First Thing, Bathe Your Dog

We've already mentioned how it important it is for the person who adopts a dog to bathe him immediately. It is very probable that the animal won't feel comfortable in the water and that's why it is advisable to take the dog to a canine salon, where they will know how to treat the dog.

Although the dog might not like it, the bath is very important in his life; only by respecting that elementary hygienic precaution will you be sure that both you and the dog will be calm and clean. A clean dog won't scratch himself, doesn't lose hairs, and doesn't make a mess. Hygiene is essential for an animal that lives a t home, and even has permission to get on the couches.

There are different opinions regarding the frequency a dog should be bathed, but common sense can be synthesized in a couple of rules:

Don't bathe the dog until he has turned 10 months old: instead, brush the dog daily.

• The water you use must be warm, not hot. You should use a neutral soap or sulfur soap.
• Dry the dog really well with towels and with a hair drier and make him react by obligating him to run and play in the house.
• Meanwhile you are bathing your dog, place a piece of cotton in each ear so that the water won't enter.

Other tips about the bath: the best time to bathe the dog is in the evening, so that he can be kept warm during the night. Should you bathe him during winter? Certainly, but not more than once a month; during summer you can bathe him more frequently. In order to avoid excessive bathing and to have, at the same time, the security that the dog is in godd hygienic conditions you can use, once in a while, dog shampoo which is sold in specialized shops, but you must no use shampoo all the time.

All dogs, short haired and long haired, must be brushed on a daily basis with a fine-bristled brush; you can also use those brushes that are used for cleaning the house, which also help to give the dog a massage. But this practice is even more necessary with long-haired animals because it eliminates the problem of hairs appearing all over the place.

In most big cities, there are canine salons where they bathe and trim the dog's hair and where, besides, they do other hygienic cares, like the cleansing of the ears and eyes. This is useful, especially, for dogs that live in the countryside as they get dirty more frequently.

It is important, in first place, to examine your dog's eyes regularly. If at first glance, you notice they are not that clean, or they are red, then you'll have to pass a clean piece of cotton damped in warm water and wrung out. You have to pass it from the top part of the eye to the stout and you must use a different piece of cotton for each eye.

It's easy to see if the eyes need to be cleaned; however, the ears are a different story. The filth remains hidden inside and is harder to clean: that's why it's important to clean the ears periodically. The simplest system is to roll a piece of cotton around your index finger and introduce it carefully into the ear with a circular movement that cleans everything. The cotton can be damped in alcohol (you have to wring it out well, though) but not in water. Why? Because if a drop of alcohol happens to remain inside the ear of the dog, it would evaporate and not cause trouble, whereas with water the case would be different given the complexity of the ear system.