Before you bath your dog, you need to make sure that you brush them. If you do a thorough brushing before you wash them, you will be able to remove any loose hair that they may have. Brushing your dog's hair before you wash them also improves how effective the shampoo is when cleaning down to the bare skin. Brushing your dog before you wash them also makes it a less hairy job as well.
One thing that you must remember when you are preparing to brush your dogs is that there are different types of coats and some of them require that you have different brushes. If your dog has long hair, before you brush them you may want to spray some detangling mist on the hair that will condition the hair and also make brushing a lot easier.
Brushing Dogs
When you are brushing your dogs, you need to make sure that you are systematic. You should always start at the head and then work your way to the tail. You should also use strokes that are gentle but yet firm. If you rip and pull through the tangles in your dog's hair, it will only hurt your dog and also break their trust. When you are brushing your dog you need to make sure that you make it a pleasurable experience, in order to do that you need to take your time.
If you have a dog that has a thick coat, you are going to start the brushing session at the grain and then start brushing outward, once the entire coat has been brushed this way, you can start over and brush with the grain instead of against it. For all of the other types of coats that dogs have, you are going to need to brush with the grain.
Make sure that you remember to use long strokes for the dogs that have long hair and short strokes for those that have short, wiry hair. After you are done you can use a comb to remove any loose hair.
Bathing Dogs
In the past, it has been said that giving your dog a bath frequently can damage their coat. The truth of the matter is that if you use the right shampoo, you should be able to bathe your dogs more than one time a week without worrying about damaging the coat. When you are preparing to bathe your dog, the first decision that you need to make is where you are going to bathe your dog.
Normally, people that have small dogs will wash them in the kitchen sink or in a utility tub. If you have a large dog, you can bathe them in a bathroom tub or either a portable dog tub. Even though outside hoses are convenient, they are not the best answer because they have a supply of cold water. The water that you wash your dog in should be lukewarm in order for the shampoo to work the best and so that your dog is comfortable.
You also need to make sure that you apply an ophthalmic cream to the eyes so that you can protect them. You may also want to put a cotton ball in the ears in order to prevent water from entering the ear canals.
