If You Give A Dog A Bath (How-To)..

Today I was a really mean mommie. I'm usually the softy mommie and I let my husband yell at the dogs when they misbehave. Today I was not the softy. I did something really evil.

I woke the dogs up early and we went to the dog park. They were so excited! They love the dog parks here because in Florida, little dogs can't run around with big dogs. Here, they can. More on our dog park visit later.

Here they are in the car learning to stay in the passenger's seat. They did a great mediocre job and I hope next time they will remember "stay".

At this point (at the red light), I was thinking it would have been much easier to drag a hysterical toddler to the park because at least you can contain them in a silly car seat! Maybe I'll get these two some car seats?

So they ran around and got really smelly. And we hopped back in the car after saying our goodbyes to some sweet doggie friends.

And then it was time.

They knew it was coming as I prepped the bathroom.

It's not completely necessary but I'm a little bit of a clean freak. We have a bath mat under that brown towel and I didn't want dirt to get it on it.

You're going to need a LOT of towels. Well, maybe not if you just have 1 dog. I used about 5 towels total.

In case you're wondering that's the shampoo we use. It works great and smells lovely!

I grabbed two cups but 1 will definitely do. 1 was much larger and I did end up using both. At this point, don't bother grabbing your dog or telling him what's coming, you still need to fill up the tub a little. 

Turn the water on and make sure it is nice and warm but not too hot. It's cold here and we had our windows open so I made it a little warmer than usual. 

Clog the tub and let it fill about 2 -4inches. Our dogs are little so this is perfect to keep the water running throughout the entire bath. If you have a larger dog, I truthfully have no idea. I'm sorry. 

I swear I cleaned that mirror before my dad came last week. Whoops.

Next up it's time to get your doggie. As you can see Oreo was thrilled to be going first. 

Cocoa sat and watched the whole thing as if to make fun of poor Oreo. Little did she know he was next. She loved watching him. Maybe she was concerned, who knows. 

How to bathe your dog

:: Do not wear anything nice or even something you care about to bathe your dog. Please. 

:: My best suggestion is to get in there with you dog. I was wearing workout clothes with those dry fit pants. Squat with your knees straddling your dog while they are standing on all fours. Use the cup and completely coat them with water except for their head.

:: Use a dime size amount of shampoo and start with the legs-- 1 at a time. Rinse a lot. You can never rinse too much. Continue to check the temperature of the water before you dump it all over your dog. 

:: Don't forget to wash the tail and belly. Keep the water running and only rinse your dog with the clean, running water. 

:: After their entire body is washed, it's time to do their face. My dogs have floppy ears so it's easier to avoid getting the insides wet (which you don't want to do). Tip their head back and have them look at you. Hold the fur under their chin to keep them in place. It doesn't hurt them, you'll just have more control of them. They will learn quickly to not move. :)

:: Use a small amount of shampoo to get their cheeks, chin, neck, and the top of their ears. Try very hard to not get the inside of their ears wet.

:: Rinse thoroughly and rejoice because you're done! Drain the water in the tub and encourage you're dog to "shake" while you're still in the tub. Squeeze as much water out as you can before you get out of the tub. 

:: Next I just completely bundle them in a towel and carry them around for a few minutes. Periodically I'll stop and towel dry them by rubbing the towel all over them. 

:: It's very important (especially this time of year) to make sure they are dry and warm. Oreo is a tough guy but Cocoa is a little baby. She shivered for a little while so I put on her pink parka and we sat in the sun for a little. She felt much better after that. :) 

:: What happens next, I will never understand. I'm sure many dogs do this but it is so hilarious to watch. I wish I could get it on camera. Here are a few pictures that may explain what goes on for about 20 minutes after bath time. 

And we're done! Thank the lord because I think I burned about 600 calories bathing these two. Here are their "after" pictures. 

At this point it's time to clean your tub. My dogs don't shed but I still feel the need to sanitize it like a crazy lady. Don't forget to do this-- even if you just dump some baking soda in the tub and just let the shower run. Do something to get the dog smell out!