Bathing your dog – get organised before you start
Bathing Your Dog – It can be fun!
We all need to bath our dog at some time or other – whose dog hasn’t rolled in something he shouldn’t have done! Some dog’s love having a bath for others its a war zone!
To make bath time as easy and painless as possible get everything ready before you start – Brushes, shampoo, conditioner, towels, a dog lead, some treats and maybe even a change of clothes for yourself!!!
Now you have everything ready, make sure you have the doors closed, the last thing you want is a wet, soggy dog running lose around the house. If you know your dog dislikes the bath, try and have another person around to give you a hand, especially helpful with larger dogs and keep your dog on a lead.
Before you start the bath, brush your dog thoroughly, its much easier to remove knots and tangles when he is dry. Pet Head brushes and combs are ideal for this. If you need to cut out any matts be very careful not to cut your dog’s skin.
Stand your dog in the bath, a non slip mat on the bottom is useful, if using a showerhead, test the temperature carefully and slowly build up the water pressure. Start at the head, avoiding the eyes and ears and work your way towards the tail, making sure you get the whole coat thoroughly wet and not forgetting the underside and stomach areas.
Once your dog is completely wet start shampooing. There are a lot of excellent shampoos on the market designed for specific skin conditions. At Spottie Dottie we recommend the Pet Head by Tigi range, they smell delicious and really work. 
Put a small amount of shampoo into your hand and start to lather before applying to your dog. Start at the head and work your way down towards the tail. A doggy washmitt is a great way to help remove dirt and loose hair, it also helps reduce the amount of shampoo required. It also protects your hands and cleans the areas you’d rather not! Keep talking to your dog in a calm, soothing manner, don’t forget to wash his paws thoroughly but gently as this is a very sensitive area and you want to avoid anything that is going to give your dog a bad experience which he will remember next bath time.
Next rinse your dog thoroughly, and if necessary apply a conditioner in the same way you applied the shampoo, again taking care to avoid the eyes and ears. Rinse, rinse and rinse again. Traces of shampoo or conditioner left in the coat can cause irritation.
Now your dog is squeaky clean its time to start drying. Before your dog gets out of the tub, remove as much of the water as you can from his coat. Gently but firmly rub your hands down along his back, down his sides and along his tail. Finish off with a rub along the stomach. Dogs shake to get rid of excess water, so if you don’t want your bathroom sprayed, quickly cover your dog with a towel, a microfibre dog towel is ideal as it soaks up large volumes of water and avoids the need for lots of towels. 
Take care when getting your dog in and out of the bath, this is where an extra pair of hands can come in helpful.
Gently rub your dog all over and if your dog doesn’t mind it too much, gently blow dry him.
Some dogs don’t mind the blow dryer at all, for others its an un-nerving and scary experience. Always introduce the dryer carefully using a low heat setting, praise your dog but if he shows real signs of distress turn it off.
Once you have finished and you have a sparkling hound instead of a mucky pup, praise your dog, give him a treat and set to work cleaning up the bathroom !
For those dogs that really freak at bathtime, why not try a waterless shampoo and a spray of Magical Deodorising Spray, he will soon be smelling as fresh as a daisy.
If you have any doggie bath time experiences you would like to share, good or bad or have some doggie bath time photos please share them with us.
