It’s a commitment. Set aside at least 2 hours. Put on some nice music, set up your grooming area, and settle in.
When we first brought Sadie home, we gave her a bath and groom EVERY. SINGLE. WEEK. She was our first show dog and we wanted her coat to be the best it could be! Over time, we came to our senses and realized every week was a bit much, but we still gave her a bath every time we had a show, and usually a minimum of once a month if there weren’t any shows we were going to.
That’s Sadie in the photo, tolerating the bath. It’s not her favorite thing to do, but she is a good sport about it. Generally, a bath and grooming session would go something like this:
Preparation:
It makes all the difference to get everything fully prepped before you put the puppy in the tub. Chances are, she’ll try to bolt at first, and you’ll want everything at arm’s reach and ready.
- Gather a bunch of towels, the shampoo, and a rubber-bristled “scrubby brush” if you have one. Make sure everything is within reach near the tub.
- Set up a grooming table with arm and grooming loop so that you can work with both hands. Cover the table with a dry towel.
- Plug in a high-velocity dog dryer (we have the K9-III) next to the table.
- Set out the grooming tools including brushes, comb, nail clippers, toothbrush, etc.
The Bath
- Wet the puppy down beginning at the tail end. I’ve found they don’t feel the need to shake the water off until their head and shoulder area is wet.