8 Steps to the perfect dog bath - Cooper & Gracie™ Limited

So, how often should you give your dog a well-deserved bath?

In general, once a week is great but if your dog has itchy skin, has contact with many other dogs or gets dirty more often from active walks, then it’s probably best to wash more frequently. 

We serve thousands of dogs each week that struggle with itchy dog skin, dog fleas, mange and other dog grooming issues, we know that washing dogs responsibly takes some care and we take great pride in using our experience to help our loving and loyal customers.

See our 8 steps to the perfect dog bath below 

Please note that just one bad encounter of a dog wash can have lasting negative effects on your dog and our aim is to make this a safe, enjoyable and loving exercise for all. 

  1. Prepare your dog's coat

Brushing your dog's coat thoroughly will remove any excess dirt and mats before your pup gets wet. It helps calm and soothe them prior to bath time and also makes dog washing much easier. If you don’t brush your dog’s coat before a wash you may make any existing mats even worse and then be forced to cut them out with dog grooming scissors. 

  1. Use a non-slip rubber mat at the bottom of the bathtub or shower

This is really vital, you don’t want them slipping and sliding around. A slipping and sliding pup will cause a lot of unnecessary stress and make it very difficult for your dog to enjoy a good clean natural wash. 

  1. Free-flowing water 

You want to avoid splashing and dirty water building up around your dog. A free flow of lukewarm water that is able to be easily rinsed away is the best dog cleaning option for most people. It's for this reason that we mostly advise the shower as a better place to wash your dog. You can simply fill up a small tub and gently pour this over them in the bath also if a showerhead is unavailable.

  1. Applying the best dog shampoo for your dog.

Use Shampoo that's specifically for dog's click here to see Cooper & Gracie ́s range of dog shampoos for every situation.

Start by gently wetting your dog with plain lukewarm water. Make sure your chosen Cooper and Gracie dog shampoo is applied firstly around your dog's neck and then work your way down to their body. As all our shampoos are 100% natural you should get a nice low-level lather around your dog's neck, body, legs, and feet. *100%Natural products will not lather up to the extremes of a cheap chemical alternative. This is due to the fact that we never use harmful, aggressive chemicals in any of our products.

  1. Take care of washing your dog's face 

Using a clean washcloth around your dog's face works best for cleaning. Be very careful around the eyes and please don't get water in your pup's ears as this can cause many ear irritations and cause lots of head shaking.  

  1. Rinse thoroughly

It's important to make sure all of the natural dog shampoos is washed out of your dog's coat. You only need a couple of minutes as a minimum of shampoo contact with dog skin and hair to make an impact on the cleanliness of your dog, however we generally suggest at least a good 5minutes of massaging in the cruelty free shampoo is best, especially if dealing with skin issues or fleas and ticks on your dog.

  1. Drying

A simple towel dry of your dog is best for most people. If your pup has a short coat then this won't take long at all whereas if your dog has a longer coat, wait until his coat is slightly damp and then blow-dry on the lowest setting. Be very careful to avoid burns. 

  1. Brush and reward 

Once your pooch has dried, brush his coat to make sure there aren't any mats or debris left in the coat. You can and should reward your dog by giving a lot of praises and treats. As a final thing to consider Cooper and Gracie has a fantastic range of 100% natural dog grooming colognes, detanglers and conditioners that smell amazing and are enjoyed by many happy customers.

Thank you for reading this post please have a look at our recommended products below