This is Alphie, he's a 9 year old Cocker Spaniel, but still acts very much like a puppy.
This little man HATES bath time. As you can probably tell from this picture. He's thinking "when will this be over"? But, these baths between grooming sessions are absolutely vital. He's a very active pup. He loves rolling in the grass, sniffing all the "city smells" on our walks, sniffing the behinds of other pups to say hello, etc. So, that amazing freshly groomed smell just doesn't hold up between our monthly grooming sessions.
He also loves to sleep with us. The city streets of Chicago are pretty clean, but I wouldn't want to walk barefoot on them, then walk around my house and get into bed with those dirty feet. We wipe off his paws each time he comes in the house, but his little feet still manage to turn gray/black after a few days of long walks.
At the end of each week we take an hour and bring Alph down to the amazing self-grooming station in our building. Its SUCH a luxury to have this. I know many people in the city have these now living in high-amenity buildings and it is such a game changer. Some people have these installed in their garages at home. Its worth every penny! We used to bathe Alph in the shower or in the tub in our old apartments and it can be such a mess to clean up afterwards. Especially if your dog sheds as much as Alphie! By the end of our bath sessions the room usually looks like the inside of a snow globe and his hair is stuck to everything.
Tips to avoid this at home:
Keep the door closed.
Throughly brush through before bathing.
Keep a couple towels close by for when your done.
Attach an extension cord to your blow dryer and keep it nearby (switched off).
Put a hair catcher in your drain so you don't clog your pipes. Click HERE for an inexpensive option from Chewy.
Keep the shower door/shower curtain closed when bathing so the water doesn't go everywhere when they shake it off.
After bathing, squeeze out the excess water and let the water drain.
Towel off as much water as possible to make the drying experience shorter and less traumatic for your pup.
Put your pup back in the tub or shower to blow dry and get in there with him or her so you can keep the shower door or shower curtain closed to contain the for hair.
Brush once more to remove excess hair again and tie on a cute bandana, bowtie or bow!
I've tried lots of different shampoos and conditioners, but my favorite right now is the lavender and mint Buddy Rinse from Chewy, linked HERE. In the winter I typically use an oatmeal shampoo and conditioner to help with dry skin. I like the Burts Bees one because it has a nice lather and it smells good, linked HERE.
Thanks for reading! Let me know if you have other tried and true methods for bathing your pups at home. I look forward to hearing from you!
X,
Jess
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