How to Bathe a Dog

Video Transcript

"Hi, I'm Jim Leske, animal trainer and behaviorist for Expert Village. We're here today to talk to you about bathing your pets. Some people overdo it, some people never do it, and some people just don't do it at all. Bathing can be a very good experience for you and your dog. Remember your dog has natural oils in their coat and their body that they tend to really need, and this helps keep their skin from flaking and itching. So if you're over bathing, and you're seeing any redness or scratching, there's a very good possibility that you're over bathing. Worse-case scenario, you wouldn't want to bathe your dog more than once a month and that's at the very, very, very most. While we improvise a bath here, I'm making it fun. I started out with Bear; he wouldn't let anybody bathe him whatsoever. We started out in the tub, and we just put him in a bathtub with this much water in it, just up to his ankles. From there, we slowly built. I would still bathe him. I had to pick up the water in a cup, pour it over him, and slowly bathe and soap. From there, I'm turning it into, again, a massage. I'm making it a pleasurable experience for the dog. I'm trying to avoid soap in the eyes, water in the eyes, water in the ears. Everything that I can possibly do. Also remember that there are a large variety of shampoos and conditioners out there for you and your dogs. It's very important to use a shampoo that's specifically made for your dog or cat in the bathing process. You should never use human shampoo on a dog. Our skin and their skin and coat vary greatly and that's the reason for this. A bath is another great way, if you make it more like fun, swimming, it's an enjoyable experience for you and your dog. By doing this, you help keep your dog's coat shiny and healthy, and a lot of people don't like to deal with what they call that doggy smell. So with that, keep in mind that just like any other part of your training, dog bathing should be fun and a positive experience for both you and your dog. I'm Jim Leske, and thanks for watching us on Expert Village."