So, you want to know how to bathe a dog to get rid of those annoying, blood-sucking tiny monsters.
You’ve come to the right place.
If your dog has been infested with these tiny insects, then you need to start taking some steps to prevent the problem from getting worse quickly.
First things first, you need to know how to detect fleas early on in your dog’s life, and you can check out these 10 effective ways for early detection of pet fleas.
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How to Give a dog a Bath to get rid of fleas in simple steps
You might think the answer to the question how to bathe a dog to get rid of fleas might be a complicated one or an easy one, and you would be both right and wrong in both cases.
The answer here is threefold, and it consists of a few simple steps but with a few tips and tricks you need to know in between. Let’s see, shall we?
Check before giving them a bath
It’s important to remember that just because your dog is itchy doesn’t necessarily means they have fleas.
Here are a quick couple of ways to check if your dog does indeed have fleas:
- Flea dirt in their shedding – black grains left behind
- Inflamed skin
- You can see the fleas Jumping around when closely checking their fur
Preparing to Give a Dog Bathe for Fleas
The first step in your journey to give the dog a bath for fleas it to make the proper preparations.
You need to have three things ready:
- A Water source, like a hose or sprayer
- Plenty of clean, dry towels
- Good flea shampoo
The Water
The water temperature should be either cool or slightly warm. Remember that dogs have a tendency to overheat easily, even from temperatures that might seem quite normal to us.
If it’s warm to you, it’s probably too warm for your dog.
The Shampoo
Ask your vet for a recommendation for a good fleas shampoo. They will be able to give you a recommendation based on your dog’s age, size, and the severity of the situation.
It’s also a great idea to take the time to actually read the instructions before making the purchase. This way you can avoid any allergic reactions later on.
The instructions will probably have the right usage and dosing so you can portion it correctly for the size and age of your pooch.
Make sure to hide away the shampoo somewhere that your children and/or pets can’t reach.
The location
Where you give the dog a bath is important, too. You can do it indoors or outdoors.
If you are going to give them the bath:
- Indoors – that’s better in case you have a small dog. Give them the bath in the sink or tub depending on your pooch’s size.
The rule of thumb is to choose a place where it’ll be easier to control the dog
- Outdoors – for larger dogs. Use a hose with a trigger or an on/off switch. It’s better to have the dog leashed for easier control.
Time for Action: How to Bathe a dog easily
- Get their necks wet
Start by wetting the dog’s neck fully wet all the way down to the skin. By this point, only the dog’s neck is wet while the rest of their body is still dry.
- Isolate them with Shampoo
Then, apply shampoo and spread it through the dog’s entire neck.
Be thorough, as this will prevent the fleas from escaping to the dog’s head and hiding around their ears, eyes, and face where Shampoo can’t easily get to them.
- Get the rest of the dog’s body wet
Now it’s time to get the rest of their body wet. Shampoo thoroughly their entire body and then let the shampoo sit for five or ten minutes.
- Calm the dog
Your dog may be nervous by this point. You could have a second person with you to hold the animal while you go on with the washing, or you can try to calm the dog down yourself.
- Rinse the shampoo
After a few minutes, rinse out the flea shampoo very well. Don’t let it sit for too long as it can dry out the dog’s skin and coat, which is harmful.
- Follow Up
If your dog doesn’t suffer from pre-existing skin conditions, it’s a good idea to follow up with a normal conditioner or, even better, a flea control conditioner.
- Dry off the dog
This is a bit tricky, as your dog might want to shake the water off. Wrap your dog securely in the towel to dry them off.
If your dog is anxious or stressed, you should probably spend a couple of minutes cuddling them (while they’re wrapped in the towel) to calm them down a bit.
Remember that Baths are not something that comes instinctively to dogs, it’s not like they take showers in the wild, so the experience can be stressful, or even frightening, to the dog.
It’s bigger than just the dog
Even if you completely and miraculously eradicate all the fleas from your dog, they can come back if you don’t take steps to remove them from your house completely.
Your dog moves around a lot, and fleas will go from their coat to other places in your house. When you clean your dog off the fleas, they can still jump back from those other places they were hiding in.
A Full flea eradication program throughout your entire house must be in place in order to truly get rid of these nasty beings forever.
It’s recommended that you ask your vet on what to do with your house to make sure it is no longer flea-infested. They can probably recommend a combination of spray and powder that you can apply after doing some proper and thorough cleaning.
After the battle
Daily Vacuuming does wonders to prevent the return of fleas, so make sure to do that. Your vet may also give some medications to your pet to prevent them from coming back.
You can also use a Flea collar to prevent your dog from getting fleas from places you go to, and we recommend this great Tick & Flea control Collar as it can last 8 continuous months, which means you really don’t need to worry about a thing.
Make sure to keep your pet’s bedding and favorite spots clean at all times, or at least as much as you can.
If you have a backyard, there are foggers and yard sprays that you can use that can get rid of the flea infestation, too.
That’s it! You are now ready, so go ahead and fight those monsters. But before you go, we think you might be interested in knowing the experts’ solution to grooming a dog that’s scared here.
If you have a question, remember that we’re here for you, and we’ll answer them as soon as possible.
Just make sure to leave them in a comment below.
