How to wash a dog?

Each caring owner of the dog wants his pet to be full of strength, physically healthy, attractive in appearance and generally satisfied with his canine life. This requires care, the lion's share of which is to monitor the hygiene of the dog. Every day you need to make sure that the dog feels good, that his skin and coat are normal, his eyes do not "flow", the ears are clean, the teeth and paws are also in perfect order.

But washing the dogs, frequent and thorough, is not necessary for all pets. The principle "the more often the better" does not work here. The schedule for washing the dog depends on the age of the dog, breed, health, type of coat, the need to speak at exhibitions and other factors.

The average frequency of washing is every 4-6 months, these are the recommendations of veterinarians. Washing means water procedures using soap. After the walk, the animal is enough to wipe its paws. At the same time, soap and shampoo are not used, they can not be abused. All special soap-based products are able to wash away the grease that covers the skin of the animal, and therefore deprive it of the biologically provided protection. This is dangerous.

Ideally, you should wash your dog as it gets dirty.

Dog’s dirty hair:

• not growing so fast;
• in long-haired breeds it falls off faster;
• becomes difficult to comb;
• looks unaesthetic.

So, if the dog is healthy, wash it every six months - this will be enough. If the dog is very dirty, an unscheduled water procedure will be required. Before the show, the dog is also washed using special means, thanks to which its coat shines and becomes obedient.

Bathing a dog in the heat is not the right way to help the animal cool. Firstly, if you decide to buy it, the water should be warm (due to the cool shower, the dog can become seriously ill). Secondly, after bathing in the shower or in the bathroom, the dog is very easy to get under the draft, which is also dangerous. because it is more reasonable to wet the dog with water from a bottle or wipe it with a wet towel. If the dog is not afraid of swimming, he can be dipped in a bath with moderately warm water (but not with his head!) And for a short while.

Swimming in natural reservoirs can also be dangerous: from a sharp temperature drop, the animal often becomes ill.

The first bathing of the baby usually occurs at the age of 3.5-4 months. By this age, the puppy should be vaccinated, and he should already undergo a course of anthelmintic therapy. In addition, at least 2 weeks should pass from the moment of the first vaccination and 3 weeks from the moment of the second.

If you have to bathe your puppy for the first time at an earlier age (for example, he is very dirty), he should be thoroughly wiped after the bath and then kept under a warm blanket until it dries completely.

5 top tips for first puppy bathing.

1. The area for bathing the baby needs to be made safe and pleasant for the puppy. If he is afraid of her, panic will interfere with bathing. Therefore, even before the planned procedure, “introduce” the puppy to the bathroom: play with him there, treat him with something tasty so that the association with the room is positive. Do not limit the baby in actions: in order to accustom him to calm during bathing, let him study the room. If the puppy is still completely tiny (for example, you have to bathe a month-old baby), arrange for him a bath in the kitchen sink. So the owner is comfortable, and the baby is familiar. Wash the sink thoroughly before and after bathing.
2. First, the puppy needs to be introduced to water. If the dog is already 2 months old, and he is scared of the sound of pouring water, this is your omission.
3. If the baby is very dirty, you will have to use shampoo. You can take only the one that is sold in pet products - shampoos for humans are not suitable for dogs. Even a small amount of “human” shampoo will dry the skin of the animal, making it vulnerable to bacteria, viruses and parasites. The best choice is a gentle oat shampoo for dogs.
4. Prepare your first bathing area. Lay a towel on the floor, and put a clean rag on the bottom of the bathtub or sink so that the dog does not slip and is not afraid. If the puppy thinks he might fall, you will have to forget about a calm bath. Everything should be at hand: shampoo, ladle, towel, in which you will wrap the bathing pet.
5. The water level should reach the middle of the growth of the dog, no more. Check the temperature of the water with your elbow; if it is warm enough for your bathing, it will be hot for the puppy. Bring the baby to the bath, all this time talk with him - stroke, joke, be affectionate. Puppies are sensitive to the intonation of the owner. Do not immediately put it in water: first wet your fingers and walk along its fur, accompanying the movement with kind words. If the dog does not mind, continue this by increasing the scale of the action. You can reward your baby with a treat.

Do not scam yourself and do not panic. If the household lined up in the bathroom as spectators, you will have to disappoint them - the procedure is not for onlookers. Ideally, if nobody is at home, you have prepared everything and are not going to be distracted by anything.Dress so that you can soak a little, remove hair from the face.

Take the puppy wrapped in a towel to a warm room. Do not arrange any airing in other rooms while bathing.

Street dog, whose house is a booth, swimming is not necessary at all. It’s enough for a pet dog to swim every 4 months, or even less, if she is healthy and does not get very dirty. Some owners think that you can often bathe domestic dogs, because they walk and pollute their paws (and not only). But the paws just need to be wiped with a damp cloth.

