Instructions on dog bathing & grooming, brush and bathe your dog with a minimal amount of fuss and mess.
You spend a long hard day at work and come home only to find out that your beloved Spot or Rover has rolled in the mud, or your freshly fertilized flower garden, or has knocked over your garbage can. Now what? You don't have the money for a professional groomer and besides you don't want to put Rover in your brand new car with upholstered seats, he has a tendency to get car sick.
What to do? Well with a minimal amount of preperation you can bathe Rover yourself. The first thing you need to do is put on some old clothes. No matter how hard you try, you will get wet and will be covered in dog hairs. Locate some old towels and place them in the bathroom. Three or four ought to be enough. Place a bath mat in your bath tub and locate some mild shampoo.
Find a plastic cup or pitcher. This will be used to help rinse the soap out of his coat. Next corner Rover and try to brush out his coat if he is a long haired breed. This may be easier said then done. If he is matted to begin with forget it, take him to a professional groomer. If you have some cotton balls, place them CAREFULLY in his ears.
This is to prevent water from getting into his ear canal, however you must be sure NOT to place it so far in that you can not remove them after you are done bathing. You can place vasoline in his ears, but I wouldn't recommend it.
It can get pretty messy and is more of a hassle then what its worth. Place a stopper in your tub and fill with warm water about a quarter of the way full. Now comes the fun part! Catching Rover and putting him in the tub. Any self respecting dog will be hiding under the bed by this time. Pick him up and carry him into the bathroom, closing the door behind you. This will eliminate untimely escapes and will prevent Rover from gettin your new sofa all wet.
Gently place him in the tub. Try to keep a firm grip on him as he will try to jump right back out. Talk to him, pet him and reassure him constantly. Tell him what a good dog he is, even though you feel like strangling him. Pick up your cup or pitcher and carefully pour water over him. Continue to praise him. After you have thoroughly drenched your dog, and he you, apply the shampoo. Be very careful not to get any in his eyes. Rub into a lather, being sure to wash his belly and tail. When Rover is completely lathered, pick up your pitcher and rinse him, again taking care not to get soap in his eyes or ears. You will have to do this numerous times, making sure you get all the soap out.
Whether you need to repeat this process depends on the coat length of your dog and how messy he was when you started. After you are positive you have gotten all the soap out, pick up Rover and place him on the floor. Immediatly grab a towel and start drying him. If you are lucky and fast enough, you will be able to get most of the water out of his coat before he starts to shake. Use as many towels as you need to get as much of the water out of his coat. He will take care of the rest. Make sure you put him in a warm safe place until he is completely dry. Don't forget to remove the cotton balls from his ears. Giving him his favorite treat will go a long way toward getting you back in his good graces. After all, you just humilated him by giving him a bath. Let the water out of the tub, pick the wet towels off the floor and clean the water off the floor, walls, windows, counters etc., and change into some dry clothes.
You may want reward yourself with a bath, after you finish with Rover. I wouldn't recommend using the same bath water however. And there you have it. You have bathed your own dog with a minimal amount of fuss and mess.
