Doggy Spa Day
The importance of doggy hygiene for both pup and pawrent!
Well that was such a blast getting outside and adventuring with our humans… but now they keep calling me stinky!
What did they expect when they took me out for a hike? Of course I’m gonna get a little bit dirty… Guess it's time to have a SPA DAY. I know, I know…bath time doesn’t always sound as fun as say rolling around in some mud, but keeping up on our hygiene is very important for our fur, skin, nails, and OVERALL health. And I’ve really begun to enjoy it!
Not to toot my own horn, but I get A LOT of compliments. Almost on a daily basis. “How beautiful!”, “Soooo pretty”, I’ve heard them all. Well interestingly enough, I have actually NEVER been to the groomers. Yep, you heard that right. A golden retriever almost 3 years old has never been to the groomers, but HOW?!
I got used to a steady diet of baths early in my life. Up until a year ago we lived in an apartment complex with a giant dirt dog park, and I was a regular. 5-6pm consisted of me and my buddies having the time of our lives kicking up dust as we chased after tennis balls. Most nights of the week that meant a bath was incoming.
Although uncomfortable at first, I grew to appreciate a nice rinse, towel dry, and brush. I appreciated it so much that on nights where I knew I got extremely dirty, I would actually walk into the apartment and lead my humans right to the bathtub!
This introduction to hygiene and routine of taking care of my coat has led to many beneficial things we do to keep me healthy, happy, and looking GOOD. Today we’ll walk through a few simple tips and rules I live by that help you lead a healthier and happy life too. You can thank me later for the praise you start to receive!
The Importance of Doggy Hygiene
Not only does regular grooming of your dog result in looking like a handsome, well maintained pup, but there are also many health benefits to this.
You will be aware of any underlying health issues early on if you are consistently and thoroughly cleaning your pup.
You will help to prevent your dog from diseases spread by fleas, ticks or other insects they attract.
You will be making sure your dog is happy and comfortable.
You will be helping your pups feet & joints.
You will help to avoid infection, specifically ear infections that I know a lot of us doggos can be super susceptible to.
When you are regularly bathing, brushing, and looking at your dog's fur, skin, nails, ears, and mouth, you will notice any irregularities much sooner and be able to take your pup to the vet to get things checked out.
You will also see if on that hike we took earlier any tagalongs decided to hitch a ride in my thick fur. Fleas and ticks are NO fun and by making sure brushing and bathing are occurring, especially after being outdoors we can make sure they don't overstay their welcome. Your humans will be happy to get rid of these pests before climbing into their beds at night.
Regularly brushing your dog's fur helps to get rid of loose fur, stimulate new hair growth and help to promote your pups' soft fur by increasing healthy oil production. Brushing is SO important for long haired pups that can get tangled fur and even matting, which is so painful for us. Brushing regularly, more so than bathing, is important for us doggos. This also benefits our humans because regular brushing helps with shedding! Of course I still shed because I am a long coated golden retriever, but not nearly as much now that I am regularly brushing.
Okay, where do I start and how to go about it?
If you have a young pup, you are in luck! Start early and often with touching every inch of your pup so that they are comfortable with your hands on them; in their ears, mouths, paws, etc. This will make grooming so much easier later down the road.
Although you may have a short coated pup, they still need grooming too! But not quite as often and thoroughly as us long haired friends need it. There are also breeds that require professional REGULAR grooming appointments, but every breed can at least do some of the grooming and upkeep at home.
START WITH THE BASICS - THE COAT
Showering - Bath time! Like I said earlier, we have had PLENTY of bath time experience and one of our biggest recommendations is to get a shower attachment if you don’t have a detachable shower head. We use this WaterPik attachment that has a switch to go between the attachment and regular shower head streaming. Another great one we found was this one that actually attaches to the tub faucet if you don't have a compatible shower head like us in our first apartment. Using these attachments is a game changer with a long haired pup. It thoroughly wets the coat so much faster and you have the long hose and wand to work around your wiggly pup. As far as shampoo, you can keep make it easier and use a shampoo/conditioner combo for your pup, but make sure you look at the ingredients first! We love the Skout’s Honor brand and they have a large line of great grooming products.
