Should I bathe my dog
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Should you bathe your dog in the first place? I guess bathing your dog is a matter of preference. Most dogs live indoors nowadays and whilst it may not harm your dog to have caked mud on him from playing out in the yard, your sofa would certainly suffer the consequences if he chooses to lounge on it straight after. Some people just don't like doggy odor - some don't mind it, so for some owners bathing is a ritual they perform with their dog on a weekly basis to ensure that he smells delicious most days.
How often should you bathe your dog? It really depends on the breed. Some hound breeds like whippets and greyhounds don't have much fur and therefore a rub down with a hound glove may be all that's needed weekly and thereafter a monthly bath. Bathing tends to strip the natural oils (which is what the bacteria grow on that result in the 'doggy odor') on the dog's skin and if you do this too often will lead to dryness in the skin and you may end up with a dog that's got overly dry skin that scratches a lot. Naturally if your dog tends to LOVE mud and the great outdoors, then you may need to bathe him more often.
Outside or inside? Are you intending to bathe your dog in the bath tub or in a big plastic bath outdoors? The main advantages of the bathing the dog outdoors is that you have less cleaning up to do after. No matter how well you dry the dog after the bath, if you bathe indoors, you will get a trail of pawprints and drops of water through the house when your dog does the 'doggy shake'. Bathing outdoors have the following disadvantages:
1. your dog may decide that it doesn't approve of his newly acquired 'smell' and roll in the yard to make himself smell better!
2. outdoors can get drafty and wintertime baths outdoors would be too cold.
3. not everyone has piped hot water running in the outdoor taps so you need to work out how to get warm water out to the bath area outdoors
Once you've decided where you want to bathe your dog then there's a shortlist of items you should have ready BEFORE the bath - if you don't have that towel handy after the bath, then be prepared for a bath yourself!
1. lead - if you need to tie your dog up then you need a lead. You may want to use a lead other than his normal walking lead because it will get wet and unless you don't mind holding onto a damp lead for his next walk (in case it doesn't dry in time), then get another one.
2. towels - I find large beach type towels are too unwieldy when drying especially if you have a wriggler who will step on the towel or get tangled up in it. I prefer using a couple of smaller towels.
3. a rubber mat for the tub (if this is where you are planning to bathe him) - the tub will be too slippery without something for him to get his footing on.
4. washcloth for his face
5. hose attachment to the tub tap outlet if you don't have a hand held shower connection in the bath tub.
6. shampoo - use a dog shampoo - don't use human products.
7. brush - if you need to comb your dog's hair after the bath
8. hair dryer - some short coated dogs don't need this.
9. cotton balls for their ears - not all dog owners use this, some just make sure they are very careful not to wet their dog's ears when they run the water over their heads.
You're all set to go. Bring your dog to the bath with the lead and carry him into the bath - some owners I know seem to think that getting their dog to jump into the bath tub is a good thing - it's dangerous and I wouldn't recommend it. Some dog owners like to fill the bath up with tepid water (not too hot, about 102 degrees Fahrenheit) to about half way up the dog's legs and use a cup to pour water over the dog's body. I find that this method works okay if your dog has very short fur. If your dog has a double coat or very thick fur, it takes forever to soak them through - initially you will find that it just seems to run off their backs. For longer coat dogs or dogs with double coats eg Labradors, I prefer using the shower hose attachment set to a low spray and run this over their backs which seems to do a better job. Once he's all wet, apply the shampoo on his back and work it through his coat. I don't tend to use the shampoo on their faces. I just use water on the wash cloth to wipe their faces clean. Rinse well - make sure you get all the shampoo off his coat. Again I know dog owners who opt to drain the soapy water and refill the tub to rinse. I find that this isn't ideal for a lot of dogs. It's slow and the dogs don't like the water splashing in the tub whilst they are standing there. Using a shower hose attachment is the best - it's quick and if you hold it up against their fur it doesn't splash as much and ensures that they get a good rinse. There are now conditioning products out there for dogs which work well for some dogs - some of these products even have anti-bacterial products in them to reduce the chances of hot spots developing. If your dog is prone to getting hot spots, it may be worth a try. Once you're done, you have one of 2 options. Stand back and let your dog shake off the bulk of the water or dry off as much as possible before letting him do the shake. It's really up to you. Option 1 would mean you'd be cleaning off droplets from your mirror, floors, walls and even ceilings, option 2 would reduce the amount of cleaning you have to do after. Take the cotton balls to out of his ears and wipe his ears dry with new cotton balls. Blow dry if you feel like it but make sure the setting is on low.
Other important things to note:
1. puppies chill easily so unless absolutely necessary I'd keep baths to them to a minimum
2. if you have a long coated dog, then don't for a moment think that wetting the dog will make the mats easier to comb out. It has the opposite effect. So make sure your dog's coat is free of mats BEFORE the bath.
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