Bathing Your Dog

As we all know, our beloved pets tend to get a little dirty and with that comes a noticeable smell that follows your dog everywhere he or she goes. One is usually reminded of this when we allow our dog indoors. The reason we bathe our dogs is to give them healthy skin as well as a  nice shiny coat. It also allows us to check them for any fleas or ticks in those hard to see areas. You can also check your dog for noticeable lumps under the skin.

First lets begin by selecting a shampoo.  Every pet store has a variety. You want to stick with the kind that is for the kind of coat/hair your dog has. For example wire hair shampoo would be good for a poodle but not a long haired golden retriever. Be sure to check the ingredients because your dog  may have a skin allergy to certain types and you want to avoid any skin rashes or  irritations. Your vet can tell you what allergies your dog may have.   

Some dogs are afraid of water while others may be scared of the hose.  If you have a spray nozzle on your hose I would recommend removing it  because the hissing sound it creates may upset your dog. The bathing  process can be fun for both the dog and you but it is up to the person  doing the washing to make the dog feel at ease. You will get wet during  this process so don't wear your Sunday best!

Start by rinsing your dog with water. This will help loosen any dirt and hair. Take your shampoo and apply a strip down your dog's back from the base of the  neck to the beginning of the tail. With your hands, lather the shampoo into your dogs coat down to the skin. A little bit of shampoo goes a long way and you can also start working the shampoo underneath your dog towards the  belly. Apply more shampoo as needed. After the body is lathered up you  can apply a little amount on the tail and work it in towards the skin. BE CAREFUL when using shampoo near your dog's head. You do not want  shampoo going into his eyes or ear canals. After the shampoo is applied  rinse your dog off with water. This may take a little while because  depending on the thickness of your dog's coat the shampoo may be deep.  Run your hands along the coat while doing this. You will notice loose  hair coming off as well the shampoo. Your dog will probably want to  shake off the water and that is fine just make sure the excess shampoo  is off after you are finished. Take a clean towel or two and dry off   the dog the best you can.

Again all dogs are different size, shape, and fur density so do the best you can. With the dogs I've had, I usually give them several hours to dry off before I let them in the house. This is for two reasons. The first is they may still be a little damp and the second at least in my experience is they tend to shed....a lot! When you feel your dog is completely dry take a brush and run it through their coat, with the grain from head to tail, and see how much excess hair comes up. Also if you have a "rake" use that against the grain before the brushing starts to get hair out from the dogs undercoat. This is  typically for longer hair dogs.   

Thank you for your time and I hope this article is helpful. Good luck!   

Deputy Mick LaBarbera and K-9 Axel