Alice White
The curious four-legged friends romp around a lot and love to be outdoors. It can happen that they roll around in the mud and dirt. It is not uncommon for the fur to smell unpleasant. It is, therefore, all the more important to wash or bathe the fur nose with a special dog shampoo.
Can I Bathe My Puppy?
- Basically, a four-legged friend should only be washed if it is absolutely necessary;
- Dogs are not allowed to be washed with a normal shampoo with perfume;
- You should avoid washing dogs with baby shampoos.
How Often Can You Wash a Dog With Shampoo?
Basically, there is no rule of thumb as to how often you can wash a dog with shampoo. In general, when it comes to grooming, it is better to bathe a dog only when its coat is dirty or smells bad. The same goes for puppies. It is not necessary to put your four-legged friend in the bathtub once a week. The reason for this is the natural protective layer on the dog’s fur.
Thanks to the natural grease film on the skin, dogs rarely need a shampoo
The light greasy film on the dog’s fur keeps a large part of dirt and moisture away. Likewise, the skin of a four-legged friend – unlike human skin – does not consist of sweat glands. These can be found, for example, on the nose and the pads of the paws, but not on the face or head. This is why the animal favorite is sensitive to conventional shampoos. A perfumed shampoo damages the protective layer, which takes up to six weeks to regenerate. This is related to the natural pH of the dog’s skin. While humans have an “acidic” pH value below 7, four-legged friends have a high basic pH value above 7. Because of these differences, the skin of your four-legged friends is sensitive to chemical shampoos. The largest sense organ then becomes dry and is more prone to inflammation or injury.
Use the Right Shampoo for the Dog
You can wash dogs with a special dog shampoo. Suitable shampoo should meet the following criteria:
- The pH should be 7.4 or higher;
- The shampoo should be free from (artificial) fragrances;
- It shouldn’t be made from sodium lauryl or laureth sulfate;
- Furthermore, the shampoo should not contain musk.
How often can you wash and bathe your dog with shampoo?
If your four-legged friend has a particularly strong smell or if its fur is very dirty, it can be bathed. Here too, the dog owner should use a special shampoo. Basically, a bath is not harmful to your four-legged friend. In the United States, taking care of your pets even includes regular baths. Dog owners should bathe and wash their four-legged friends as often as necessary, but as little as possible. Of course, it is also allowed to shower the dog without shampoo. This is useful, for example, in the garden on warm days. Then your four-legged friend is happy to have a cool refreshment under the garden hose.
The correct procedure for bathing and showering the dog
Dog owners should do the right thing when bathing and showering their pets. You need a non-slip pad – ideally a rubber mat – in the bathtub. The temperature of the water should be comfortably warm for the four-legged friend. Water that is too hot above 38 ° C is not recommended, especially for older and sick dogs. You could get circulatory problems as a result. Care should be taken around the eyes and nose area when showering. Dogs sometimes react very sensitively in these areas. When lathering, make sure that the shampoo does not get into the mucous membranes of the fur nose. The dog is then showered until all shampoo residues have disappeared from the coat. After showering or bathing, the dog is rubbed off with a dry cloth in the bathtub or shower. Blow-drying the coat is generally allowed. Generally, the lively four-legged friends do not like the loud hairdryer. The temperature of the hair dryer should not be set to the highest level.
Get Your Dog Used to Washing With Shampoo at an Early Stage
It makes sense to get your four-legged friend used to the occasional bathing or showering as a puppy. To ensure that hygiene is stress-free, you should consider the following recommendations:
- It is better not to wash the dog with curd soap. The four-legged friend tries to get rid of intense smells as quickly as possible.
- If a scent is supposed to be a scented “first aid measure”, wash the dog with a home remedy.
- Such a shampoo for dogs can be made by yourself. Essential oils can be used in small doses.
- Coconut oil, a drop of lavender oil, and lanolin smell pleasant. These should never be massaged directly onto the dog’s skin.
- Alternatively, a dog can be washed with dry shampoo without water. It has to be powdered onto the fur and left to work for a while. Then the dirt can be brushed out with a suitable tool.
