dog a bath successfully can be accomplished with these 8 tips on bathing your dog. I hope these are useful and that you have very little difficulty giving your dog a bath. If you already have a routine in place, please feel free to share some tips that you use. What dog-bathing tips did you learn the hard way?

Top Photo Credit: jamyam