Swank Pets Dog Blog

Sorry about falling behind in this series. Last time we discussed how to clip your little dog’s nails and how to care for your Yorkie’s or Maltese foot pads. This time, we’ll actually get into bathing your toy dog. The beauty of having such small dogs is being able to wash them in your bathtub with ease. Some people have large sinks in their laundry rooms which are perfect for bathing these smaller breed dogs. If you have one of those shower heads with a detachable head and hose, even better. First, you’ll want to rinse your dog with some room tempertaure to luke warm water. Just remember that your dog’s skin is more sensitive than ours. What feels warm to us may be HOT for your Yorkie or Maltese. When in doubt, make the water temperature a little cooler to avoid harming your dog’s skin. Always check the water temp before you expose your dog to the water. As a little side note, avoid getting water in your little dog’s ears, eyes and nose. Getting water in the ear can cause ear infections further down the road. Also, getting water in your dog’s nose could cause some respiratory problems. You can clean the ears with dog ear cleaner, but that’s another story.

So now you’ve rinsed your dog. Be sure to use a shampoo that is specifically made for dogs. Human shampoo is made to accomadate a human’s pH balance. Dog shampoo’s are made just for your dog’s pH balance, which are different than ours. I like to use the odor removing dog shampoo shown above in the red bottle. This odor removing dog shampoo provides the perfect pH balance, while giving your dog a nice fresh scent. The shampoo also gives your dog’s hair that glistening sheen making it easier to remove pesky mats.

If you prefer some all-natural dog shampoo, you may want to try out this Tropical Crunch All Natural Dog Shampoo

This tropical all natural dog shampoo contains crushed walnut shells that help exfoliate your dog’s skin. Hey, even your dog needs to remove those dead skin cell every now and then. Furthermore, the lush tropical fruits, almond and macadamia nut oils, aloe vera and Vitamin E naturally soothe problem skin and will leave your little dog’s coat soft and shiny.

OK, on with the bathing process. One mistake many people make is forcefully rubbing in circles or using harsh back and forth motions to scrub the coat. Many shampoos today remove the dirt from your dog’s coat easily without the harsh rubbing. I suggest gently massaging the shampoo into your dog’s coat. The harsh rubbing could hurt your dog’s sensitive skin.

After you’re done working the shampoo, be sure to THOROUGHLY rinse away all the shampoo from your dog’s coat. You want to make sure that ALL the shampoo is washed away because residue of shampoo left on your dog’s coat could do more harm than good to your little baby’s skin. Next you’ll want to use a light conditioner for your dog’s coat. I like to use a light mist conditioner as I’m drying my dog’s coat and combing it at the same time. I’ve used the EQyss Avocado Mist Dog Conditioner with success. This is a LIGHT conditioner that won’t weigh your toy breed dog’s hair down because smaller dog’s tend to have fine silky hair. We don’t carry this conditioner in our store, but I know you can find these online.

The conditioner will keep your dog’s hair healthy and give it that silky chic shine! I recommend that you use this conditioner as you brush your dog’s hair throughout the week also. Simply spray their hair with this conditioning mist prior to brushing their hair in order make the brushing easier and to keep up that silky sheen look. It’s much better to use the conditioner as opposed to brushing your dog’s hair while its dry and course or dirty.

Next time, we’ll get into drying your dog’s hair. Stay tuned!