It’s important (and hygienic) to keep your dog well groomed. That means a bathing, hair cutting, cleaning, nail clipping, teeth cleaning regularly.
Of course you don’t have to do this all at once and that’s why there’s professionals that do this for you. But if you want to keep your dog healthy, happy, and fluffy in between trips to the groomers, I’ve put together 8 simple bathing tips to at-home dog grooming.
Bathing Tips
Determine how often your dog needs a bath. Depending on the weather and how dirty your dog can get, you may want to bathe your dog between 1-3 weeks at a time.
Try a bath toy or treat. If your dog is timid or overexcited, luring them in and entertaining them with a treat is a great way to redirect some of that attention onto something else.
Make sure yo use doggy shampoo. A dog’s skin is a little different from humans. There’s shampoo specifically for dogs that avoid irritation (usually labeled tearless).
Check the water temperature. The goal is to make this a positive experience for your pup. The water can’t be too cold or too hot. Make sure it’s lukewarm.
Don’t spray directly in the nose, eyes, or ears. No humans or dogs or anybody enjoys this. A plastic cup or a spray hose can help you direct the water where you want it to go.
Rinse thoroughly. One of the most common grooming mistakes is not properly removing all of the shampoo, leaving it on the skin to irritate your dog.
Drying is the hardest part. You want make sure you get your dog dried as fast as possible or they’re going to be dragging around their wet fur all around the house. I like to squeeze dry my dog first (wringing out their fur in the bath). Then I wrap them in a towel and try to dry them a little further. Make sure you have a bath mat so you can make sure your bathroom isn’t destroyed. Then finally I get the blow dryer and dry them on a low heat but medium intensity setting. Make sure to always keep moving the dryer so as to not burn them.
Then make sure to brush them out again so they’re nice and fluffy and reward them with a treat!
What’s your dog’s grooming routine like? Tell us in the comments.
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