How to Bathe a Dog

Keeping Your Dog Safe in the Tub

I happen to have the luxur
y of a hose in my raised tub to wet down the dog and do a thorough rinse. If you don't have a spray attachment in your sink or tub, you can use a container to get the job done – fill and pour, fill and pour, etc.
The bottoms of tu
bs are slippery, so I'm going to put a towel down in the bottom of my tub (without blocking the drain) so my 11 year-old Boston terrier has something to grip during his bath. The towel will help him feel and actually be more secure, which is helpful for any dog, but especially older dogs.
So now I've got Rosco in the tub. He doesn't seem too uncomfortable with what's going on, but I know he'd rather be somewhere else. If your dog is nervous or afraid in the bath, you should have a helper with you to hold her steady and help her feel safe.
I have removed Rosco's collar, but if you need to leave your dog's collar or harness on as a sort of handle while you bathe her, that's absolutely fine.
Again, if your dog is new to bathing or seems skittish, I really recommend you have a helper with you who can soothe her and maybe offer her the occasional treat for being a good girl in the tub. The goal is to create a positive experience so your dog won't develop an extreme dislike or fear of being bathed.

Keeping Your Dog's Ears and Eyes Protected

Every dog is an individual, and in Rosco's case, he doesn't like to get his head wet at all – this is something I already know about him. In fact, most dogs don't enjoy getting water poured on their heads, and it's really not the safest or best way to get the face and ears clean anyway.
I'm putting a cotton ball just inside each of Rosco's ears to prevent water from getting in them. I'm not going to bathe his head, but sometimes water spills or splashes where you don't want it to go, so I want to protect his ears just in case.
And no matter what shampoo you use – even if it says it's safe around the eyes – I don't recommend you lather your dog's head. If for some reason you have to, it's important to hold the dog's chin up and rinse the soapy water back toward the neck and not down over the face to avoid getting shampoo in the eyes.
Another reason I don't recommend pouring water over your dog's head is because lots of dogs develop secondary ear infections from moisture getting into the ear canal.
So I'm going to bathe Rosco from the neck back, and then finish with a washcloth to clean his facial folds.

Getting Down to Business

First I make sure the water temperature is comfortable – not too hot or cold. The bottom of the tub is now getting wet, so the towel I've laid down will keep my guy from slipping around and feeling unsure of his stability.
I'm just going to get him wet everywhere with the hose – down all four legs, over all four paws, and don't forget the undercarriage!
If you don't have a hose or sprayer, just fill up the container and slowly pour the water over your dog, saturating the coat and skin. Get your dog as wet as possible before applying shampoo, especially if he has a full or long coat. It will make lathering a lot easier, and rinsing as well.
Now that Rosco is good and wet, it's time for the shampoo. I use a variety of all-natural shampoos here at Natural Pet. I like tea tree shampoo for animals with skin infections. I don't recommend oatmeal shampoo unless your dog has no skin eruptions, no allergies, and a very dry coat.
Today for Rosco, I'm using a bar shampoo a master soap maker makes for me. It's called Detest a Pest, and because it's still summer here in the Chicago area and I'm doing all I can to keep fleas and ticks off my pets, it's a good one to use.
This is called a body bar, which I just hold in my hand to do the lathering. If you use liquid shampoo, you'll just pour a strip of shampoo down your dog's back.
I recommend if your dog is dense or double-coated that you pre-mix some shampoo with water and then apply it. Otherwise, with a long-haired dog, you can end up with a wad of shampoo in one place that doesn't get adequately distributed to the whole body.
Rosco, of course, has very short hair, so it's easy to lather him up with the body bar.