Bathing your dog

I typically only bathe my dogs during the hot months or when one of them has played in the mud in the spring. The rest of the year they just get brushed out and groomed by me. The larger dogs I tie up on the lawn and use dog shampoo and the garden hose, minus a tub.

I see lots of photos showing people washing their dogs outdoors in a tub and I wonder why. It is so much easier to do without a tub. Now if the tub was elevated so you didn't have to bend over then that would be a good idea. They do make wash tubs for dogs that are on stands and some of them are walk in tubs for the larger breeds of dogs so you don't have to lift them up. Those types of tubs are usually for the professional groomer and can cost thousands of dollars.

There was a do it yourself dog grooming place where I use to live 7 years ago. It was called "Wash a dog, doggy" or something like that. They had human bath tubs set up with rings on the wall to tie your dog to while bathing your dog. I think the business closed after 3 years and I can see why. The customers had to sit down or bend over to wash their dog. It was almost the same as washing your dog in the bathtub at home. So why pay $5-10 to use their tubs? They had a good idea but the design was all wrong.

Bathing your dog should be easy, cheap, quick and not physically painful for you or the dog.

Dog owners are not made of money

The products that I have seen made and marketed to dog owners have run the gambit from great to useless and everywhere in between. One of them that starts out as a great idea is the Dirty Dog Bath Tub (pictured below). It looks like a neat item - doesn't it? That is until you find out the price.


The price for the tub is $65!! Heck I'll stick to the bathtub or get one of those big tubs with the rope handles you can get for $9 or less at Walmart. Dog products should not cost and arm and a leg.

Now there are some really great products for dogs out there and one of them is the hip support brace, shown below.
Now that item is great for dogs that have hip problems and still need to get out and exercise. I wish dog product manufacturers would concentrate on inventing items that dog owners need and not try to make something that can be replaced by something else (like the dog bath).

Your dog and water

Is your dog safe around lakes, swimming pools and other deep areas of water? Contrary to popular belief not all dogs can swim. Some dogs even panic when tossed into the family swimming pool. If your dog is out of shape, swimming could lead to their drowning.

Introduce your dog to swimming slowly. Play fetch over a body of water to encourage the dog to enter the water and play in it. If you plan on taking your dog out with you on your boat either get a life jacket or rent one for the day. One place near us called Outer Banks rentals not only rents out boats on the lake for the day but life jackets for humans and dogs.

Of course there are dogs that simply do not like water at all. I had a Labrador Retriever that would not go near water. She even stayed away from our swimming pool. After having her I know that the love of water is not breed specific but up to the individual dog.

Obesity in dogs

I am sure you have seen a fat dog or 2. Maybe even your own dog is fat. Did you know that obesity is now a growing concern for dogs? Dogs have short enough lives as it is with some dog breeds only living to 9 years old. At the age of about 7 years most dogs are turning grey around the muzzle and are middle aged. Add to that any extra weight on the dog and now you have a dog that will have a shorter life expectancy than normal for that breed.

In recent years there have been a few diet pills just made for dogs but it is still too early to tell which is the best diet pills that work. The best way is to quick overfeeding the obese dog. Don't give in to those soft begging eyes.