If you have been putting off bathing your dog, you are not alone. Here is a simplified way to bathe your dog & actually enjoy the process.
- Make a plan & schedule out plenty of time. [ & have your favorite tea on stand by for a quick treat afterwards ]
When bath time is planned out and you have mentally prepared for it things just go a little better. Make sure you put it in your calendar & get your goods together for bath time. As someone who is so passionate about simplifying the process I have a quick list of the goods you will need.
- A quick dry towel. We have one we purchased from IKEA and it is our go to towel for swimming, camping, dog bathing and all things outdoors. It was one of their seasonal items and I haven't seen them carry it in a while. As an alternative I would recommend PACKtowel ultra lite or the personal one . It is a multi purpose towel that dries super quick and can be used in so many occasions such as camping, swimming, dog bathing, working out mat and the uses go on and on! Although I wish they had plain colors or my favorite color [black] but the printed one aren't too bad. Here is a link to pack towel & REI where it can be purchased.
- All natural dog shampoo. This is a must for dog bathing. You want to make sure you use something that is mild, natural & that is lightly scented. We have been using a super special dog shampoo bar soap for some time know as we are our own product testers in our WELLB™ brand. Before I give out too much information, this product is amazing and it is lightly scented and works great with dogs that have sensitive skin. We don't have an exact date when we will be releasing it but keep your eyes peeled on our social accounts for hints in the coming weeks! Meanwhile Charging Valley Soap & Salve Co have a pretty solid line up for natural pet shampoo. Don't forget to check with your local pet shop to see what natural dog shampoos they have to offer.
- All natural dog powder. This is something I discovered helped so much with the post bath wet dog pet odor and to help accelerate the drying process. Sprinkle some of "the powder from WELLB™" or your favorite pet powder as it will help absorb excess moisture, and will keep your pup smelling nice and fresh. Although the powder form WELLB™ is not necessarily a pet powder it is all natural including the certified organic essential oils [the essential oils that the powder has are "safe" for the pups coat" however, always consult with your veterinarian to make sure it is ok for your dog to use it as all dogs are not the same.
- Treats galore. I like to have anywhere between 3-4 treats [different kinds] to bribe my dogs [specially sunny] lol. Lets be honest, most dogs don't like to be bathed and that is ok, but in order to make the process a pleasant experience for both mom [or dad] & the fur baby we have to have those treats on hand. When it comes to treats we like to have those fresh baked goods for our babies. We get ours from a local pet shop, MIKES DOG STORE, they are always super nice and have the freshest treats for our little munchkins.
- Double up on the bath matts. Add in an extra bath mat to help with the running pup. It happens to the best of us. The best thing we can do is prepare ahead of time, just in case your pup tries to make a run for it. An extra mat or two will help keep your floor dry and avoid any accidental slips. I love the IKEA bath matts, you know the ones with a lot of little textured dots on them that they have in solid colors. My monochromatic self has the white and grey ones [ I wish they made them in black but white is next in line]. This here takes us to the next item.
- Keep all of the exits sealed. I repeat, keep the exits sealed. If the pup has nowhere to go it will make things a little bit easier on you. I have a small restroom so it makes this part super easy. I make sure I have everything I need, I close the door and attack the task at hand.
- Don't forget a cup. I personally find that scooping the water with a cup is so much easier for both the dog & for myself. This is where Gabe's Bill Miller cups come in handy lol. That boy sure loves his iced tea.
- Prepare your dog(s) for bath time.
- Seize the play time or nap time and have a little conversation with your dog letting them know its bath time. I like to get them all excited for it so they go into it with an open mind and hopefully make things a bit easier for me. Gabe and I sing, "its bath time, its bath time" [in that super annoying squeaky voice, the one your not supposed to make]. We make it & it works!
- Wash, rinse & repeat. [don't forget the treats, after the wash and repeat is usually when I give out my first treat]
- Here is where it gets good. I have developed a method for bathing sunny that will blow your mind. You put your pup in the tub in a pre filled of about 1 inch. of warm water. With your cup you grab a little bit of the water and wet their entire body. With your pet shampoo bar on on hand and your other hand holding the dogs chest you will then rub the shampoo starting on their head and working your way to their neck and then to the rest of their body. That is when a bar type of shampoos outperforms a liquid shampoo that requires both hands to be in use. Then I fill my cup with water rinse & repeat. I normally do about 3 wash & rinse and I focus on a slightly different area each time. Ok, ok so maybe it wasn't super mind blowing but effective nonetheless.
- Dry, dry & dry some more.
- Drying the pup's coat is super important to avoid the notorious wet dog smell. I leave the drying to gabe as he is so good at making sure they are super dry. He uses the IKEA multipurpose quick dry towel that we have and does a good 3-5 minutes of drying. Something I heard works super well and of course it is done when you take your pup to get professionally groomed is using a blow dryer for the drying. I may just give it a try on one of these next bath weekends.
- Powder up & enjoy a clean pup.
- Apply a generous amount of the powder from WELLB™. Ensure the dogs coat is completely or almost all dry to avoid making the powder super clumpy. The powder should completely disappear and leave your dog smelling naturally delicious! It truly is a breathtaking experience. Its probably my favorite part as I get to admire my clean babies and take in the amazing clean scent.
5. Short on time? Dry shampoo to the rescue.
- Now if you are really short on time or just want to freshen up your baby [dog] just apply some of the powder from WELLB™ which serves as a dry dog shampoo. Although this shouldn't replace a normal shower, sometime you just need a quick fix and this will truly do the trick!
I hope you are able to take away a few good pointers from this write up. If you have any useful tips you would like to share to other #dogparents out there please leave them in the comments. Until next time.
Love + WELLB, Tania Garza