If you’ve got a new furry-friend that is a new puppy and confused about how to give a nice and comfortable bath to your dog than this article is for you. The pet in the house always love attention but when it comes to his bath time he would rather like to skip that session. But bathing plays a very important role in terms of your dog’s health, hygiene and overall dog grooming.
Here are some tips that would help you to give a great bath to your dog:
Decide the location and prep it:
Find a proper location where you can wash your dog and keep everything that is dog grooming tools ready before you get your puppy in the bath. Grab all the dog essentials like dog towel coat, spa dog shampoo, dog grooming spray conditioner, cotton balls, and brush and set them within easy reach. Also, make sure that the bathtub has a nonslip surface.
Brush Your Dog Before and After Bath:
Brushing your dog before bath will help to remove any loose fur to keep debris and bacteria from matting, as a matted hair holds the water and leave your dog with irritated skin. Also, put a cotton ball in each ear to keep water out.
Depending on your breed of dog, you can brush your dog after the bath as well. In case you have a long-haired dog this would become necessary to brush after a bath because the possibility of the dog’s hair get matted is higher.
Begin the Wash- Pay Attention to Eyes And Ears:
Maintain the temperature of a water right, dogs are sensitive to hot water, this can burn their skin so before start wetting the body of your dog check the water temperature. It should be warm, but not hot similarly, too cold water will give your dog a chill.
For washing, you need to first dilute the spa dog shampoo with water and start rinsing good tap water to your dog, apply the dog shampoo to your dog’s body including paws and the tail. Comfort is the key, make sure after rubbing your dog’s body with shampoo nicely, you’re wiping them out thoroughly with the cotton ball to get any sort of dirt. Also, while rinsing water you need to be extra careful around the eyes, ears and nose.
Clean gently all the dirt from ears using cotton balls, don’t go digging with a Q-tip, it can be a bit dangerous to his eardrums or you can use a specific ear cleaner which would come along dog grooming tools to clean those specific areas.
Trim Your Dog’s Nails If Needed:
Trimming dog’s nails is an essential part of dogs grooming also, trimmed nails are the clear sign of a dog’s good health and hygiene. This can be an anxiety-laden experience for your dog so, trimming their nails frequently would help them become accustomed to the process.
If your dog’s nails need trimming, it is advisable to trim them before giving a bath to your dog so that it would help you to stay safe from accidental starching from your dog in case if he gets agitated or fussy.
If you aren’t sure about the dog’s nails trimming process then go for professional help. Also, if the nails are short then there is no need to trim them otherwise this would cause bleeding and infection to your dog.
Dry your Dog:
Generally, dogs are notorious for a big wet shake to get out of excess water, if your dog has a long hair you can squeeze out excess water with your hands. Else, a dog blow dryer which uses less heat than a human hairdryer will be helpful.
You need to be very careful while using a dog blow dryer sometimes, the noise and the hot air of the dryer irritate the dog. Also, if your dog’s skin is sensitive then you should skip the use of the dryer.
The other option is, cover your dog with a dog towel coat while you’re working on something else such as you’re clipping his hair, cleaning his ears so that your dog’s wet skin get soaked under the towel coat.
You need to ensure that you’re drying your dog completely, do not let him out until he is completely dry to avoid any kind of itchiness or infection caused by wetness.
A Treat for Appreciation:
For keeping positive association during every bath session, give your dog a treat every time you wash him. This way your dog will learn and start enjoy his grooming time with you. Also, in case your dog gets nervous during bath you can give him a treat in between the bathing process.