If you’re looking for tips and tricks for doggie bathtime, information about pet health and hygiene, and all of the latest happenings with Paws for Thought (makers of the Booster Bath), you’ve come to the right place! The Booster Bath Blog will help you improve your pet washing experience and share information about skin disorders and health issues.
Today we’d like to take a look at some helpful general guidelines to follow when washing your dog at home.
- If your dog has tangled hair, makes sure you comb it out first as washing will only make mats worse.
- Placing cotton balls into your dog’s ear will help protect them from water entering and getting trapped in the ear canal.
- Test the temperature of your water source before wetting your pet thoroughly.
- When first applying water, start by spraying low volume on their paws. This allows them to feel that warm water is coming. And of course we recommend not using cold water.
- Once your dog is completely saturated with water, apply dog shampoo in small amounts.
- Begin lathering dog shampoo at the back of the neck and work toward the tail. Make sure you lather the dog’s belly, legs, tail, between its toes, behind its ears, and under its chin.
- Wash short-haired dogs with a fast circular motion
Wash medium-length hair dogs with a back and forth motion
Wash longer-haired dogs rubbing in the direction of the hair growth
These wash techniques will help pull dirt from your dog’s coat. - It is always a good idea to save washing your dog’s head for last, as this will reduce shaking.
- When it’s time to rinse out the shampoo, rinse it out thoroughly. Residual shampoo left on your pet can potentially cause skin irritation. If your dog has a heavy coat, you can scrape the lather off with a comb or brush before rinsing. To check for soap residue you can look for bubbles as you squeeze your dogs hair. Keep rinsing until the water runs clean.
- Never spray water into your pets ears as this can potentially cause ear infections. To avoid this when rinsing, cup your hand over the ear or simply pinch ears shut with your hand.
**Note**
If you need to clean your dog’s ears, take a cotton ball and wet it with mineral oil. Gently clean the ear, but only as far in as the cotton ball will go easily. Mineral oil helps prevent certain types of parasites in the ear.
- Adding a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice as you rinse your pet is a good way to help wash away strong odors. You can also use baking soda which will leave your pet’s coat shiner and softer.
- Always dry your pet thoroughly. In most cases medium to large dogs will require two towels, so it’s a good idea to have them with you when you begin. If your dog has long hair, you can squeeze a lot of the water out of its fur with your hands before towel drying.
Of course, there are several options when it comes to washing the dog at home. You can use your bathroom indoors, but as most dog owners know, the resulting mess and wet-dog smell can be an added challenge to the often less-than-pleasant experience of dog bathtime. Water all over the place, hair clogging the drain, and a sore back from leaning over for long periods of time… no thanks!
Using your outdoor hose is another solution, but typically, restraining the dog in one place while trying to grapple with an unwieldy hose can be quite the hassle!
But there is a solution! Paws for Thought’s signature product, the Booster Bath portable home dog bathing bath tub, conquers the three most difficult aspects of home grooming: elevation, containment, and drainage. The Booster Bath lets owners enjoy 360° access to their dog while grooming him or her at waist-level. A built in leash and collar restraint as well as a drainage system and convenient shampoo caddy complete this revolutionary home bathing tub.
