In order to maintain your personal protection dog’s hygiene you need to bathe them when  necessary. It is important to know some helpful facts and tips before bathing them, in order to make the process easier, faster, and all around more efficient. Do not bathe your protection dog too often because that will take away healthy oils found in their coat and skin, which will lead to scratching and irritation. Also too much bathing can soften your protection dog’s coat and reduce its insulating qualities. The frequency of bathing your dog is mostly determined by the breed and activities the dog is involved in. Dogs that spend a lot of time outside, engaged in activities that are exposed to dirt and bugs will typically require more bathing. Usually every six weeks or more frequently, if they become overwhelmingly dirty. Other dogs only need to be given a bath every couple of months, or less. Also, to help keep your dog clean between baths, brush them thoroughly and preferably daily. By brushing them daily it will benefit their coat, skin and will lead to your dog looking and smelling good.

Being prepared and knowing what to do will help to make the bath much less stressful for both you and your personal protection dog. The bath will go much more smoothly if you introduce your dog to the idea of bathing first. You can do this by letting them sniff the comb, brush or clippers, and praise them once they become less timid around the tools. Also, let your dog become use to the sound of running water. Most dogs will get scared by being in the bathtub, they usually jump around, slip and fall. You will more than likely spend most of the time trying to get them to stay inside the tub, and in the process get even wetter than them. Instead of going through this miserable task, try bathing your dog outside. Since they are most likely a larger dog breed, such as a German Shepherd, this will make the bath less stressful for them because they are not in a small confined space. Simply hook their leash up somewhere, so they do not have a chance to run off and use a hose and a bucket. If it is colder weather, another place that is better than the tub is the shower. This will work especially well if you have a hand-held shower head. Your personal protection dog will feel much less stressed standing on a firm surface rather than in a tub full of water.

Before you begin to bathe your protection dog, there are also some important things to know. One thing is to carefully brush out any mats, or tangles because it will be harder to do this once the fur is wet. Make sure you wash their face with a wash cloth instead of pouring water over their face, because his the inside of his ears shouldn’t get too wet. If you can, use a good dog shampoo that will benefit their coat and skin. After lathering on the shampoo, and making sure they are completely clean, it is time to rinse. Shampoo residue will lead to itching, so make sure that it is all off, and avoid washing it into their eyes. If your are giving your dog flea bath it is extremely important to start with their face and ears, or else tons of living fleas could end up inside the dog’s ears. When you are finished, try squeezing any excess water from your protection dogs fur and then wrap them in a large towel to gently rub dry.