2020 has been a strange year for us all with COVID-19 impacting every part of our daily lives, but it isn’t just humans that are being affected - our furry friends are feeling the impacts, too. While a trip to your local groomer may be temporarily off the cards, we can offer some tips on making bathing your dog at home easier.
Create a dog-friendly space
Bathing your pets can be equally as hectic for you as it is for them. Even pets who love water don’t generally relish the prospect of bathtime, which can lead to a whole lot of mess and stress for everyone involved. Before getting your dog (or dare we say it, cat) in the bath for a good scrub, you need to make your bathroom a pet-friendly zone. This doesn’t mean you need to compromise on style though - far from it.
With the right materials, like some mosaic tiles for walls and floors, you can ensure surfaces are suitably protected from the inevitable post-bath shake and slippery paws. All while maintaining a human-friendly, stylish bathroom. These surfaces also make light work of cleaning up pet fur if you’re planning on giving your pooch’s coat a much-needed trim.
Beyond the walls and floors
You may want to consider ways to give your furry friend better grip when they’re in the tub or shower. This could be a removable rubber bath mat that uses suckers to stay securely in place or some funky non-slip stickers (you can even opt for paw shaped designs if you like). Outside the bath, be sure to lay down a towel or rug on the floor to catch excess water after bathtime and prevent your pet from slipping over on wet floors.
Prep your bathing essentials beforehand
While many of us love a good, long soak in the tub, most pets don’t share that sentiment. This means the key to a successfully bathing your dog is often speed. Ensuring it doesn’t take too long will help to reduce stress for everyone.
With this in mind, get ahead of the game and prepare your pet pampering essentials before you head into the bathroom. The easiest way to do this is to have a dedicated pooch pampering area in your bathroom, like a storage box or designated cupboard that houses everything from
dog shampoo and conditioner to
dog clippers, brushes and even a few treats to keep them sweet.
Bathing essenitls to have on hand:
You can make your pooch bathing ritual even easier with bathing products like the
Wahl Dirty Beastie Shampoo that are correctly diluted and ready to use directly on your dog. Not to mention investing in the
Wahl Sheddy Brush that makes light work on removing dirt when shampooing, especially with long or thick coats. Simple hacks like this and keeping everything organised in one place will make it far easier to execute a quick and stress-free bathtime.
As part of your preparation, don’t forget to think about the bathing routine itself, ensuring everything you need during the washing process are within reach. That way, you won’t need to be stretching to grab them while also trying to keep a wet dog in the bath! It’s also advisable to give your dog’s coat a thorough brush beforehand to remove mats and tangles. If you try to do this on wet fur, you may make them worse.
If you’re considering giving your dog's nails a trim...
Firstly, make sure you know how to safely use grooming tools and use equipment designed for specific use on pets. For nail trimming, we recommend using
Dog-Cat Nail Clippers that come with a safety lock and blade guide to keep your pet safe. If possible. enroll the help of someone else to hold your pet still while you tackle taming their mane or trimming their claws.
Hone the post-bath drying routine
There’s no escaping the fact that bathing your dog is also going to mean bath time for you. However, with the right approach you can try and minimise the amount of mess and water coming your way.
No matter what you do, your dog is going to want to shake off the excess water post wash, which inevitably involves you and the room receiving the brunt of it. However, having a dry towel next to you and wrapping your pet in it while they’re still in the bath should go some way to soaking up most of the excess water.
Of course, that won’t cut it for your four-legged friend though. Rather than try and dash through the house to get them outside to shake off, we’d recommend embracing the inevitable and allowing them to do it in the bathroom. For one, you can keep all the wet in one area. Secondly, bathrooms are designed for water and generally easier to clean, so you won’t need to worry about water marks on walls or soggy furniture. You can even combat that wet dog smell on your pet and in the room with one of our
fresh smelling pet colognes.
So, there you have it! 3 tips for successful at-home pet pampering that should hopefully help you give your furry pals some TLC between professional dog grooming sessions. It doesn’t matter if that’s because you’re unable to get to the pet salon due to COVID-19 restrictions or you just fancy giving it a go yourself. Every pet deserves some pampering from time to time!
Author bio:
Suhayl Laher works at
Tiles Direct, one of the UK’s largest independent tile distributors and retailers - bringing design inspiration to homeowners, architects and developers.