Baths help keep dogs healthier, smelling fresh

We are spending more time with our dogs than we used to.

We curl up with them on the couch when we watch TV, share our bed with them at night, and take them along for drives to the local convenience store.

So it makes sense that we want our furry companions to smell nice. That’s why do-it-yourself dog washes seem to be springing up everywhere these days, and pet store shelves are brimming with heavenly scented shampoos with names like “Baby Powder,” “Pina Colada,” and “Tropical Rainforest.”

Aside from making your dog more pleasant to be around, regular bathing also contributes to the health of its skin and coat. Contrary to a once common misconception, dogs that are bathed often don’t get dry skin.

Feeding high-quality foods as recommended by your veterinarian (like Science Diet) and frequent brushing ensure that the skin retains its natural oils. It’s also helpful to use quality dog shampoos formulated to help keep the skin moist.

“Good dog shampoos have ingredients that hold moisture to the skin,” said Barbara Denzer, vice president of Cardinal Laboratories, a Azusa, Calif., company that makes dog shampoos under the Pet Botanics, Crazy Pet and Gold Medal Pet brands.

Denzer explains that dog shampoos have a variety of features that make them different, and in some ways better, than the hair-care products used by humans.

“Dog shampoo has a lower pH than the human variety,” she said. “It also makes fewer suds, so it can be rinsed off faster, and it deodorizes as well as cleans.”

Deodorizing is especially important in a dog shampoo, according to Denzer.

“It’s no secret, dogs will get doggy odor if they aren’t bathed often enough,” she said. “Dogs stay a lot closer to the ground than we do, and they run around in the dirt, so they’re going to pick up odors. But just think of how noticeable our “people odor’ would be if we went a month between baths!”

A bottle of dog shampoo will last the average pet owner a long time, so it doesn’t make sense to save a few pennies by purchasing a lower quality brand.

“The cheaper shampoos often won’t have the deodorizers, detanglers and conditioners that you’ll find in a brand like Pet Botanics, Crazy Pet or Gold Medal Pets,” said Denzer. “Plus, the premium brands will have added proteins that help repair damaged or brittle coats.”

Once you selected a quality shampoo, what’s the best way to give your dog a bath?

Denzer recommends using water that’s lukewarm, not hot, and pouring the shampoo into the palm of your hand before working it into your pet’s coat. Applying shampoo directly to the coat will result in a heavy concentration in one area and a lack of coverage everywhere else.

Diana Mohler, a groomer and a columnist for Dog Fancy, prefers to start shampooing at the dog’s neck. especially with flea shampoos, because fleas will race towards the dog’s eyes and ears as they notice the dog getting wet.

“You want a soap barrier to ensure that all the parasites are killed,” she says.

She then works her way back to the hindquarters. Mohler washes the head last, because dogs are likely “to shake soap and water all over” once their heads and gets wet.

Mohler also advises pet owners to make sure they shampoo the entire body, including the underbelly and the area between the toes. A thorough rinse is also critical, since shampoo residue can irritate the skin.

According to Mohler, the most common mistakes that pet owners make at bath time are not rinsing their dogs completely, using water that’s too cold, not putting cotton in the ears to keep water from going down the ear canal, and allowing pets to jump out of the bathtub.

“The dog and the floor are both wet and slippery after a bath, and the dog can sustain serious injury if he jumps out and slips,” she said. “You should lift your dog out of the tub and set him on the floor.

“If he’s too big to lift, you should slide your arm under his lower abdomen and your other arm around his neck, and brace his body against your leg. Lift and brace as he exits the tub. Never allow him to simply jump from the tub.” But reality says many of you have probably turned your back on a wet, sudsy dog that leapt for freedom and went streaking through the house.

Keeping Fido or Fluffy in the tub is now easier “done than said” with Rinse Ace Brand Bathing Tethers. These bathing tethers have a stainless steel clip to attach to a pet’s collar and a heavy-duty suction cup on the opposite end of an adjustable nylon braid strap to adhere to the bath or other surface.

In all cases, it’s a good idea to comb and brush your dog before a bath to remove mats and tangles. Bath water can tighten mats into tougher knots, making them more difficult to remove.