Bathing a Malamute

Bathing Your Dog

WHEN TO BATHE YOUR DOG

Bathing your dog too often is not good for his skin, so keep it down to when he gets into something greasy, when company is coming, or when he gets to smelling just too darn doggy. If you leave mud on a dog, most of it will dry up and fall off on its own (and with his help as he lays on his back and wiggles around). Obviously, the "mud rubbing" is best done outdoors!

PREPARATION

Super absorbent towel

Before you bathe the dog, have a blanket laid out on the den or living room floor; two towels by the shower or tub; his shampoo, conditioner and a washcloth in the shower or tub; and a brush, comb and trash bag on the blanket. You might try a special chamois (SUPER absorbent towel) for dogs from SitStay.com

If your dog's coat is matted, bathing him first will make the mats much harder to deal with (see Brushing Your Dog).

WHERE TO BATHE YOUR DOG

Some dogs get pretty scared in the bathtub. They jump around, slip and fall, shiver and shake, and are simply miserable. In the process, you can get even wetter than they do, and you spend most of the bathtime pushing and pulling just to keep him in the tub. Instead of a bath, try giving him a shower. This is especially good if you have one of the hand-held shower heads. Your dog should feel much more relaxed and less scared standing on firm ground than in a tub of water. You will probably stay much drier, and you may even get less of a backache. Your dog can get just as clean and get a cleaner rinse, and the wetting and rinsing process is so much quicker this way.

If you do bathe your dog in the tub, you will need a rubber bath mat inside the tub (or a towel or non-slip stick-ons). This will prevent him from slipping and will make him feel much more secure.

Some people like to bathe the dog outside with the hose and a bucket. This may be fine on a nice hot day.

HOW TO BATHE YOUR DOG

In the tub or in the shower, wash his face with a washcloth instead of pouring lots of water over his face because his ears shouldn't get too wet inside - not to mention that he won't usually like getting doused over the head.

Use a good dog shampoo if you can, or you can use a baby shampoo or a good herbal shampoo. Either of these two human shampoos should be mild enough to use occasionally for a dog. If your dog has long hair, you might even want to add a conditioner to help with tangles. If your pet shop doesn't have a conditioner made just for dogs, you can find good herbal conditioners that are kind to skin. Some of these herbal shampoos and conditioners meant for humans will even safely prevent lice and fleas on dogs (see Cure and Prevent Fleas Naturally).

SitStay.com carries a line of special shampoos for bringing out the best in a dog's coat color: White on White, Black on Black, or Gold on Gold. Or you can get sample kits to try several products, which are also perfect for traveling or taking to dog shows. Their Ice on Ice spray creates a protective barrier locking in moisture, repelling rain, dirt, dust and urine. It fortifies and protects the coat cuticle on the outside while counteracting damage from the inside creating liveliness, a healthy texture and a high sheen. And, they have a Peace & Kindness spray for topical use on: Cuts, Scrapes, Infections, Fungus, Itchy Areas, Hot Spots, Abscesses, Burns, Parasitic Infections (viral & fungal), and Dermatitis. It is tasteless, odorless, non-stinging and non-burning to sensitive tissues. Will not discolor coats or leave behind any residue. (This is only for occasional use.) These are all from the Chris Christensen line, and they have other lines of shampoos for skin conditions, calming, and other special needs - including waterless shampoo.

After getting him lathered up and clean, you need to rinse and rinse and rinse. Shampoo residue will make him itch. Even with a no-tears shampoo, try to keep shampoo out of his eyes.

When you least expect it, your soaking wet dog will give a good shake which can soak you and the whole bathroom. If you bathed him in the shower, most of this will stay inside the shower instead of getting all over your bathroom. When you want to dry him off, you can prevent him from shaking off the water by keeping a towel over his head. (We end up using one end of a first towel over his head and drying him with the other end and a second towel to pick him up with.)

Dry your dog as much as possible with the towels. We lay our dog on an old blanket while we are drying him. This helps keep hair and water from getting on the carpet. We bring him out onto the blanket immediately after drying with towels, we lay him down, and we kind of sit on him to keep him there. His first instinct is to run and find a good place to rub every inch of his body. But, his idea of a good place is on the couch or on the new bedspread!

Check More Dog Tips for tips on tear stains.

If you give your dog a bath (or shower) to kill fleas, you must start with his face and ears or you could have tons of living fleas inside his ears before you're done.

