Dental care, tear stain prevention, and bathing are three pillars we lean on when it comes down to grooming matter. Skin and coat health is a key to have alive and kicking pet.
Instruction on poodle bathingе is different due to the poodle so-called destiny (we have a pet poodle and show poodle). You know that without measure medicine will become poisonous. Frequent bathing can bring an undesirable effect such as dry skin or hair loss while delaying bathing make your pet feel dirty and itching. This article helps you find a fine line between two options.
Bathing frequency
Bathing is like a new life for the poodle’s body. Normally, you should make a 21-day break between bathing in any circumstances.
Body oils are produced by the skin. Their duty is to give enough of water and protection to the skin. Nevertheless, the oils gather in bigger groups with time and a lot of oil residues are left on the skin surface, so it is hard to breathe as its pores are blocked. Furthermore, it causes a bad smell. The three-week period is enough for this to happen.
Good bathing steps are as follows:
- For the first time wash your poodle with water quickly
- Get rid of dirt remains
- Water the poodle in order to any chemical left
- Keep its skin safe from the sun rays, cold air and different kind of tension
Bathing five steps
Despite the poodle destiny, these are the same for every dog:
- Poodle preparation
- Equipment preparation
- Washing its coat using liquid soap
- Quick washing with water
- Using additional cream and other products
For show poodle the care is a bit different since its coat is longer and exposed to danger more often. Furthermore, these poodles need bathing often according to the event frequency.
Step 1 – poodle preparation is equally vital as bathing.
Brush and comb your pet due to get rid of dead hair and knots. Remember about hair life circle. It is typical to grow, rest and release. If hair falls off, it means new one grows soon. One more benefit of brushing is that it helps to get rid of dirt as well. It makes your washing process more easy and effective as well.
Step 2 – Equipment Preparation
After combing and brushing process let your pet have a break. It needs more strength and patience to further action since proper bathing takes a great deal of time. If you have a special grooming table, clean off hair and cover it with a large towel. Do not hide away the equipment you probably need soon.
The list of things you need:
- A rubber mat to cover the bottom of the bath or sink
- A hosepipe for watering and washing quickly
- A shampoo brush
- A sponge
- Cotton wool
- Vaseline
- Shampoo (choose it due to the coat needs)
- Conditioner
- A couple of bath towels
A kitchen sink is a good place for tiny puppies and toys. In this case, put all your things away and get ready for bathing. Do not forget to protect your pet’s ears from water using cotton wool. Adding Vaseline to this makes double protection if your poodle has some acute ear problems.
For show dogs: Put the accessories and additional labels away. If your poodle has too long hair, try to eliminate dirt parting it into smaller pieces.
Step 3 – washing its coat using liquid soap
Forget about using your shampoo for your pet as the ingredients human’s hair needs do not respond to the ingredients canine’s hair need. This is all about Ph balance which is crucial for skin and coat health condition. There are three types of shampoo: acid, alkali and neutral, which is measured by Ph scale from 0 to 14. It is not hard to guess that 7 is neutered while up to 7 is acid and up to 14 is alkaline. The latter is good for your pet.
To avoid color problems use color enhancing shampoo which is dye-free. White and light poodles do not have any yellow and gray hint troubles. Black and brown poodles can be deprived of red or orange hint making the color more intensive.
The most comfortable method to wash your poodle is when your pet is in the bath and you turn on the warm water to water your pet’s coat completely but be careful not to wet the head and ears. Wetting the coat completely is a good base for shampoo application. Using a spray do not afraid to sprinkle it close enough to the skin as it helps to remove dirt.
Show poodle needs to be washed with the shampoo twice for a better result. Furthermore, three times is possible as well if you treat your pet with oil production.
Step 4 – quick washing with water
It is crucial to rinse off the shampoo residue. Start with the head, do not about the eye and ear protection, and move down the body step by step. Warm water can excellently cope with this process. When clean water runs down, it means bathing is over. Irritating and itching skin, a dull coat is a consequence of shampoo remaining.
Step 5 – using additional cream and other products
A shampoo is good for cleaning, though using it does not prevent from knotting problems. A conditioner is good to use for protection purpose since it gives enough of water to hair and skin and generally takes care of them.
After bathing sponge the water from the poodle’s coat and apply conditioner.