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Proper Hygiene for Your Dog

Before tackling this trying task, you can avoid drain clogging by first brushing your furry fellow. It will help keep tangles to a minimum after the bath and could even prepare your puppy for the ordeal by calming him.

The next step is luring your pal into the tub. Bathing is a fearful matter for dogs, so do your best to keep it leisurely for him. If you rush into it, your touchy buddy may hightail it to his favorite hideout.

Next, check the water pressure and temperature and get him wet. Using the bucket or a detachable showerhead, work your way towards his tail. Shampoo him with a good shampoo recommended by a vet or pet store. Other soaps could dry his skin. While lathering, be considerate of his eyes and ears. Nasty infections are often due to careless cleaning. Once your pooch is well lathered, a good rinse is vital. Poor rinsing is another cause of dry skin.

Finally, drain the tub and try to towel-dry your soaked pup. Some people use hair dryers on their hounds, but be careful if you do so. Keep it at least six inches from his fur and even farther from his face. Also, brushing while you blow-dry cuts down on tangles. For more information on bathing, ask the vet or simply skip the whole event and make a date with the groomer - for your dog, of course.

Other hygienic routines that dogs will fight tooth and nail...and ear...include brushing, clipping and cleaning. While each involves substantial effort, in the long run it's easier and healthier to do each regularly.

A daily job is in your buddy's bark. As a part of your daily devotion to your dog, brush his teeth. There are plenty of toothbrushes, paste and kits available to make this mission meaningful. Using a gentle massaging motion, brush his teeth like you would your own, back and forth, up and down. After a few weeks he'll become used it and may even love you more for it (particularly the beef-flavored toothpaste).

Don't wait for doggie's nails to get caught in the carpet to clip them. Using sharpened nail clippers designed for dogs, begin at the tip, taking only tiny bits at a time. Don't go too far! Inside his nails are tiny blood vessels. If clipped, the nails will bleed and be painful for your pal.

Your dog's ears should be checked and cleaned weekly. Use a cotton ball and ear wash that you can buy at a pet store. After moistening the cotton ball, gently rub it inside your dog's ear, working from the inside out. Be sure to get the folds and watch out for the ear canal. If your dog's ears are unnaturally waxy or smelly, let the vet do this dirty work; it could tip him off to an infection.

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As always, when caring for your pet, direct concerns and questions to those who know pets best--the vets.