How to Bathe Your Dog at Home (Without the Drama)

People who take their dog to the groomer every time usually give the same reason: doing it at home makes a mess. That's true, but the mess isn't the bath. The mess is starting before you've laid anything out, then walking across the house for a towel with a wet dog loose behind you.

Set up properly first and the whole thing takes twenty minutes. Your dog will also hate it considerably less.

What to have ready before the water goes on

Everything within arm's reach, before the dog comes into the room.

• Three towels. One on the floor for grip, one for drying, one spare.
• Shampoo, cap already open. Squeezing a bottle with wet hands is harder than you think.
• Two cotton balls to sit loosely in his ears.
• Four or five treats.
• A rubber mat or a towel in the tub. This one matters most — a slippery surface is the single biggest reason dogs come to dread baths.

Getting the water right

Test it on the inside of your wrist. If you barely register it, it's right. If it feels nice and warm to you, it's too hot for him.

Pressure matters as much as temperature. A hard spray pointed at a dog startles him. Turn it down and hold the shower head flat against his body, so the water runs down through the coat instead of bouncing up into his face.

Where to start washing

Start at the neck, work back to the tail, then down the legs, and do the paws last. Leave the face out of it entirely.

The head and face are the most sensitive area he has. Start there and he spends the whole bath trying to leave. Start at the shoulders and work back and he has time to settle.

Paws go last because they're the dirtiest and take longest, and by then he's already wet and resigned to it.

For the face, skip the shower entirely. A damp cloth around the mouth and under the eyes does the job.

Rinsing matters more than lathering

Shampoo left in the coat is the most common cause of post-bath itching we hear about. People lather for a long time and rinse quickly. It should be the other way round.

The check is simple: run two fingers down through the coat. If it still feels slippery, keep rinsing. Pay attention to the armpits, the belly and the ruff around the neck, which are the spots everyone forgets.

Our shampoos are SLS-free, so they foam less than you may be used to. Don't take that as a signal to pour more in — foam isn't what does the cleaning. A 500 ml bottle typically lasts a medium dog three to five months at a sensible dose.

When he starts struggling

Stop. Don't hold him down harder.

Put a flat hand on his shoulder or chest and leave it there for thirty seconds. Don't talk much, and don't reassure him in a high voice — a high voice winds him up further. A still hand and a low tone.

When he stops bracing, carry on. If he struggles a second time, rinse the shampoo out and end the bath there. A half-finished bath is better than teaching him the bathroom is where he gets overpowered.

After the bath, don't let him bolt

Dry by pressing and blotting, not rubbing. Rubbing tangles the coat, especially a long one.

If you have a dryer, use warm air on low, held about a hand's width away, and brush as you go. Double coats — pomeranians, huskies and the like — need drying right down to the skin, or the damp sits underneath and turns musty within a couple of days.

No dryer is fine. Use several dry towels in turn and brush until the hairs separate. Just don't let him curl up and sleep while he's still damp.

We've written the five minutes after the bath up separately — that one's here. And if you're unsure which formula suits his coat, start with the shampoo guide.