In winter, you can not bathe a dog. If there is no good reason, even a short bath should refrain. You run the risk of washing off the fat layer from the skin of the pet, which protects the dog, including from the cold. It is very dangerous for an animal of virtually any breed. And it’s easier to catch a dog after a winter bath.

Longhair breeds, of course, are forced to swim more often: the hair of such dogs has to be looked after, and without water procedures this is impossible. Dogs of smooth-haired breeds bathe 3-5 times a year. Decorative breeds of dogs by some owners are misunderstood: tiny cuties are mistaken for living toys, they have fun baths for them. This is very harmful to the health of animals, they can become painful, earn severe inflammation.

To wash dogs, they produce special shampoos and gels - do not even try to wash the dog with household, tar or baby soap. None of the listed soap products are suitable for your skin.

Features of the choice of detergents for dogs:

• if the dog is prone to allergies or is particularly sensitive to the skin, pick up a hypoallergenic shampoo with aloe, chamomile or a string of it in the pet store;
• if the dog is white, you can buy a shampoo for her with a light, harmless bleach - and there is one in pet supplies;
• use special shade shampoos for dogs with black and brown hair, they give the dog's coat extra shine;
• if you have a hairless breed pet, he also needs a shampoo, only a special one - emollient, creamy texture, with a high content of vitamin E;
• in winter, when swimming is not possible, 1 or 2 times you can use a special dry shampoo.

It is worth saying that the dog needs an unscheduled bath if it has problems (fleas, parasites, allergies, dandruff, eczema). Medical shampoos help cope with ailments. If the dog is allergic, a special shampoo will relieve itching and swelling. And to save your pet from dandruff, buy him a product based on oats, herbal decoctions and coal tar.

If you see special balms after washing in a pet store / pharmacy, take it. They help moisturize the skin of the animal, and they do not let the hair get tangled, make it easy to comb.

Where to bathe a doggie - in the bathroom or in the basin on the pallet (if there is no bathroom in the house) - is not so important.

An adult dog, as a rule, does not need to be especially prepared for swimming. He is already familiar with the bathroom, is not afraid of the sound of pouring water, stoically tolerates the water procedure. Many pets even like her. But there are all kinds of cases.

If you, for example, picked up an animal from the street, it, of course, has to be redeemed, vaccinated and treated from worms. And swimming for a street dog is most likely the first in life. The animal may already be an adult, but everything for him in a new home is unusual. Here you need a special delicacy, treats, a maximum atmosphere of calm and benevolence.

For the usual bathing procedure, you need to choose the right time: nothing should distract you, the dog should not be sick, not walking, very hungry, or, conversely, just eating. Do not open windows and windows in the house, prepare towels and shampoos, balms, ladles, combs. Do not forget to cover the bottom of the bathtub or sink so that the dog does not slip.

At home, bathing a dog is not difficult. Most importantly, do not wet his ears (there should be no water inside his ears), do not dip the doggie with his head.

The procedure should approximately be as follows.

1. Prepare warm water, it should be a little cooler than the one that you type into the bath yourself. To wet the hair of an animal, a watering can or bucket is suitable.
2. Put the dog in a container, moisten his coat with water. Moisten abundantly, water the dog from the bucket, but without drastic action. Let the dog get comfortable, get used to it.
3. Dilute the zoo shampoo with water, it will produce a plentiful foam, which is easier to lather the dog’s hair. Start washing the back of the pet, then the legs, tail, neck and stomach. The head should be washed last, making sure that the soap composition does not get into the eyes and ears.
4. Wash the area around the anus, genitals.
5. Do not hold shampoo on wool for more than 5 minutes, then rinse it off with warm water from a watering can or ladle. In case of severe contamination, the soaping procedure must be repeated twice.
6. The dog should be rinsed according to this system: first remove the foam from the head, then from the back, neck and chest. Only when the water has stopped foaming, rinse your paws and stomach.
7. After shampooing, use balm. They need to rub the dog’s fur, stand a little on the wool, wash off after 1-3 minutes. Pre-rub the gel in the palms.
8. Next, the dog needs to be dried. Most likely, several towels will be needed: as soon as one is wet, take another. But you need to wipe your pet carefully, this is done in the bathroom. Put the dog on the floor on which the rag was previously laid, and wipe it well. Make sure that the towel absorbs water as much as possible.
9. The dog can be dried with a hairdryer, but only in gentle mode and with the use of not the highest temperatures. Usually, a hair dryer is used when drying exhibition dogs: for them, this “styling” becomes habitual, and the owners specially train their pets in this procedure.

If you (and the dog) are comfortable, you can wash it in the shower. The main thing is to observe temperature indicators and not to let the dog panic.

Even if the dog loves to swim, do not speed up water procedures. There should be a reason for bathing, but bathing the dog just for fun is an extra risk for her. Perhaps, while swimming, the dog enjoys communicating with the owner, his care and close attention: find the opportunity to give all this to the pet and outside the bathroom.

See how to wash your dog in the next video.