Dog Bathing

Dog Bathing



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Dog Bathing

Dogs are not the biggest fans of water. They hardly enjoy water sports except breeds like the Labrador which is a fantastic guide dog. It has been know to save people from drowning and is not averse to water as much as it's fellow comrades. My dogs are no exceptions they do not enjoy being wet. It is much easier to handle Smokey and give it a bath as it always enjoy having human contact however with Skido, the story is different.

Skido enjoys minimal to moderate human contact that is not to say it does not enjoy our company. It is fierce protector of our family. It simply properly was a cat in it's former lifetime. That's just a joke, but not only does Skido love his independence, he is strongly averse to getting wet and constantly runs away from water. Water basically is his kryptonite.

Dog Bath


Dog Bathing Experience

Skido my Alsatian dog is strongly repelled by water. The only time you see it near water is when it is thirsty and in need for a desperate drink. Other than that it enjoys to stay dry most of the rest of the time. It is so bad that if it is naughty and you want it to come back to it's house (cage), you simply sprinkle a little water at it and it will go running.

As we know water is a basic life need and we cannot do without it. So when it comes to bathing Skido, you are in for a tug of war. Bathing time involves chasing Skido all round the compound as it tries it's best to outrun. To get it to stay and take a bath, it is usually chained. Once you have it chained down and you drop that first bowl of water, your guess is as good as mine. It will immediately strongly wiggle it's body and all the water gets splashed back at you. This can be quite unpleasant as you are drenched with water and you dog is literarily saying if you are making me take a shower, then we both will.

Dog Grooming

The Successful Bath

To get things going, you literally have to psyche up Skido with pats on the head, smiles and kind words. Letting it know it, it is safe and you are here with it all the way. Then you pour on some water, you get a little more shake from the dog, then some more water and then it is finally in the mood. This is followed by a continuous bath with lathe of soap or dog shampoo making sure to get really into the furs. The spaces between the digits of his paws are also well washed and examined for any sign of ticks. As ticks are fond of hiding out between their purrs.

Body Checks

I also ensure to thoroughly checking it's body when giving Skido a bath, to remove any hiding ticks, to check for any injuries or anomalies and to basically ensure it is in good health and form. Once we are done with the washing and you the soap lathe has been thoroughly rinsed out you then feel it time to dry Skido up. However, guess what, yeah you got it, it shakes up the entire water right onto you. At this point you know fully well, giving Skido a bath is a game for two.

Grooming

To finally round things up, Skido is properly dried with a towel and tick powder is then placed on his body as directed by his veterinarian. On some days when he needs general health checkup, his veterinarian does house visits and also takes part in the bathing ceremony. His nails are also clipped and it is groomed. Once we are all done, the tradition is to loosen the chain and set Skido free. Once this is done, Skido sprints like he is in a competition with Usain Bolts, right from the bathing place to his house. Like yes, finally am free from them and this routine discomfort. We usually just end up laughing, but the pleasant scent of the dog and been able to give it pats and hugs knowing it is clean, is all worth the trouble.

Dog Showering

Tips For You When Bathing Your Dog

These are the following tips that have worked for me when bathing Skido and my other dogs. You can give them a try as well.
  • Before starting the bath process, greet and play with you your dog for a while. Let it feel your presence and companionship. This puts the dog in a good mood to take your next offering which is the bath.

  • Escort your dog to the bath station. You can also make it the bathing session fun by making it an exercise, and bonding session. You can both race together to the bath station and then pat it's head for coming along.

  • If you dog is not that is not a friend of water, you may want to chain him down at this point, as a form of restrain. Otherwise, you will find them running backwards. At a point in time, Skido actually ran all the way back to his house, just to avoid a bath.

  • Once your dog is restrained, you may decided to play with the water yourself, to desensitize your dog towards water. Then proceed to bath your dog.

  • When you are done, a good trick is to use positive reinforcement to attract your dog to future bathing sessions. So you can go ahead and give your dog a healthy treat. Just has Pavlov used ringing of a bell to let the dogs know it was time for a meal. You can give your dog a treat after it's bath. Before long, you will notice your dog is more favorably inclined to taking showers.
Dog Washing


Final Words

Dog bathing, dog washing and dog grooming are vital activities that are needed to maintain a healthy and happy dog. It can also be a good bonding experience for you and your canine. So go ahead and make it a fun time for both of you and get even an averse dog to enjoy the process.



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