first time doodle bather

[LarryL]

Hey there - I wanna give my stinky boy Oliver his first bath with me.

Just wanted to get some tips & pointers from all you DK'ers

After we clean him - what should we do?

Towel Dry?

Blow Dry?

Brushing?

[Stephanie and Ragley]

I'll give you a simple answer based on how I did it and still do:

Yes

Yes and

Yes!

I brush her before the bath and then again after she is dry. I have introduced the drying process in a similar way as I transitioned food lol started with mostly towel drying and only a tiny bit of blow dryer time and have gradually increased dryer time as we have gone on to help assimilate her with the sound and feel of the blow dryer. Now I just get as much water off with a towel as I can (Ragley treats towels as if they are her enemy) and then blow dry the rest. She did not like the brush or dryer at first, but by doing a little bit of each a lot of times, she is now very patient and well behaved for both!

[Colleen Cleer]

I always brush Teddy before he gets wet, otherwise I can't get the mats out.  I use conditioner on him, and only towel dry by squeezing the water out, not rubbing, which causes mats.  I don't blow him dry, but once dry I brush him again.  He is pretty used to the routine, so he is a good boy in the tub.  Also I have him jump up on a table to brush him, it really saves my back and he is better behaved that way. Oh and a vet told me to  put 50/50 water and white vinegar once a week, just a few drops, it keeps him from having trouble with his ears.  Good luck

[Leslie, Yogi & Maci Bear]

If you don't have one yet, get one of the attachments for your shower head that has the sprayer extension.

When we got Yogi we started by turning on a hair dryer with him in a nearby room, he came in to check it out, so he's never been afraid of it. Started drying him on a cool setting with the hair dryer, but we have since moved to a pet dryer. They are much noisier so we have been introducing it slowly. Last time I completely dried him with it while DH was giving a few treats.

Just introduce slowly. My first bath with him was an abbreviated version. Good luck!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Blot dry.  If you rub briskly with a towel, you might create mats.

[Kimberly Cook]

Oh Lawdy! When we brought Chopper home he was one stinky doodle. I was worried because everyone that I talked to said how they don't smell like most dogs. Once we changed to a better food and got his coat in good condition NO more smells! Yay! We only bathe maybe once a month at most now. Also do yourself a favor and buy a dog blowdryer. This one from Amazon was recommended and we like it a lot.B-Air Dryer.

Pic of DH giving Stinky a nice bath in the jetted tub. /:) This is the same man that forbid me to bring a dog home. They a BFF's now.