​Bathing Your Dog – The Inside Scoop

​Bathing Your Dog – The Inside Scoop – Taking care of your dog can be both fun and challenging at the same time. At some point, we all have to face reality and decide how to tackle bathing your job in the correct way. Beware though – not all dogs enjoy getting bathed and it can prove to be a real challenge! Read rest of article…

Bathing Your Dog – The Inside Scoop
 
Bathing your dog is something most of us have to undertake at some point, unless we are fortunate enough to take our dog to the groomers. Not all dogs like bathing and it can be a real challenge, not to mention having to decide on the proper products to use on your dog’s fur.
 
Let’s start by looking at shampoos and conditioners. There are plenty of choices and what you choose will depend on what it is you are looking for. Perhaps you want flea control or maybe you want a nice shiny coat. Essentially, if you read the ingredients list you will find that many of these are similar. It’s always good if you can find a shampoo and conditioner that is chemical free. Just as with humans, there is a belief that these chemicals may be cancer causing.
 
For some it’s a simple as telling their dog to jump into the bathtub, but for most of us it’s simply not that simple. Many have dogs that fight them either because they hate water or they are just scared. Some will even bite.
 
If you have a dog that bites it’s a good idea to invest in a muzzle so you don’t get hurt during the bath time. For scared dogs, it’s important to reassure them. Some dogs will stand there scared and not move but you can visibly see they are petrified. Try to reassure them. You might even try giving them a treat, but it will have to be a high value treat in order for them to even be interested.
 
Treat training can work to teach your dog just about anything. The key is the treat must have enough value. This means, if you try something you always use your dog will likely reject it and not do the behavior such as jumping into the tub. But if the treat is of great value (liver or beef jerky) then you will get the action you want and you should rapidly feed your dog small pieces of this treat for the action.
 
It’s going to take practice and you need to do it in steps. First jumping into the tub or letting you place them in the tub and stay there. Then add running water in the tub. Start with a trickle and increase it as your dog becomes comfortable. Finally add the water running on them, and eventually you will get to be able to bath your dog with no trouble. You should be nice and give them a treat after their bath.
 
The secret really is that you need to have patience, love and treats and you can train your dog to do most anything.