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Monday, October 22, 2012
It's Bath Time, Make it Fun!
Do the words “give the dog a bath” fill you with visions of a soapy, panicked pup crashing around the house? What about when they're finally free and they charge soaking wet onto the bed or the couch (spreading that “wet dog” smell on everything)? Is it bad enough that you find yourself letting your dog go weeks or maybe even months without a bath, just to avoid the stress?
Well, you're not alone.
My friend Margie has a little black and white Terrier named Chips who just HATES baths. Every time she mentions the word "bath," he runs away and hides under the sofa. It takes the entire family to catch and bathe him. Margie even tried SPELLING the word to trick him. "It's time to give Chips a B-A-T-H," she would say. But Chips soon caught on and began running for cover at the very spelling of the word. (Who said dogs aren't smart?)
There are many challenges to washing your dog. Some dogs are scared of the noise or don't like the smell of the soap, and some dogs just plain don't like the feeling of water on their skin. Big dogs can be more of a handful just because of their size. Dogs with thick coats are always more difficult to bathe because it's hard to clean through the fur down to the skin. (If you neglect washing out all the soap your dog could risk skin flakes and irritation.) Bathing your dog in an apartment or condo can be a challenge without an outside hose. These owners must wrangle their pooch in a slippery bathroom or pay a groomer...and that adds up.
No matter how difficult it is to bathe your dog, there’s no way around the fact that your dog does eventually need it. Here’s a good rule of thumb: whenever your dog starts to SMELL like a dog, it is time for a good bath. Regardless of how you do it, your dog needs to be bathed regularly: indoors or out, no matter how messy or unpleasant the job can be, this is something that just has to be done.
We know it's hard, so here are some tips to help make the job easier:
1. Start bathing your dog regularly at a young age to get him used to the process. Remember, puppies should be at least four weeks old before they receive their first bath.
2. Before giving your dog a bath indoors, make sure the house is warm. Turn up the thermostat a few degrees if necessary. Do your prep work and have everything ready ahead of time; you don't want to be scrambling for shampoo or a towel while you're trying to wash the dog.
3. Start by combing and brushing out all mats. Otherwise, the water will turn the mats into solid masses which will require clippers to remove. If your dog's hair is matted with paint, tar or some other sticky material, trim with clippers or soak the area with vegetable or mineral oil for 24 hours. (Consult a professional groomer for particularly difficult tangles.)
4. Prep your dog. Put a drop of mineral oil in their eyes to protect delicate tissues from suds (be sure to hold their head steady so they can' push the dropper into their eyes). Some people use cotton balls in the ears to prevent water from dripping in. If you use cotton balls, make sure they're the right size for your dog's ears; if they're too small, they may slip down the ear canal. Be very gentle with your dog's delicate ears and don't push the cotton down further than can be easily retrieved.
5. Bathe your dog as quickly as possible to make the process less annoying for both of you. Be thorough and do a good cleaning, but whether you're using an indoor tub or shower or washing him in the yard, do it as quickly as possible. Make sure to dry your dog immediately. Use a good pet chamois, lots of big soft towels, or a hair dryer set to a low setting. (If you don't dry him, he will "shake off" all the water on you, your house or anything nearby!)
Intelligent Content | 602 McNab Rd. | Pompano Beach | FL | 33060
Well, you're not alone.
My friend Margie has a little black and white Terrier named Chips who just HATES baths. Every time she mentions the word "bath," he runs away and hides under the sofa. It takes the entire family to catch and bathe him. Margie even tried SPELLING the word to trick him. "It's time to give Chips a B-A-T-H," she would say. But Chips soon caught on and began running for cover at the very spelling of the word. (Who said dogs aren't smart?)
There are many challenges to washing your dog. Some dogs are scared of the noise or don't like the smell of the soap, and some dogs just plain don't like the feeling of water on their skin. Big dogs can be more of a handful just because of their size. Dogs with thick coats are always more difficult to bathe because it's hard to clean through the fur down to the skin. (If you neglect washing out all the soap your dog could risk skin flakes and irritation.) Bathing your dog in an apartment or condo can be a challenge without an outside hose. These owners must wrangle their pooch in a slippery bathroom or pay a groomer...and that adds up.
No matter how difficult it is to bathe your dog, there’s no way around the fact that your dog does eventually need it. Here’s a good rule of thumb: whenever your dog starts to SMELL like a dog, it is time for a good bath. Regardless of how you do it, your dog needs to be bathed regularly: indoors or out, no matter how messy or unpleasant the job can be, this is something that just has to be done.
We know it's hard, so here are some tips to help make the job easier:
1. Start bathing your dog regularly at a young age to get him used to the process. Remember, puppies should be at least four weeks old before they receive their first bath.
2. Before giving your dog a bath indoors, make sure the house is warm. Turn up the thermostat a few degrees if necessary. Do your prep work and have everything ready ahead of time; you don't want to be scrambling for shampoo or a towel while you're trying to wash the dog.
3. Start by combing and brushing out all mats. Otherwise, the water will turn the mats into solid masses which will require clippers to remove. If your dog's hair is matted with paint, tar or some other sticky material, trim with clippers or soak the area with vegetable or mineral oil for 24 hours. (Consult a professional groomer for particularly difficult tangles.)
4. Prep your dog. Put a drop of mineral oil in their eyes to protect delicate tissues from suds (be sure to hold their head steady so they can' push the dropper into their eyes). Some people use cotton balls in the ears to prevent water from dripping in. If you use cotton balls, make sure they're the right size for your dog's ears; if they're too small, they may slip down the ear canal. Be very gentle with your dog's delicate ears and don't push the cotton down further than can be easily retrieved.
5. Bathe your dog as quickly as possible to make the process less annoying for both of you. Be thorough and do a good cleaning, but whether you're using an indoor tub or shower or washing him in the yard, do it as quickly as possible. Make sure to dry your dog immediately. Use a good pet chamois, lots of big soft towels, or a hair dryer set to a low setting. (If you don't dry him, he will "shake off" all the water on you, your house or anything nearby!)
Intelligent Content | 602 McNab Rd. | Pompano Beach | FL | 33060
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