Brushing - If you haven't attempted grooming your pup a simple way to start is with a good brush. We love our retractable slicker brush which is great for long haired pups! Brushing is actually more important for our coats than regular bathing. If don’t regularly brush, start brushing a few minutes a day to get your pup used to it. Brush when they are calm and relaxed and reward them with their favorite treat after! Routine is so important when it comes to getting your dogs comfortable with grooming.
NEXT UP, EARS.
A super easy starting point for cleaning your pups ears are with these AMAZING finger ear wipes. They slide onto your human’s finger to make cleaning super easy. Lots of dogs are super susceptible to ear infections due to allergies, going swimming, or gut issues. We also use this ear cleanser solution for after a day at the beach or a dock diving session. It is very important for us ear infection susceptible dogs to have our ears cleaned after swimming! Usually after a good swim I am nice and tired anyways, so while laying down on my side my humans put a few drops in, massage it, and then do the other ear.
LAST BUT NOT LEAST, NAILS.
Did you know that untrimmed nails can actually lead to joint pain in pups? If the nails get too long the dog will be walking on uneven paw pads leading to joint issues. Fortunately if you are walking very regularly, especially on the neighborhood sidewalks, a lot of the filing down occurs naturally. Same with humans, trimming or grinding your pups nails is easiest after a bath. Just like clipping your own nails, the warm water softens our nails to make it much easier. If you are feeling uneasy clipping your dogs nails you can start with a grinder. Just like with brushing, wait until your dog is in a more relaxed mood. Start with just a couple nails at a time and give lots of treats, praise, and belly rubs after!
Graham’s Care Routine and Helpful Tips
I get it. Lots to remember and a little overwhelming when thinking about where to start or how to remember. To make it easier, follow these simple tips and make grooming part of your daily, weekly, monthly routine!
Brush when you brush! An easy way to remember to get your pups daily brushing in (both teeth and fur) is to brush when you brush! My toothbrush sits right in my humans bathroom as a nice reminder.
Start small! If your pup isn’t used to you grooming them at home, start with just a couple minutes a day and reward them with their favorite treatos afterwards!
Use incentive! Use a lickmat like this, load it up with some peanut butter and stick it to your shower wall. Not only do lick mats help ease anxiety in pups, but this can be a distracting, tasty treat while you bathe.
Set a date! I’m sure you all have that date each month on your calendar that you give your pup their flea/tick and heartworm meds. Why not do the same with a monthly date for a bath? Life happens and they may need baths more frequently, but having this set date every month for a puppy spa day can be very helpful!
CURRENT SUPPLIES !!
Waterpik - Fantastic shower attachment that allows access to all of those hard to reach spots.
Skout’s Honor Shampoo - Great shampoo/conditioner for healthy hair with a great shine. We usually buy it at our local pet store, but you can get it here as well!
Shammy Towel - For quick and easy drying.
Bathrobe - Our famous duckie bath robe! If you follow us on social media you are well aware of this bathrobe. We get messages all the time asking about it and if I actually wear it. I’m not embarrassed to say that I actually LOVE wearing my bathrobe after my baths. Not only does it help dry me off, keep my wet body from soaking everything around me, but it also is very comfy!
Deodorizer Spray - In between baths you can use this deodorize probiotic spray to help keep your pups smelling fresh and their skin healthy.
Grooming brush - the best brush! This retractable slicker style grooming brush makes for easy clean up when you're all finished.
Nail trimmer - we have both these clippers, and this automatic grinder
Ear wipes & cleanser - if you're a newbie or well seasoned with ear issues here are a couple products that will help maintain your pups ear health.
Toothbrush and toothpaste - These make brushing straightforward and simple!
Wipes/deodorizer - For those in between times that baths just aren't an option.
Well I think it's safe to say that spa days aren’t just for the humans. I am feeling ZEN, especially now that I’ve got my duckie bathrobe on.
Regular grooming is a great training and bonding tool that will benefit your dog's behavior and overall well being. Not only will you have a nice clean, good smelling pup crawling into their (or your…) bed at night, but you’ll sleep sound knowing that you’ve helped with their happiness as well!
Now time for some much needed shut eye to cap off an epic Spa Day. Talk to you next week and as always, stay friendly!
Graham