As pet parents, it is our responsibility to take good care of our furry friends to keep them fit and healthy. Maintaining proper hygiene of our pets is one of the important parts of keeping them clean, fresh, and safe from any potential harm. In this dog cleaning step-by-step guide, My Cheery Pet will teach you the importance of dog hygiene.
It is important for every pet owner to maintain proper hygiene for their puppy or dogs and give them regular bathing and invest time in grooming to always keep their furry friend smelling good.
Dog hygiene not only helps your furry friend look good or fresh but it also helps prevent potential diseases such as skin irritation and skin infections.
Dog Cleaning Step-By-Step Guide: The Ultimate Checklist on Dog Cleaning
There are a number of factors determining how much time and how often you need to give your dog a bath such as the breed of your dog, the size of your dog, how old your pet dog is, how much physical activities your dog does, and the environment it usually spends the most time in.
Step 1. Gathering Supplies: Puppy Care Supplies
The first step in our dog cleaning step-by-step guide is to gather supplies that we will need during the cleaning and bathing of your dog. Before you take your dog for a bath you would want to ensure that you have all the essentials that are required to wash and clean your dog close to your hand.
Things that are required for the cleaning of your dogs are a dog hair brush, shampoo & conditioner made for dogs or pets, towels, cotton balls, washcloths or sponges to soak excess water and moisture from your dogs, nail clippers, and ear cleaner.
You might also need a helping hand as not all dogs like to bathe and some dogs can be hard to handle on your own while bathing so it is advised to have someone holding your dog while you do the cleaning.
Step 2. Brushing The Hair
Brushing your dog before a bath plays an important role especially if you have a dog from a hairy breed. Brushing allows you to remove any tangles from the coat of your dog and improve blood circulation.
The process of brushing is also important as it helps you find whether your dog has ticks that can cause skin irritation and skin infections.
You can visit a vet to get rid of the ticks or you can simply do it by yourself with hands or tweezers as ticks are quite easy to remove. Just don’t forget to wash your hands properly afterward.
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Step 3. Preparing a Bath Area For Your Furry Friend
The next step in our dog cleaning step-by-step guide is preparing a bath area for our furry friend. Now the third step in our dog cleaning step-by-step guide is to choose a suitable location to give your furry friend a pleasant bath. Choosing a location is not as much of difficult a task than to make a bath pleasant for your furry friend.
Now if you have a small dog or a puppy you can use a sink as its bathtub but make sure you put a towel or a rubber mat under it to prevent your pet from slipping as the surface of the sink can be slippery for your furry friend.
However, if you have a big dog then the best place would be in the bathroom or outside of the house if you have a lawn or garden. Use lukewarm water to make it a comfortable bath for your dog and keep some treats with you to feed it as a reward for your dog’s cooperation during the bath.
The thing you need to keep in mind if you are cleaning your dog outside of your bathroom is to make sure you put a leash on your dog as your dog might try to run away during the bath.
Step 4. Trimming The Nails of Your Furry Friend
Trimming is an important part of our dog cleaning step-by-step guide. Trimming the nails of your furry friend is important especially if your furry friend has big nails and needs trimming as your dog can give you scratches during its bath. So it is best that you trim the nails of your furry friend before getting your dog in the bathtub.
There are several dog nail clippers that are available in the market that you can use to properly and carefully trim your dog’s nails. Be careful while trimming the nails of your dog and do not cut too close to the quick as it can cause discomfort and bleeding which can traumatize your dog and we don’t want that.
So if you lack confidence and are not sure whether you can do it, it is advised to seek help from a professional groomer.
Step 5. Pampering Your Pooch with a Relaxing Bath Time
Gently put your furry friend in the bathtub or gently pour lukewarm water on their coat thoroughly if you are bathing your dog outside of your house.
It is important to understand that dogs are sensitive beings and sensitive to hot water just like us human beings. So it’s our responsibility to make the bath as pleasant as possible for the dog.
