- Bathing should be done on average, once a month up to once a week as long as you are using a shampoo made specifically for dogs.
- Use only shampoo made for dogs. A dogs skin is more sensitive than a humans and a harsh shampoo can make it dry and cause flaking, itching, skin irritations or a dull coat from stripping the natural oil from the coat.
- A thorough brushing before bathing dogs with medium to long hair is important to remove excessive dirt, tangles or mats.
- Place cotton in the dogs ears to prevent water from entering.
- During bathing use a "hound mitt", this is a glove with little nubs on it. Use on your dogs hair when bathing in a circular motion while it is wet. This will help loosen any dead hair.
- Always rinse thoroughly. Left over soap residue will cause skin irritations.
- Conditioners and detanglers work well on medium to long haired dogs.
- Always completely blow dry long haired dogs after bathing. Wet hair will tangle more easily.
- If mats and tangles are left wet against the skin they can form skin problems.
- Attempting to brush out tangles or mats when a dog is wet can be more difficult not to mention more painful for the dog.
- If you are unable to bathe your dog, massage some baking soda into the dogs coat and brush it out to remove odor.