Tip - Try one of these to help or possibly eliminate doggy odor:

Odor Free for Dogs by 21st Century - Spray beef-flavored Odor Free on your dog's food at each feeding and you'll begin to notice a reduction of bad breath, stool, urine and body odors in as little as 10 days. This vet approved blend is safe for puppies/dogs of all ages. Works with dog's digestive system to naturally neutralize odors.

Breath and Body Therasticks by Cardinal Easy to feed Breath and Body Freshener formula contains chlorophyll and sunflower, parsley seed, peppermint and rosemary oils -- all natural ingredients that cure odor problems. Chewing action also cleans teeth. 30 Sticks per package.

Stubborn Doggy Odor

May not really be doggy odor at all. See More Dog Tips to find out what the real problem could be and how to fix it once and for all.

Brushing Your Dog

THE BRUSH

Use a slicker brush (or rake), and use it gently. Those "bristles" can really hurt his skin if you aren't gentle.

WHY SHOULD BRUSH YOUR DOG?

The following list is of reasons to brush your dog's coat - even if he has short fur that doesn't tangle or mat.

Brushing your dog goes a long way towards keeping his coat clean.
He enjoys the brushing itself, the close contact, and the extra attention.
Brushing removes the extra hairs. (If you brush often enough, there won't be anything extra for him to shed on his own.)
Brushing makes his coat looks very nice because (long-haired dogs) it removes mats and (all dogs) adds sheen.
While brushing your dog's coat, you can do a quick check for any problems (foxtails, cuts, mange, hot spots, etc.)

WHERE TO BEGIN

After a bath, we start with his face. Although his face isn't very hairy, it helps the hairs dry quicker and look smoother. Tangles and mats can form behind the ears, so we give that area special attention. While holding the ear with one hand, brush with the other. This way, the brushing won't be yanking his ear too much. Brush all of his hair in two ways as you go. Brush in the direction the hair grows to start, then go the opposite way after the hair is tangle free. This makes his hair stand up nicely. Tangles can also form on the tail, on the backs of his legs, and in his "armpits." Start the brushing at the ends of the hairs and work closer and closer to the skin. This will usually untangle the hair nicely.

If you are gentle, brushing is a very pleasant experience for him and a nice way for you two to bond. He loves the attention!

HOW TO REMOVE MATS

(If your dog's coat is matted, bathing him first will make the mats much harder to deal with.)

If you run into a mat, you will need a dematting comb . Use the end of the comb only (like you would if you were making a part), which unties the mats - you would never be able to comb or brush through the mats anyway. This method almost always takes care of all mats so you don't have to cut them off, but you really have to keep this up with a dog that has a long coat or they can get out of hand.

When we use a grooming service, we stress that they are not allowed to cut mats off. If they don't know how to untangle a mat, we will do that part ourselves - then pick a different groomer the next time we use one.

WHAT CAUSES MATS?

A mat is actually hair from his undercoat that has become loose and gotten stuck in some of his topcoat. When long-haired dogs shed for the warm weather, you can speed this along by giving him a good brushing. You will find that the brush will get full of hair quickly. Just pull this hair off and throw it into a bag. If your dog's coat feels coarse and thin, you have gotten all of the undercoat, he will feel much cooler, and he shouldn't shed anymore for the year. (Some people throw the undercoat hair away, but some actually spin this like wool and knit things with it!) The best way to deal with mats is to prevent them by brushing him often, especially when the weather warms up.

After your dog is clean, dry and tangle free, he is gorgeous. You know what else? HE knows it too. He will prance around like a king.

Tip - Try one of these to help or possibly eliminate doggy odor:

Odor Free for Dogs by 21st Century - Spray beef-flavored Odor Free on your dog's food at each feeding and you'll begin to notice a reduction of bad breath, stool, urine and body odors in as little as 10 days. This vet-approved blend is safe for puppies/dogs of all ages. Works with dog's digestive system to naturally neutralize odors.

STUBBORN doggy odor may not really be doggy odor at all. See More Dog Tips to find out what the real problem could be and how to fix it once and for all.

SPECIAL GROOMING

We used to show dogs, and we learned a few tricks to make dogs look their best. We only showed Alaskan Malamutes and handled a few Great Pyrennees Mountain Dogs so we didn't hear tricks and tips from owners of all kinds of dogs. But, some of these may apply to your dog.

