How often do you give a bath to your dog? Weekly grooming is necessary. But at least twice a month is a must have. But 9 out of 10 dogs hate their bath time and it is not easy to give a bath to your dog. When you live with dogs, their smells rubs in on you and most often if they are smelly, you don’t smell well too. If you are a dog lover and if you spend a lot of time with them, the smell can be hard to notice even when they start to stink. However, others around you like your neighbours will definitely notice it. It is better to to put dog-washing on a schedule. Now having set the tone and need for your dog to get a bath, let us see how you can get your dog to enjoy the bath
As mentioned earlier, not all dogs love their bathing routine. In fact they hate it. Dogs often feel threatened that you are punishing them. So it is important for you to make your dog fall in love with the whole bathing process. If your bath is used to the process, you can skip this four step process. But if your dog is going to have its first bath, then you have to try this four step process. This process in simple terms is called the BWSRD technique. The acronym stands for Brush, Wash, Shampoo, Rinse, Dry.
Brush
This is the first step that you should follow before giving your dog a bath. Brush your dog with a dog comb/brush. This will remove all the matted and loose hair from the coat. This will prepare the dog for the next steps. When you brush the dog, it would feel as if you are scratching him. The next step of washing him becomes easier once you brush him
Wash and Shampoo
This is where most dogs become Ussain Bolts and run for their dear lives. You have to be gentle with them in this step. Do not wet their face first. Wet their body, chest, tail and legs. Let them feel water on their body. Now apply a dog shampoo on those parts that are already wet. Do not apply shampoo on their face yet. Now with a lathered body, they would already be enjoying the bath. Now with utmost care, wet their face and eyes. Cover their ears with your hand and do not allow water to enter their ears. If you are using a sprayer hold it close to the dogs body and bring it down from his head to tail in smooth motions as opposed to spraying him from above.
Rinse
Now once your dog is fully lathered, it is rinsing time. Rinse them again and again so that there is no lather left on their body. Check their ears to see that no water has gone in.
Dry
Use a cosy towel for your dog and wrap him and towel dry so that he does not get any chills. Dry him gently and not in rough motion. Most dogs love that as it’s sort of like us getting a massage. Give him a special treat he wouldn’t normally have and offer lots of praise.
Once the dog is given a bath, make sure not allow your dog near sand for the next two hours at least. Or else all your bathing will go in vain. They would just love to roll in the sand and mud.