Keeping your dog clean is an indispensable condition to maintain its health and well groomed coat. Despite this indisputable statement, many owners bathe their dogs rather seldom as they consider it rather difficult task. However, it is enough to follow simple rules to do this in a right way and maximum comfortably for your dog and you.
How Often to Bathe a Dog?
This depends on dog breed and temper in full, which influence on its behavior and daily activities. Dogs that take part in shows and trials, should be based rather often. As a rule, bathing is necessary almost before every show. If the dog has usual lifestyle, it is necessary to bathe the pet as far as it became dirty. You can identify how dirty your dog is by its hair look and characteristic smell, which appears after some time after the last bathing.
Anyway, frequent dog bathing is forbidden because this will deoil its skin and will lead to emergence of such unpleasant symptoms as dry skin, itching and irritation up to development of various dermatitis. If there is a necessity of frequent bathing, use skinsparing dog shampoo and spread on the pet's skin special creams to moisten its skin and coat.
Where to Bathe a Dog?
It is better to bathe the dog outside in warm season. You can use a spray hose, but connect it to a source of warm water because the dog can catch a chill of cold water despite high air temperature. It is best of all to bathe your dog in calm weather for this reason and to wipe it carefully. Watch that the dog didn't lay down on a cold floor until its hair is completely dry.
A bath is a traditional and the most convenient place for dog bathing. Small and medium dogs could be also bathed in sink or basin. Large dogs - in bath only. It is very important to prepare the dog psychologically for the forthcoming procedure, especially if bathing is for the first time. Don't feed the pet for several hours before bathing. Put a rug of rubber or non-slip dense fabric on the bottom of the bath to protect it from scratches.
Dog bathing is a fiddly procedure, however it is in power of every owner. Choose suitable dog shampoo, protect pet's eyes and ears and prepare many towels. There shouldn't be drafts in the room. Spread a balm on the dog's coat after bathing.
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