Bathing Your Dog without Needing To Redecorate
Dogs usually fall into two categories: there are those that love to be bathed or at least quietly submit to it, albeit looking as pathetic as a drowned rat, and then there are those that will struggle, fight, try to get out of the tub, and by and large carry on to such an extent that the water will be everywhere and a large dog trying to escape may actually do quite a bit of damage to your dainty furniture and Japanese silk screens. In some cases there is precious little you can do about this other than taking the dog to a professional groomer or relegating grooming activities outside. In other cases, however, the dog is not opposed to being bathed – it just does not appreciate your lack of skill!
Sure, bathing your dog without needing to redecorate is not brain surgery, but there are simple dos and donts to observe nonetheless.
1.Have a tub that is big enough to hold the entire dog. Split sinks – such as they are found in the majority of kitchens – are great for a Yorkshire terrier but when it comes to a Rottweiler they might be a bit undersized. You do need to have enough space for the dog to fit into the tub in its entirety.
2.Dogs hate slipping. Many a time when a dog is trying to escape a bath it is not the water or bathing that it loathes but the feeling of slipping in the tub. Placing a cheap rubber mat on the bottom of the tub is an easy way to fix this problem and keep the pooch securely in place.
3.Prior to the bath, brush dogs with long coats to get rid of tangles and also clumps of hair. Waiting until after the bath makes detangling a lot more difficult and will also clog your drain.
4.Invest in a high quality shampoo for the dog. Do not use dish soap or shampoo as this will dry out your dogs skin in no time, leading to endless scratching and chewing, bald spots and before long the need for costly treatments. Considering that a dog is only bathed once very two to three weeks, you will get a lot of use out of that bottle of high priced shampoo and splurging should not hurt the pocket book overmuch.
5.Use lukewarm water cold water is just as distasteful to your dog as cold showers are to you and take care to not get water into its ear canals! If necessary, consider gently placing a little cotton ball into the ear canal to keep the water out.
6.Massage the shampoo into your dogs fur and gently talk to your pooch. The dog should associate relaxing and soothing tones with the activity, not barked orders and pulling on tails or yanking on ears. Just like with a child, this is not the time to interrupt and take a phone call while the dog is freezing in the tub. When you are bathing your canine, it is best to stick with the activity at hand and not interrupt.
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