BATHING YOUR DOG AT HOME
BATHING YOUR DOG AT HOME  
Baths are not only important for keeping dogs clean after a dip in the local park’s mud bath or a roll in some impossibly stinky fox poo, they often form part of a treatment plan for those with dermatitis and other chronic skin conditions.
A normal dog does not need frequent bathing and, depending on the breed, baths every 4-8 weeks are usually enough. Dogs with medical conditions such as atopic dermatitis usually need to be bathed more regularly. Regardless of how often you are bathing your dog, having your dog on board can make the process a whole lot easier.

Here are my Top Tips for bath time:

Start early if possible and as part of your dogs socialisation phase. Convince your puppy (and for all) that bath time is the best thing ever by offering lots of tasty treats and lots of happy positive enforcements. Make sure to keep the experience short and sweet, before they have a chance to get upset at being restrained. 

Be prepared. Before your dog enters the room have shower head down and ready or the bath run. Have the doggy shampoo to hand and a towel ready for drying. An anxious dog won’t have any patience for you making preparations and will start to become anxious. Remember, short and sweet!

All hands on deck. Bath time can be easier with two people. One can hold the dog, stroke them and talk to them calmly while the other gives them a good scrub. For larger dogs, two people are often necessary to lift them in and out of the tub safely. If you have a slip lead then pop this over your dog’s head before lifting into the bath. It helps to control your dog when they become shampoo slippery and reduces the risk of your soapy and soaked dog jumping out of the bath and shaking. (I only recommend slip lead as it is easier to scrub under a slip lead as opposed to a collar but a collar / lead will work if required). 
Eyes and ears need protecting, just like you would with children. If you get water/shampoo in ears/eyes it can cause discomfort, potentially lead to infections, and can put a dog off of being bathed in the future. Press your thumb over your dog’s ears to lay them flat so that you are covering the ear canal and allow the water to roll down the outside of the ear. Be careful when shampooing and  rinsing below the ear that you are allowing the water to naturally roll down the body and that you are not squirting the water into the ear canal. 
Dense coat breeds need brushing before bathing with a brush such as a ‘Zoom Groom ’. This will reduce matting and prevent their coat becoming waterlogged. 

Non-slip mats are your best friend  (maybe use a shower/bath mat) Dogs hate to slip and slide on the surface of a bath and this can cause your dog anxiety and want to flee, so using a mat that keeps their paws in one place can help give them more confidence.
Reward, reward, reward! You really can’t overindulge your dog on this occasion. They should get a delicious snack and plenty of praise for getting in to the bath, for staying still and when they get out. The more positive experiences they have around bath time, the more they will begin to enjoy themselves.

Squeaky clean as the saying goes. When rinsing your dog you will know when all the shampoo has been rinsed out by firstly seeing that no subs are still present and the water is clear but also by the squeaky sound and feel when rubbing your fingers down the rinsed coat. 
Press all of the excess water out of your dog’s coat, following the hair growth direction, right down to the feet, before lifting your dog out of the bath. Towels dry your dog by pressing the coat and do not rub. In the same way as you would with a child’s hair, if you rub the hair it will knot and mat. Remember to dry the feet as they can become soaked if the hair is long under the pads.  
Your dog may smell ‘doggy’ after the bath, if not dried completely. If your dog is clean then this smell should subside once your dog dries fully.
 
Hair dryers can be your best friend but some dogs will need lots of positive reinforcement and may not allow you to dry them completely. Don’t force your dog if scared or anxious as it will make your dog hate the process for life. Slowly introduce the dryer and let your dog see, smell and touch and then hear it switched off and on, and before you start drying. It may take several baths and dry attempts before your dog desensitises to the drying process. 

Double coated dogs can take forever to dry with a standard dryer so be prepared.  Double coated dogs have a waterproof layer that traps the water. Keep coming back and pressing the coat with a towel as the water will break to the surface. Really a high velocity dryer is required for double coats, generally found only in grooming salons. 

Post-bath madness is real! Lastly but worth pointing out (if anything like my two!) your dog may become very excited after a bath because of anything from relief, shaking to dry off  to rolling around trying to get rid of this weird new scent. It could be a release of nervous energy, or simply joy but post-bath hyperactivity is areal and natural thing.

See below Your Dog's Coat & Groomingfor further articles about your dogs coat and grooming needs:  
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