How to Choose the Best Dog Shampoo

There is a bewildering selection of human shampoos on the market and new dog shampoos are appearing almost as rapidly. Here's how to select the best dog shampoo for your pet.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Avoid Scented Shampoos.
   
   Although a scented dog shampoo may smell wonderful to a human's nose, it can be irritating to your dog's skin.

2. Consider Your Dog's Susceptibility to Fleas and Ticks.
   
   If your dog has a serious flea and tick problem, you may want to consider a shampoo containing pyrethrins. Unfortunately, this ingredient is not generally found in all natural dog shampoos. If you select a product containing this ingredient, be sure to avoid getting it in your dog's mouth and eyes during his bath. This ingredient can be toxic to your dog at high concentrations.

3. Do a Thorough Rinse.
   
   If shampoo is left on your dog's skin, it can cause skin irritation. Rinse thoroughly and then rinse again. Keep dog shampoo out of your dog's eyes. This is especially important if you're using medicated dog shampoo.

4. Select One Based on Your Dog's Skin Type.
   
   There are dog shampoos designed for dogs with oily, normal, and dry skin. Because it's not always easy to determine your dog's skin type, you may want to consult your veterinarian for his opinion.

5. Consider Whether Your Dog Has Sensitive Skin.
   
   Does your dog have skin that's itchy and easily irritated? Does he scratch frequently? Initially, you may want to see your vet so he can determine whether your dog's sensitive skin is secondary to a medical condition that requires treatment. If not, you'll want to select a shampoo designed to relieve itchy, irritated skin. Two ingredients to look for are aloe vera and oatmeal. If these ingredients don't solve the problem, you may want to consider a medicated shampoo with a low dose of hydro cortisone to treat the irritation. Try to avoid dog shampoos with a lot of synthetic ingredients since they can aggravate.

6. Opt For An All Natural Dog Shampoo.
   
   Some of the synthetic ingredients found in dog shampoos can be skin irritants. As a general rule of thumb, if the names of the ingredients are difficult to pronounce, you're not dealing with an all natural dog shampoo. A good place to find natural dog shampoos is at your local organic grocery or co-op. Many pet supply stores are starting to carry these also.

7. Don't Let Your Dog Ingest the Shampoo.
   
   If you use a medicated shampoo on your dog, it should be out of reach of children and pets.

[affiliate4life]

on 7/17/2009 I want to buy here. I found that Yahoo http://www.dogshampoos.us/ safe?

[alisb]

on 6/12/2009 Great advice. I had a time with my dog. He is big, so that adds to the mix. I found dogosuds shampoo. It is all natural so I know I'm not harming my dog. Plus, it is a natural flea and tick repellent. I believe its sold by Dinovite.