Why and how you should bath your Dog

You will need a good non-slip bath mat, dog shampoo, a waterproof apron, ideally a showerhead to wet the dog but a jug will suffice and towels. In the summer months you may find it easier to bath your dog outside in a specially made dog bath these are particularly useful for large or nervous dogs.

Firstly check that the bath mat is stuck well down in the bath (you do not want your dog to slip and injure himself). Then place your dog in the bath and if he allows put some cotton wool in his ears to stop the water from going in (dogs do not like water in their ears and it may cause an infection).

Using warm water thoroughly wet his coat, (but not his head). Then just as you would wash your own hair lather some of the shampoo in your hands and apply to your dog’s coat massaging it in. If you are using a medicated shampoo leave on for the required amount of time. Now is the time to wet your dog’s head and gently wash his face being extra careful around his eyes and ears. Rinse the shampoo off his face (making sure that no suds get into his eyes or mouth) and then dry with a towel (a wet face normally makes a dog shake and that means a wet you!).

Once his face is dry you can rinse the rest of the shampoo off his body making sure that all the shampoo is washed out as any left on will irritate his skin and make him uncomfortable and itchy. With a towel rub him down and dry him as much as you can. Then if he is small enough wrap him in a dry towel and continue drying him. If you have a bigger dog then dry him off as much as you can whilst he is in the bath then get him out and dry him off with several towels.

BRUSHING

Correct grooming can strengthen the bond between you and your dog and it is recommended that you groom your dog at least once a week for a smooth coat dog and everyday for a long hair dog.
You will need a soft bristle brush, a metal prong brush (you can buy a dual brush with bristles and metal prongs on either side), if your dog has long hair you may find a slicker brush more suitable, a metal comb and a rubber mitt.

With the metal prong or slicker brush start brushing your dog’s coat upwards against the grain and work along his body then brush his coat downwards in the direction of the hair growth. When you reach his ears you will need to use the metal comb as dogs are more comfortable with a comb then brush near their face. Your dog may find it more comfortable having his legs and belly brushed with the bristle brush. When you get to your dog’s bottom you may find a matt comb with rotating prongs easier to remove knots.

If your dog has a smooth coat then grooming with a rubber mitt will suffice.

You must remember that whatever you use gentle brushing will make your dog like and want to be groomed.

FLEA COMB

After you have groomed your dog use a flea comb to manually remove fleas. Gently pull the comb through your dog’s coat and if you do find any fleas on the comb dip the comb into some hot water with a high concentrate of washing up liquid (water alone does not kill fleas). Continue to comb your dog till there are no fleas on the comb.

FLEAS

Fleas move through your dog’s fur very quickly and because of this it can be hard to tell if your dog has fleas and you may only see flea dirt (faeces). There are a lot of products on the market to rid your dog of fleas and these should be used in accordance to the manufacturers instructions and in conjunction with a flea comb (see how to use a flea comb above). You will also need to treat your home, pets bedding and outside coat, again there are specialised products for this purpose.

If you are regularly infested with fleas a little tip is to put a flea collar into your vacuum cleaner, just try to remember to renew the collar as per the manufacturer’s instructions as it will lose it’s potency over time.

TICKS

These are nasty little blood suckers that attach themselves to your dog and can grow to the size of a grape. They should be removed by a vet as they can leave their mouth parts in your dog’s skin and this may cause a nasty reaction in your dog. There are products on the market which can repel ticks but these should be backed up with regular checking of your dog when he comes in from play or walks.