Bathing Your Dog at home

More and more dog owners are giving their dogs baths at home. Dog grooming isn't a luxury for dogs. It's a necessity, and it doesn't have to break the bank. Keeping your dog well groomed not only makes for clean-smelling companions, it also helps keep your dog more comfortable and allows you to spot health problems before they become serious, or even life-threatening.

How Should I Give My Dog A Bath?

How often you should wash your dog depends on a number of factors, including his health, breed, coat, and activity level. In addition, you should also consider where these activities are taking place. Dogs who spend the day outside rolling around in things they shouldn’t are going to need a bath far more often than ones who spend most of their time on the couch.

If your dog comes into the room and you can smell him, he needs a bath. If your dog is covered in dirt or dried mud, a thorough brushing (outside if possible!) followed by a bath is usually your best option.
Usually once a Month is best for most dogs.

Prepare Yourself and Your Dog
Brush or Comb your dog before a bath. Matted hair holds water, leaving your dog with irritated skin. If you can’t brush or cut the mats out yourself, or if your dog has hair that is matted into knots please take your dog to a professional groomer.

How Often Should I Bathe My Dog?
Dogs do need regular baths; but just how regular depends on several factors, such as the dog’s environment and type of coat.

General Guidelines:
Bathing your dog once a month works best for all breeds.  Of course, if your dog likes to go swimming, gets in mud puddles, or lives in the country and does a lot of rolling in who-knows-what, then you may want to bathe more frequently.

Avoid bathing more often than truly necessary, or you’ll strip your dog’s coat of its natural oils, making it dry and more prone to dandruff, frizzies, and mats. Some shampoos ( Blog links  ) may dry or irritate the dog’s skin more than others, in which case you should bathe less often or try a different shampoo.  Basically, the best way to gauge when your dog needs a bath is to give her a good sniff. How does she smell to you? Not so good, then time for a bath.

Where Should I Wash My Dog?
Small dogs have an advantage, as you can just place  them in the sink or laundry tub. Medium or Large breeds its best to use the bathtub, using a detachable nozzle.

Bathing outside using a garden hose is okay if the dog is truly filthy or the weather’s good, but make it an occasional experience. Dogs don’t like being cold, and most don’t like having a hose shot at them.

Step 1: Prepare
Setting up the bathing area beforehand will help ensure a smooth and stress-free process. First, gather all the necessary supplies, Handheld Shower Head / hose Spray, Non-Slip Bathmat, Leash/Collar, Shampoo, Conditioner, Towels, Bath Rug or Mat for the Floor.

Step 2:  Call Your Dog
Invite your dog to join you in the bathing area. Gentle coaxing and or brining your dog into the bathing area, if your dog is not having it, this is wear a leash and collar come into play, attach the leash to the collar so they know it’s time to listen.

To lift your dog into the basin or tub, place one hand beneath his chest, and the other behind his hind legs. If he’s large, lift with your knees rather than your back. Know your limits, and recruit a friend for help if your dog is too heavy for you to lift by yourself. However you can teach any dog to hop into the tub, using treats the first few times.
Secure your dog’s leash to prevent him from bolting mid-bath. If he’s a high flight risk, rub some all-natural peanut butter on the edge of the tub to keep him occupied.

Step 3: Get Wet
Wet your dog from the base of his skull down to the tip of his tail, first making very sure that the water isn’t too hot or too cold. Be sure to pay close attention to hard-to-reach areas such as the legs, chest and groin area. Because dogs’ coats repel water.  You can also use the sponge to wet his head, as it’s less invasive than spraying.

Step 4: Add the Shampoo
Fill your palm with an all-natural shampoo ) https://www.valuedogtraining.com/best-dog-shampoos-and-conditioners    formulated for dogs. Avoid human shampoo or dish soap, as the high acidity can upset the sensitive PH balance of your dog’s skin.

Apply the shampoo to the base of your dog’s skull. Avoiding the eyes, massage into a lather around your dogs head and chest. Just like you did with the water, work your way down your dogs body using long, gentle strokes and massage for a few minutes or so, if your dog starts to get antsy, time to start to RINSE .

Step 5: Rinse and Repeat
Dog shampoo’s are not too sudsy, however it’ very important to get all the shampoo out. Rinse your dog thoroughly from head to tail until the water runs clear. Then rinse again! Use your fingertips to part it’s hair, ensuring no soapy residue is left on your dogs skin.

Step 6: Condition The Coat
This step isn’t always necessary, especially if your dog’s coat is already naturally soft and silky. A conditioner formulated for canines can be a good addition to baths all year long. If possible, use the conditioner counterpart to the shampoo you’ve used.  Apply the conditioner the same way you did the shampoo. Let it sit as long as the instructions recommend, or your dog will allow and rinse well.

Step 7: Dry Time
Basic ways to Dry your Dog:
Winter Months, with lots of towels, blow dryer and or a space heater,  placed on the counter to insure safety. For skittish dogs who don’t like loud noises, the latter option is the obvious choice.

Towel Drying, regular bath towels work fine, they can be cumbersome. To make your life easier, reach for something more lightweight., such as  Microfiber Dog Bath Towels, as they absorbs water much more quickly than a bath towel, making the process faster and more enjoyable for your dog.

Blow Drying, make sure its not too hot, also stop every 3 to 5 minutes to check your dog fur, to see how dry the fur is. Space Heater, the space heater is used to heat the bathroom to help with drying and also so your dog is not so cold

Step 8: Let’m Loose
From your dog’s perspective, this is a crucial part of bath time! Running “zoomies” helps them get rid of any lingering bath-induced stress, and gives them a chance to shake off that “soapy” smell. If weather permits, let them do this in the backyard to keep them from rubbing along the carpets and furniture.

Health Reasons for Bathing Your Dog

Bathing is very important to your dog’s comfort and health, which becomes an aspect of good hygiene. Bathing can be relaxing for your dog as it can soothe sensitive skin, it’s coat is free of mats, burrs and tangles and skin free of parasites such as fleas and ticks; it also allows you to look for lumps, bumps and injuries.

Emotional Side Effects

The Emotional side of bathing your dog at home, a dog that is dog that is bathed at home are more relaxed since they are in their own environment.

Dogs in good physical shape are happier than those in poor condition. If your dog’s fur is dirty and or matted, they’re in a state of discomfort. Which also has a behavior side effect on them, from a personality changes that can range from your dog may become depressed to being mild irritability to an outright violent behavior.  To avoid this, you must brush your dog’s hair daily or weekly with the right comb and or brush.

Keeping your dog clean is more than just a pampering session, it makes them feel good.


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