Humans have different attitudes towards bathing themselves. Some won’t skip a bath every day while some won’t bath at all for months! With slight alteration, we can say that your pets are what you are! If you have a dog that has a habit of rolling in the dirt, you will have to think about bathing it at some point. Even if you are not a big fan of baths! Some people are too hesitant when it comes to bathing their pet dog. The reasons can be numerous, but the most common reason is, of course, the unawareness of pet baths. In this discussion, we will give you a step-by-step guide that you can follow to bathe your pet dog!
1- Calm the pet
The one thing that you shouldn’t be doing is opening the tap mercilessly on your dog’s head. As is the case, your pet will already be a little anxious since both of you don’t visit the bathing tub often! In any case, the environment isn’t one that your pet is accustomed to. What you need to do is relax the pet by talking to it in low, comforting talk. Talking isn’t the only thing that will relax your dog. It would be an excellent idea to stroke the fur as well while you talk. Oh, and a little treat will do the job very nicely!
2- Use a damp cloth
For what? To get that dirt and soil out of the fur coat, of course! It is a great idea to get rid of that soil in your dog’s fur before you make your intentions of a full bath clear to your pet. Heat some water but make sure it isn’t too hot. Now, take a clean cloth, immerse it in pleasantly warm water and use it as a wipe over your pet’s soiled fur. Sometimes, this rubbing and wiping are enough; your dog doesn’t need a complete bath. Oh, and please don’t use any chemicals for this purpose!
3- Don’t rush things
We are slowly moving to the central stage of operation. Now, it is time to jump into the water. Ah, but we don’t want you to rush things here, follow a method! What you want to be doing is lowering your pet hindquarters first. Again, do that slowly and with a lot of care and comfort. This way, lower the pet fully into the water. Now, give your pet some time to acclimatize to the conditions. One important thing to be considered here is that you shouldn’t leave your pet alone at any moment once it is in water. It is all about mutual trust, folks!
4- Use warm water
Again, we must reiterate the fact that through all of this process, you must use warm water only. The next question to be answered in this debate is whether you should put your pet under a tap or scoop some water through your hands over the pet’s body? We think you are better off using the second option. It shows more affection and trust, don’t you agree? Again, don’t rush things, and be gentle about how you pour water over your pet’s body. The first goal is to wet the fur completely. Make every effort to prevent water from entering the eyes and ears of your pet.
5- Using the shampoo
Please purchase a shampoo that is designed for dogs only. You CANNOT use your hair shampoo for bathing a dog. The key thing to be considered here is that you must not pour it directly over the body of your pet. Rather, you should squeeze a few drops of the shampoo first on your hand and then gently rub it over the body of your pet—a couple of things to consider here. One, the shampoo must not contain any elements to which your pet might be allergic. Second, make sure the shampoo doesn’t enter the dog’s body through the oral or nasal route. Rinse well once you are done with shampoo!
6- Time to dry!
The cakes are all baked, take out the tray and let it cool down a bit. Oops, we didn’t mean to write it like that! What we meant was that it is time to dry the pet. Bathing is done, but drying is equally important and needs a great deal of attention and care. Take the cleanest and the fanciest towel out of your wardrobe. Wrap it gently around the body of your adorable little furball. This is to speed up the drying up process; moisture will be sucked out quicker that way. Shivering is normal, don’t freak out!
7- Brush well
The discussion has suddenly taken a rather sweet note, don’t you agree? Now, let us comb that hair coat, which is perhaps the most remarkable feature of your pet. There are two objectives that you achieve through proper brushing and combing. Those tangled hairs are all sorted and settled through combing, which was messy because of the bath. Second, your pet loves it! They might close their eyes while you brush their hair!
How often should you bathe the pig?
Not too often. Your pet probably hates water for all we know. Hence, it is not advisable to bathe your dog every day. We don’t think even once per week is an appropriate number. However, we think that one to two baths per month is ok, and they ought to do the trick. No more than that, and you are just pushing the limits!
Conclusion
Well, folks, the time has come for us to wrap up this discussion. Or rather, the perfect instruction manual on how to bathe a dog. What are your feelings after reading this article? Did you think the process was as easy as we have described? In any case, we are glad that your knowledge about dogs has increased considerably after reading this article; nothing makes us happier than this!