If you own a puppy, you’ll know how stressful it can be to clean him. But don’t give up on this important bath ritual, as it is an essential part of any dog health care routine. Your puppy will learn what the cleaning process involves at an early age, and this is good. If you want a well-behaved adult dog that actually enjoys his bath, follow these steps.

To start with, you need to get your essential supplies in order. Get a dog coat conditioner and a decent sized brush if your dog has a long coat. Plus, you’ll need a large towel for your dog. There will be lots of water splashing around shortly, so put some old clothes on. It is advisable to bathe the puppy when he is hungry, as he will be more attentive then. Call your puppy to you and offer a treat, remove his collar and give him a few more treats. Most importantly, you have to convince your dog that this is a fun process. Next up is the comb – brush the puppy’s fur for a while. Any knots or tangles in your puppy’s coat will tighten and become worse when wet, so you want to comb out all tangles before turning on the tap. Get some conditioner on the fur and brush this through all the way to the ends.

Something important to remember is that the dog’s ears need cleaning at the back. Remember to praise throughout this process and stay happy, keeping the treats flowing. Some dogs are more attentive if they have toy in the bath too. If your puppy has sensitive eyes, use a baby shampoo on his head area. Don’t let the water touch the dog until you are sure it is the right temperature. Then the fun part! Gently spray mild warm water onto its fur. Apply some shampoo to your dog’s coat by massaging in circles for short coats, or massaging in long strokes with the growth of hair in long coats, to prevent tangling. Using the scrub brush, work the shampoo in. Once this is complete, rinse the shampoo and repeat the process. There’s always more soap that needs to be removed. Lastly, condition the fur and rinse – then your dog is ready to be wrapped up in a towel and dried off.

Tagged with:

Filed under: Pets Advice

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!