I bathe my Yorkie puppy Bella in the kitchen sink. I set a small plastic wash basin in the sink and place a washcloth on the bottom of the basin so she doesn't slip. I have a terry cloth towel close by for preliminary drying. I use a shampoo specific for dogs that I bought at Petsmart--it is milder than human shampoo and won't cause tearing. I test the water before running it over Bella to make sure it is luke warm--not too hot and not too cold. I use a cup to gently wet her completely, and then squirt small amounts of shampoo onto different parts of her fur. I work the shampoo in gently, starting at the neck and working down the body. I do the head last so if she gets soap in her eyes, it's only for a moment. Then I rinse her off using the cup to pour the water over her gently, starting at her head and working my way down. I am very careful with the face so I don't drown her or wash soap into her eyes. I do not use a separate conditioner, but if you do, be sure you get one specifically for dogs. After she is rinsed off, I let her shake on the towel, and then gently blot her with the towel. I finish the drying with a blow dryer. Test the blow dryer on your skin first to make sure it's not too hot, and don't hold it too close to the dog's body. When her fur is just slightly damp, I let her finish air drying in a warm room, and then brush her gently with a pin brush. It takes only about 10 minutes from the start of the bath to finishing the blow drying, and maybe 20 extra minutes of air drying. I do this once a week, and if she gets smelly in the meantime, I use one of the "dry shampoos" you can buy for dogs at Petsmart to deodorize her. You just rub a little into her fur, blot off the excess, and let the rest air dry. |