Pet owners will find this installment of "Summer School" particularly helpful as we learn how to wash a dog. Cheyeann Crossman, the director of animal care at the Rutland County Humane Society in Pittsford, is conducting this lesson with the assistance of Lily, a pitbull mix.
Crossman mentions a few different supplies to have for washing a dog:
-Shampoo
-A leash
-"You'd like to have some cotton balls ready for the ears," Crossman explains. "You don't want to get water in the ears. [They] could develop a secondary ear infection with water in there."
-A washcloth for the dog's face: "You don't want to run water right over the top of their head into their eyes," Crossman says. "Keep their eyes clean and dry."
-A towel to dry the dog off
-Perhaps another towel: "If you're bathing the dog in a sink with slippery footing, I suggest possibly using a towel," Crossman says. "Put a towel down in your sink so the dog doesn't feel like its going to slip around."
Shampoo the dog
Crossman explains that "you start from the top of the head and the neck, and work back" before she begins washing Lily.
"I'm going to pour a line of shampoo right from the top of her neck right down her back, and then I'm going to lather her all up," Crossman says. She lists the dog's armpits and belly, between the legs, and the feet and toes as places to remember to lather.
Rinse the dog
Thoroughly rinse the dog, because "any shampoo that is left on there will irritate her skin," Crossman explains. "You'll want to take your hand and kind of squeegee the water back away from her and rinse in the same direction."
You should similarly rinse down the dog's legs and then also "rinse the undercarriage – in her armpits, in between her legs, under the tail," Crossman says.
Focus on the face
"Once you have totally finished the body, you will want to wet your washcloth and wipe her face down," Crossman says. "Wipe around her eyes. Wipe out all the facial folds. Start from the top of her face and wipe down the sides. Wipe away from her eyes, not towards her eyes. Wipe out her ears."
Dry the dog
Using a towel, rub the dog to get them as dry as possible. And remember that just because the dog is the one getting washed, it doesn't mean that the humans should expect to stay dry during this process.
"They will shake while you're giving the dog a bath," Crossman says. "You will get wet, so prepare yourself for that."
