dog grooming in the winter?
21 Dec 2008
i need to give my dog a bath (he goes to daycare 3 times a week so he smells!!) before i take him to go get his picture taken with santa at the mall. my brothers gf and i decided to get pictures taken of our 2 dogs together with santa and framing them as gifts to my parents hwo love the dogs…daisy wont be a challenge cuz shes 15lbs and we can hold her down and whatever by my dog teddy is 85lbs part greyhound and not likely to sit still….we were thinking of getting teddy in the tub and using the mobile shower head to clean him..would that work? i need help on how to groom my dog in the tub!! also will his nails damage the tub? thanks
p.s please dont say get it done professionally we have to do it ourselves we cant afford grooming!!
can we use human shampoo? or do we have to use doggy shampoo? is there a real difference between the 2 (not that id use dog shampoo on my hair..EVER lol) but is there a difference between what goes into dog shampoo verse human shampoo? we would use johnson and johnson no more tears for baby shampoo by the way
7 Responses
2008 Dec 22
well no it wont hurt your bathtub[his nails wont]
yes it would but it might take two to hold him and one to give him a bath
[hope i helped]
2008 Dec 23
If she doesn’t want to sit still in the tub, you can use and old collar and leash and have one person hold the leash while she is in the tub. Those mobile shower heads are good to use, but depending on the length, it may be harder to rinse the underside. You can also use a small bucket to help rinse hard to reach areas. The nails should be fine, but if the dog struggles a lot, it may scratch the tub some. You can just put a towel on the bottom of the tub where he will stand and that will protect it.
2008 Dec 25
Waht we do is we got to a local pet food center, and they have an indoor bathing area with huge tubs and removable water spouts. They also have industrial blow dryers. Try and see if one is in your area.
And it only costs us five dollars per dog to wash them ourselves.
2008 Dec 28
Hi lil patch,
Using a shower head will be fine for Teddy. Try not to force hold him but take plenty of sausage treats in with you (it works with my 120lb Pyrenees) - and, if you’re concerned about scratch marks, why not put a shower mat down to protect the tub and also give Teddy some grip with his paws (dogs hate sliding about the tub).
2008 Dec 30
If you mean a shower head that comes down off the wall and is attached to a hose like thing that will work well. I suggest that you brush him off really good before he goes in the tub that will cut back on how much hair is left in the tub. Then just shampoo and rinse really good. If you have never given him a bath be careful what shampoo you use as some are harsh and may agitate his skin. Towel him down and if you live in a cool climate then you may want to use the blow dryer set at low on him. His nails should not damage the tub.
2008 Dec 31
Actually, depending on the type of tub surface, his nails *could* damage it. Does your area have a “do it yourself” dog wash stall? Some car washes are adding these now. However, I find many groomers are less expensive for just a bath, brush and nails. For a dog his size, I used to charge $15.
The most important thing to remember is rinse rinse rinse…and when you’re sure all the shampoo is gone, rinse one more time. A high speed dryer is the best way to dry, but I doubt you have access to that. I have an o-ring installed in my shower/bathtub, which I don’t expect you’ll want to do, but it works for me. I tie the leashes of dogs who don’t co-operate to this, and use the shower hose to wash them and rinse. It can be a tiring job, but it can be done. Good luck.
2009 Jan 01
This is the way we bathe our dogs all of the time. If Teddy has never had a bath like this he may be a little hard to handle or get excited but the calmer you are the better he’ll adjust. His nails shouldn’t hurt the tub but he will probably be less panicky if you use a mat or towel so that he won’t feel like he is falling. Just be very calm and matter of fact and try to keep the water away from his face and out of his eyes as much as possible. I have even put on old shorts or swimsuit and gotten in with mine the first couple of times until they get used to it. Also since he is a greyhound I would not use anything too harsh and maybe follow up with conditioner to keep from drying out his skin too much. Great gift idea…Good Luck!