A Day at the Spa – Bathing Your Dog

I don’t mind baths.  Really, I don’t.  But I would, of course, rather roll in something yucky outside in the yard.  But then, that’s usually why my Lady has to bath me to start with, so it’s a bit of a catch 22.

Bathing Your Dog

When havin’ a bath, I know to stand quietly, so my Lady can get me washed easily.  Unfortunately, the rest of the pack isn’t as cooperative as I am, so their baths take longer.  And the two young pups require much more frequent baths due to their extra curriculars: garbage can scavengin’. Yup, it’s not uncommon to see one of them with a garbage can lid stuck on their head.  WOOF! Goofballs have little self control! But,  they’ll learn they needn’t wear ever stinky smell, although they may want to.

Now back to my bath.  I prefer the water to be warm, not hot, and definitely not cold.  And I do not like bubbles, though many human folk seems to.  Bubbles taste awful!  While sometimes my Lady uses an oatmeal shampoo, what I really like to be washed with is baking soda.  My Lady mixes bakin’ soda with the warm water, and I get clean and refreshed with nothin’ itchy or too flowery left behind.  Even better, she sometimes conditions my fur with a rinse of apple cider vinegar or honey mixed with bath water.  You human folk who know about natural skin and hair care may have heard of this solution for your own hair: #nopoo (a method of washin’ hair without shampoo).  I like it, too, though #nopoo usually means something very different to a dog. WOOF!

After my bath, a warm towel needs to cover me up in a hurry, so I don’t shake bath water all over the bathroom or whatever is close to me.  It’s just how it works. There is about 5.3 seconds to get toweled before everything starts to shake.  Can’t help it! My Lady knows and moves quickly.  And, she knows if she misses that I didn’t mean to splatter the walls with a good shake.

So, when bathing your dog, keep these things in mind to make it easier.  And don’t expect younger pups to be as well behaved as I am.  Finally, know our acceptance of baths is a gift to you because our idea of good groomin’ is less particular than your plan for us to be squeaky clean. I’ll take that bath for my Lady, after all it is refreshin’. Meanwhile, I’ll hold onto my dreams of one day opening Molly’s Spa with a fully equipped Road Kill Roll Room.

Now for that manicure 🙂