score:
0

How do I give my dog a bath?

I'm a new puppy owner and realized I have no idea how to give my dog a bath! And good tips?

4 Answers

Sort by ยป oldest newest most voted
score:
2

(Grooming for 4 years)

Congratulations on your puppy! :) If they can fit in your kitchen sink I would start there, depending on how calm they are. My tips for washing at home: Make sure to have a towel within arms reach in the bathroom before starting the bath! haha Try getting one of the 'slip lead' leashes (vets normally have them. Just a piece of fabric with a metal ring you can fashion as a leash) and fastening it on him around his chest (instead of putting it around the neck like a leash, pull one leg through so it's more of a harness), this will give you a little more control if there's tons of jumping. I always use a hypoallergenic shampoo with puppies just to be safe and makes sure to keep water out of the ears. A little wont hurt, but it can possibly cause an ear infection. After scrubbing puppy down dry and set free!

But if this is a puppy that will have long hair you should not let them take off before being dried with a blow dryer. You can use your regular blow dryer. Keep them in the bathroom with you, sit on the floor with them and have some treats ready. It's very important for dogs that will have long hair to get used to blow drying and brushing at a young age, as letting a long haired dog air dry will cause matting that will lead to pain and having to be shaved.

score:
1

Hey Julia,

Here is a fun tip from the Rover blog: http://www.rover.com/blog/dog-hacks-m...

From personal experience, I would recommend you closely monitor the temperature of the water. I believe dogs are more sensitive to hot water than people. Also, be sure to thoroughly rinse your dog.

Treats are a great way to end the entire process, of course :)

score:
1

I bathe my dog in a bathtub in my house.

Step 1: Take your dog into the bathroom. Step 2: Close the door to the bathroom. Step 3: Bathe the dog.

Step 2 is important. The first time I bathed my dog I didn't close the door. After getting him wet and sudsing him up, imagine the hilarity that ensued when the dog hopped out of the tub, and darted around the house sopping wet and sudsy.

Yuk yuk yuk.

I always remember Step 2 now.

score:
0

Beyond the helpful answers here, if your space doesn't have a good sink or tub to accommodate the best bathing conditions you can look up pet stores or locations with special dog bathing stations. It's super helpful for me in SF I go to my local Pet Food Express as I don't have a tub or removable/corded shower head at home.