At home bathing tips

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

I would like to begin to groom Cubbie on my own at home and think I can handle it.  Right now we take him to a groomer every 6 weeks or so and if necessary go to a self service dogwash in between his grooming appointments.  I have been doing a LOT of reading in the DK grooming section and am ready to get my clippers and some good scissors and get to work.  My only concern right now is, how do i comfortably bath Cubbie at home?  I really enjoy using the elevated tubs at the self service dogwash but don't always like the fact that there is dog hair everywhere there (from those people that aren't fortunate enough to have wonderful non-shedding dogs).  I would like to be able to do the bathing at home where I know things are cleaner, but don't really want to have to kneel on the bathroom floor and bend over the side of the tub.  Cubbie is a miniature, so using the bathtub would definately involve a lot of bending and kneeling.  If anyone has hints or suggestions, I would really appreciate it.

[Jeanne, Tura and Dolly]

It is easier to have them up higher, isn't it?  If he is small, would he fit into a kitchen or laundry room sink?  Since my dogs are larger, I have to go to the dog wash for that part of the grooming because I can't lift or bend over them in the bath. I have a great free standing counter in our kitchen area that I groom them on but the bathing still has to be out.  If you live in a warm place, there are collapsible tubs for outside you could try.....

[Cynthia and Magic]

What works for me.....(bad knees,bad back :P)...is I have to sit on the side of the tub, pants rolled up and I have my feet in the tub with him! For some reason, it is a lot easier on my back - I guess because you don't have to reach so far!! .....and I can tell how the temperature is at the same time LOL!!

[Debb, Lucy & Oscar]

I've been bathing Lucy at home since she was a small pup, and wish sometimes there was an easier way. We have an enclosure type tub in our spare so sitting on the edge is out (but I liked Cynthia's suggestion). What I do is use gardener's knee protectors (I haven't' a clue what they're really called). They're made of high density foam rubber and go a long way to save the knees. Since you're not bending totally over they're a little help for the back, too.. If you have a walk in shower, there are ways to set up a hand held shower head so you can bathe your doodle in there. Our downstairs bath (our powder, really) has a walk in shower with this set up. Its great for using on Lucy's feet when she comes in really dirty. That way we can avoid having to get her upstairs to the spare bath without dirtying the carpet. Its not going to help with your back, though. I hear ya with the self service dog wash places. We've just recently started going there after particularly dirty play sessions at the dog park when I don't want to spend hours bathing and drying Lucy at home. Between my husband and me, we can be done with her in about 1/2hr... and NO back or knee pain! The first visit we were the only ones there and the place was immaculate, but this last time there were dogs like Malamutes and other thick coated dogs. Hair was everywhere! Yuck!

 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Luna's friend (a little beagle/spaniel mix, so probably about the size of Cubbie) gets bathed in the utility sink.  Her owner had the hardware store fit a garden hose type attachment to the utility sink faucet like a pull-down shower, so it's super easy to get all the muddy places ;)

[Lynda Kamrath]

Laundry room sinks are the best.  I even wash my 85 lb. goldendoodle in the double sinks we have in the laundry room.  We built our laundry room with the dogs in mind and have double sinks and counters on both sides for grooming the doodles.  We have a ramp that our large doodle learned to use to get up to the tubs.  He was 105 lbs.  It is also nice to have warm water for their baths and a hose attachment is great, whether in the laundry room or the kitchen.

Before we washed our dogs in the laundry room, we had a miniature poodle who loved his baths.  He would jump into the tub and wait there for someone to give him a bath.  When I was pregnant and it was hard to lean over the tub, I started taking him into the shower with me.  He was small enough that I could hold him up to rinse him off and he was very cooperative.  After that, my husband started showering with him also.  Leaning over a bathtub is definitely hard on your back and I would try other alternatives before washing in the tub.

[Kate C Pappas]

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!!!!!

[Lari]

You can buy one of those booster bath type things and use it outside.  That's what I have done for at home use.  I'm fortunate that I also work at a dog daycare place and there is a groomer on staff there who always takes care of Chaucer for me  :)  I did his first groom myself today though with her help.

[Kate C Pappas]

Well...... put on your bathing suit and get into the tub with Cubbie. Seriously. That is what I do. I have a large Standard girl and a medium girl and that's what I do. If you have one of those Water Pik type shower heads, that's even better.

Have lots of towels nearby and expect lots of Doodle shaking! LOL. Today Yindi (18 mo - medium girl), iced Caramel in color, is getting a bath and I'll be trying out my brand new dryer!! DH got it for me for Mother's Day.

 

[Jennifer,Chloe & Myla]

We have 2 minisand we use the laundry sink in the basement.

[Elizabeth & *Kosci*.]

If I'm running short of time and the dogs need a wash they go into the shower with me and if I have a little more time they go into the laundry tub.
Grooming the dog yourself is great bonding time.. I was able to do a short dog grooming course, and take my own dog to practice on.. There were also lots of other different breeds of dogs so you got to see how other breeds were cut. Also the teachers brought in their dogs for us to groom. You may be able to look out for a short course to give you confidence.

[Amy, Cubbie & Ollie]

haha...I never even considered throwing on my swimsuit and getting in the shower too!!  I'll have to give that one a try.  Although I am pretty sure that he is going to look at me like "ummm...what is going on here?!?!?" and I don't think I would ever tell my non-dog owning friends about that either!!!

 

Elizabeth, where did you take your grooming course?

[Susan and Sasha]

Hi Amy...

Sasha is about 75lbs...and we have a very large free standing shower...which works Great to wash her in.

I use a hand help shower hose to wet her down completely...lather her up and wash her really good...and then use the hand held to rinse her Very Well!!

She learned to stand completely still while I do this...with or without the help of my DH. Lol...

When this process is finished...she comes out of the shower...or should I say we do (smile)...and I have the floor covered with towels...and I use Sham Wows...which really do absorb the water from her coat better than any towel can!

I can get her really dry that way.

I use to blow her dry...but...I find that I like the way she looks much better if I let her coat air dry.

In between baths...if she gets her paws muddy...I have something called the Paw Plunger...which I got from Orvis.

It works very well to get her muddy paws clean!

I use the Sham Wow to dry them...and I always keep a stack of them handy!!

I like Les Pooch Shampoo or Cowboy Magic Shampoo and Conditioner.

When her coat is dry...or after I groom her...I Always use Cowboy Magic on her coat!

I find that it's a wonderful product to keep her coat soft and shiny..and it.repels dirt too.  It has a nice clean smell.