COAT

WHITER THAN WHITE

There are two different ways that we heard over the years to make the white parts of a dog's coat extra white and nice.

We heard that some owners, handlers and groomers actually used bluing on the white coats. Bluing is what we normally think of for laundry - you know, add a little blue to dingy whites to make them whiter.

The trick that we saw in action was to use cornstarch. The cornstarch was rubbed into the white coat and spread all around with the hands. Then you'd brush the powder through the coat and rub and rub with your hands until any loose powder came off. This really whitens up a white coat. If this method were to be used for the show ring and any white powder got onto the judge's hands or clothing, who knows what could happen. Would your dog be disqualified? Would your dog lose points? But, it is surely great for just showing your dog off or for portraits.

SPECIAL SHAMPOOS

SATND OUT IN A CROWD

An Alaskan Malamute's coat shouldn't lay flat like a Collie's, even if it is almost as long on some Malamutes. The Malamute coat should stand out, looking thick and dense. It should also not be soft like a Silky Terrier but should be coarser.

The first thing to remember with one of the breeds with coarser hair is to not give him a bath on the morning of the show. The hair should have at least overnight to get back to normal after the bath softens it. Any dog's coat should be given time to regain its natural feel. You should also not use a conditioner on a dog with coarser hair since it would make the coat feel too soft. Since you want to show your dog at his cleanest, you need to keep the dog inside the house to keep him clean and taking him outside to "go" instead of letting him go out on his own. He may not be able to resist the desire to roll around in the mud.

Next, we never brushed the Malamute coat down in the direction from nose to tail or nose to feet. We brushed the hair up in the opposite direction. It's the same as your own hair: if you comb wet hair slick to your head and let it dry that way, it will look limp and thin when it dries. Instead, you comb your hair up while drying it to keep it from flattening out. If you are careful to not burn the dog and the dog is not too afraid of the noise, you can use a hair dryer to dry your dog's coat. You blow the hair in the opposite direction that it grows at the same time that you brush.

BEST FOOT FORWARD

The Alaskan Malamute's paws are likened to a cat's, so they should look compact and tidy. The neat appearance is obtained with sharp hair scissors. Scissors with blunt rounded tips are the safest.

First, hairs should be trimmed away on the underside of the paw - between the toes and pad areas. Long stray hairs can be trimmed around the base of the foot while the dog is standing. This is done only to get rid of the messy look; don't trim above the floor level. Trimming the underside of you dog's paws also helps to keep them free of snow clods and foxtails.

Also, while the dog is standing, brush the back of the hocks straight up and out then trim that hair straight down the hock. This is also just to neaten up the look so don't cut it too short.

Naturally, the dog's nails should be nice and trim. Above the ground level is especially good if the show is held on a surface that is at all slick. Lots of dogs won't even walk on a slick surface if their nails are long because they could end up skating instead! The dogs that will walk on a slick surface with longer nails will walk with a stilted gait instead of naturally. There are several kinds of nail trimmers available.

WHAT A FACE!

During most of a dog's life, he uses his whiskers. But, they get trimmed for the show ring (and you keep him safely out of harm's way). This gives the dog's head and face a smooth look. More importantly, it gives the judge a nice smooth feel in the ring. Trim the whiskers around the muzzle, above the eyes, and on the sides of their cheeks. The whiskers should be trimmed down to below the level of the dog's coat. Being careful not to trim the face hairs at all, each whisker should be cut separately with the tips of the scissors. Scissors with blunt rounded ends will help you be sure not to poke the dog's skin.

See Tip of the Month for tips on tear staining.

TRUE BEAUTY

The one thing that makes any dog look its best is good training. The trained dog can stand or sit proudly and calmly at your side. The untrained dog is probably yanking and yanking trying to go sniff everything in sight, head down to the ground, possibly even making choking noises or panting. (Not pretty!) The beauty of a dog that is well trained can be shown off more with the thinnest collar and lead. Our Malamute once saw a rabbit run by. Before we knew what was happening, she snapped apart a collar with the very thickest steel links they make and ran after the rabbit. (Alaskan Malamutes are extremely strong, and the "top dog" pulled a Toyota car.) The thickest collar made and all of our strength was not what normally kept her under control, it was her training. If we had seen the rabbit before she did, we would have only had to tell her to stay.