Dog Bath

How often should your dog get a bath?

Unless your dog just spent the afternoon jumping in mud puddles, you probably don’t need to bathe it more than once a month. This depends on the breed. Some dogs with longer coats will need to be bathed more often or even go to a groomer. If you don’t know how often to give your dog a bath, ask a groomer or your vet. The key is to give them a bath once a month.

“About every 30 days, a new layer of skin cells grows on a dog’s skin,” says Dr. Easton. “So, the old skin cells shed. That’s what makes things like dander and such. So grooming or bathing them often keeps the hair down.”

Important Goods and Tools

Most likely, your first choice will be where you want to bathe your dog. Your choice will likely depend on how big your dog is. You might be able to wash a small dog in the kitchen sink, but a big dog will need more room. Some dog owners prefer a bathtub made just for dogs, either as a stand-alone unit or as part of their home or at a place where they can do it themselves. Fur and dirt won’t get stuck in your family bathtub if you have a separate place for your dog to bathe. But it’s fine if you’d rather wash your dog in the family bathtub. Just pick a spot where your dog can get in and out of the cleaning area safely.

Then, before you turn on the water, make sure you have everything you need.

You don’t want to be trying to find conditioner while chasing a wet dog around your house. On your list of things to bring, shampoo, conditioner, and towels go without saying. You might also want a bath mat that doesn’t slip and an eye wash just in case.

How to Choose the Right dog Shampoo and Conditioner

You’ll need the right supplies to give your dog a good bath. Make sure you use shampoo that is made just for dogs. Dogs’ skin has a different pH than human skin. So, they have higher alkalinity. If you use a shampoo made for people, it can make their skin red and irritated.”

Always use a shampoo made for puppies if you’re bathing a puppy. Since the pH of puppy shampoo is the same as that of a dog’s eyes, it won’t bother the dog’s eyes as much if it gets there.

Ask a groomer what products he or she uses on your dog if you don’t know what to get. Easton says to use a shampoo that is gentle. If your dog has a problem, like itchy skin, a shampoo made to treat that problem might be the best choice.

After shampooing your dog, the next important step is to put conditioner on them. “When you groom yourself at home, you should always use a conditioner after shampooing because shampoo removes a lot of the natural oils from your skin and hair. So, your conditioner rehydrates your skin and closes the cells on the outside of your hair shaft. Basically, conditioner rehydrates your hair.

How to Wash a Dog Right when you’ve picked the right place and have the right tools?

The real fun starts. Here’s how our experts say you should take a bath:

Get your dog to go into the tub or wash station, or put it there. Treats are a great way to start things off on the right foot.
Use water to dilute the shampoo. Try putting some in a bowl of water or putting the shampoo in a bottle that holds water. The shampoo foams up and spreads better when it is diluted. Mostly the shampoo is thick and concentrated, so adding water can make it easier to use.
Wet your dog using warm water. 

The dog needs two washes.

The shampoo binds to the dirt the first time and helps get rid of it. The second time, you really wash the skin and pull out any remaining dirt and oil in the hair.

We suggest using a loofah sponge to spread the shampoo around. Be sure not to forget places like the soles of the feet, armpits, and bellies. Most importantly, make sure it’s fun. You can really massage the whole dog with your hands. And if you’re doing that and using warm water and putting the dog somewhere warm, it should be fun for the dog.

Use conditioner. Just let it sit for a few minutes and then wash it off.
Rinse the fur thoroughly until there is no more product on it. You should really scrub them, but you should also make sure that all of the soap is gone. The most important thing is probably that if you don’t get all the soap off, it will irritate the skin if it stays there. It is even worse than not bathing them.

How to Clean the Face of a Dog

One of the hardest things about bathing a dog is washing its head. You don’t want to get soap or water in your dog’s nose, eyes, or ears, which are sensitive places.

Dip the cloth into soapy water and carefully wash your dog’s head and face. Then, dip a clean washcloth into clear water and use that to rinse. You just need to make sure that all the soap is gone from those places.

Even if you use a puppy shampoo that is made to be gentler on the eyes, shampoo can still hurt them, so you should try to stay away from the area around the eyes as much as possible.

If the shampoo does get into your dog’s eyes, you should have an eye wash on hand. Easton says that if your dog has eye goobers, you should wet them and then gently take them off with a toothbrush.

How to Bathe a Dog That Hates Water
Some dog breeds, like golden retrievers, love water, but the sound of the bath faucet turning on makes many dogs shiver. To stop this, try giving your dog a lot of praise while bathing him. Praise is nice, but treats are better. Give your dog good things to think about when he sees you getting out the dog shampoo.

Having someone else hold the dog while you bathe him is helpful. And, if you can, start bathing your dog when he/she is a puppy to get them used to it.

What to Do After a Bath?

First, dry your dog as best you can with a towel. Then, either uses a hairdryer made for dogs or a human one set to medium or cool. Easton says that as your dog dries, you should brush him. You could also just let your dog dry in the air, as long as he doesn’t get too cold or shiver too much.

Your reward for giving the dog a bath is a clean-looking and-smelling dog. And the satisfaction of knowing you’ve done something good for your dog’s health and looks.