Use pet care products such as dog-specific shampoo that you can buy online or at any medical shop. Make sure to buy products that are suitable and match your dog’s breed, skin needs, and coat type so it doesn’t cause any skin or hair issues.
Evenly spread the shampoo onto the dog’s coat with a proper massage to properly clean the dog.
Step 6. Ensuring Your Dog’s Coat is Pristinely Rinsed
After a good scrub wash your dog with lukewarm water to get rid of the shampoo from the dog’s coat. It is important to properly wash your dog to make sure there aren’t any traces of shampoo left because shampoo residue can cause skin problems and we don’t want that.
Use your hand to properly clean the ear, wash its belly, and remove shampoo between the toes.
Step 7. Nourishing Your Dog’s Fur with Conditioning Care
Conditioning is totally optional but if you have a dog from a hairy breed that has a long thick furry coat then you might want to apply conditioner after a good bath.
There are several conditioners made especially for dogs that are available in the market that you can buy for your furry family members.
Applying conditioner to your dog’s coat gives a smooth and shiny texture to its coat and also prevents hair entanglement. For the best result, you can simply follow the product’s instructions.
Step 8. Drying Your Pup’s Coat with Tender Care
While the most part is done, getting your pet dry is not a difficult task as your furry friend likes to shake him/herself dry. Even so, you can use a regular towel for the drying process or you can also use a sponge to remove excess water and moisture from your dog’s coat.
Gently pat your dog’s coat with a regular towel that we all use to get rid of excess water. It’s best if you can find a towel made of microfiber as it can make the process a whole lot easier and quicker.
You can also use a hairdryer on a low cool setting that too only if your dog is comfortable with it as excess heat from the hairdryer can cause skin irritations. Otherwise, traditional methods are best as they help us bond better with our pets.
Step 9. Clear-Eared Comfort: Dog Cleaning Step-By-Step Guide
Remove the cotton balls that we used to block the water from getting into the dog’s ear during the bath. You can use ear rinse especially formulated to clear the excessive earwax from your dog’s ear such as Vetericyn Ear Rinse.
Clearing your dog’s ear can help prevent potential ear irritations or infections. To clear the ear properly you can simply apply the dog ear cleaner on a cotton ball to clean the outer part of the dog’s ear.
It is important to stay focused and do the cleaning precisely and do not insert the cotton ball too deep, it might cause damage to your dog’s eardrums.
Step 10. Showering Your Pup with Rewards and Affection
It is important for you to treat your dog with his favorite treats after every bath as a reward so that your dog learns that after every bath he\she going to get some treats.
Praising your also helps you bond better with your dog and it is advised that you spend some play or quality time with your dog after cleaning him\her. All these activities encourage your dog for future cooperation.
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Bottom Line
Regular cleaning of your dog plays a vital role in your dog’s overall health and well-being. In this article, My Cheery Pet has provided you with the best Dog cleaning step-by-step guide that you can use to ensure the hygiene of your dog.
Just follow the steps mentioned in the article and it will help you keep your four-legged furry friend stay clean, fresh, happy, and healthy.
Also, keep in mind every dog is unique, so it’s up to you to make sure you pay proper attention to their individual preferences and requirements during the cleaning process.
Also read, how to take care of Dog with our Dog care step-by-step guide
How do you clean a dog step by step?
Gathering Supplies, Brushing, Preparing the Bath Area, Getting your Dog Wet, Rinse Thoroughly, Conditioning, Drying, Ear Cleaning, Nails Trimming, and Rewarding & Affection are the steps that you need to follow to clean your dog. Rest you can simply just follow the above article for proper understanding.
What are the 7 steps of grooming a dog?
The seven steps of Grooming a dog are; Regular brushing, hair trimming, nail trimming, regular skin checkups, teaching your dog about grooming sessions, regular ear cleaning, bathing schedule.
How to clean a dog without a bath?
Use wet wipes, regularly brush your furry friend, use dry shampoo, regularly clean your dog’s stuff such as their bed, toys, and blankets, regularly clean your dog’s ear with ear wipes and other dogs’ ear cleaner, keep their mouth clean with regular brushing and so on.