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February 20, 2013

The First Step To A Successful Dog Bath: Get Dirty!

Once a week, Eko has his spa day – Nailed trimmed, teeth brushed, ears cleaned and bath given.  Eko generally approaches these activities with the enthusiasm of a man walking to the gallows.  However, I have found the trick to get Eko to enjoy getting cleaned  up is simple –
Once a week, Eko has his spa day – Nailed trimmed, teeth brushed, ears cleaned and bath given.  Eko generally approaches these activities with the enthusiasm of a man walking to the gallows.  However, I have found the trick to get Eko to enjoy getting cleaned  up is simple – get him dirty first!

Rhodesian Ridgeback, pet adventure

“Did someone say ‘get dirty?’ I’m listening…”

If Eko’s spa day follows one of our normal walks, it can be a pretty tedious affair.  If, however, we go out for a serious romp, Eko welcomes being pampered.  Today was spa day this week, so we headed out to get Eko dirty…or in our case, sandy.  But getting Eko dirty is a two person job.  Or a two dog job, I should say.  Luckily we found a friend at the beach up to the task.

dog beach

The two dancers first began with a bow

pet blog

They circled each other and gave a closer bow

dog beach chicago  

One final bow and then…

Rhodesian Ridgeback

They danced!  Eko and his new friend tore up and down the beach, undeterred by the cold Chicago winds

pet beach

My instructions were to get as dirty as possible, and Eko’s friend certainly saw to that.  dog beach chicago

After packing as much of the beach into his coat as he could, Eko was ready to head home. (Side note: I think this curved lens makes Eko look like an anteater in this photo)

After bounding through the frigid water and winds at the beach, Eko happily welcomed the warmth of the shower and was quite glad to have the sand removed from his ears/teeth.  With a freshly clean coat and a matching pedicure, Eko was ready to curl up on the couch – where he will likely remain snoring contently for the rest of the day!

Anyone else have tricks to get their pet cleaned up?

Comments for The First Step To A Successful Dog Bath: Get Dirty!

  1. That’s quite a dance performance 🙂

  2. Shary Hover says:

    We do the same thing! When it’s time for Lola’s bath, we head for the beach to make it really worth our while. Lola hates baths, but she likes being clean, especially when her undercoat is full of sand. After a full morning of the ocean and the tub, she zonks out on the couch all afternoon. Our puppy trainer always said, “A tired dog is a good dog.”

  3. writetowag says:

    Those pics of them bowing is awesome!!!! What a great day at the beach!!!!

  4. catchatcaren says:

    an “Anteater!” you are too funny! Ahhhh the joys of having a dog with a short coat! When Dakota gets dirty (because we are on the 2nd floor of an apt/condo building) we take him to the vet for grooming (they have reputable, licensed groomers there). I can’t have his thick, long fur clogging our drains. I would love to have a dog with shorter hair though that I could bathe at home.
    We use some doggy wipes for in between.
    Thought of you guys last night. Was watching House Hunters on HGTV and they showcased a young, professional couple that live in downtown Chicago. They were looking to upgrade and ended up in the coolest building by all of the great shopping! I looked for you and Eko on the beach scenes!

  5. dailyspro says:

    Dirty tired dogs are usually the happiest!

  6. We do the same thing! A good long walk or a playful romp will get Boomer and Dottie tired enough to submit. Mind you they still protest though!

  7. Delft says:

    Actually, I have a trick to making a dog face his bath / clean-up after walk: heated towels!
    Also good for making the dog head straight for the bathroom when he comes in wet!

  8. jbranchohio says:

    My dogs have issues and don’t mind taking a bath as long as they can lick the soapy water… gross. We have 7 dogs so bath time doesn’t happen as frequently as it probably should but with a Veterinary Technician background, a passion for animals, and finding out what chemicals are in pet products, I decided to start making my own!

    I now sell them on Etsy and donate 10% of the profit to animals in need. I hope for it to take off one day so I can help a lot of animals!

    Would you be interested in trying a free sample of organic shampoo? I am looking for more feedback from people other than friends and family and also ones that give their dog a bath lol.

    Anyway, if you are interested, here is my blog with a link to our shop 🙂

    http://jbranchohio.wordpress.com/

    Thanks,
    Brittany

  9. Ahh man this is why I must move to a beach! This loooked like soo much fun! ….For Ecko that is, hope his spa day went ok!

  10. emma says:

    Give me a holler if you need help getting dirty, Eko…dirty is my favorite thing to be and even on a day like today where temps are in the single digits I find some puddle somewhere to romp in and get my fur wet and dirty! I don’t ever appreciate a bath, though.

  11. Zena says:

    Our trick to clean Raffles – the local groom shop!!!

  12. caitlin says:

    Oh my gosh, they look like they’re in heaven. And that weather looks unbelievable!

  13. Boomdeeadda says:

    Fun photo’s, I love watching ‘the dance’ when two playful pups are going to have fun. We only gave Buddy bath’s outside on the lawn. He didn’t like them much and normally escaped before we were done. He’d make his way to the beach or a pile of weeds and roll around like it was a pile of money and he was Donald Trump. HA.

  14. I agree with get dirty – but a dog bath is a no-go. Your ears look funny in the last picture ;o)

  15. That sure looked like a fun way to get dirty. Hugs and nose kisses

  16. Gotta love ‘the dance’ 🙂

  17. onebluedog says:

    Oh, I just love that last picture of Eko! He must have had so much fun! I think I would not mind baths so much either if I could have some serious playtime on the beach first 🙂

  18. Jessica says:

    Awesome photos! What a great way to redirect your dog towards an often not-so- fun activity! We often resort to treat-giving…I mean, bribery…when it’s Taylor’s spa day! 😉

  19. Chopper's mom says:

    We find spa time also goes well after a messy snack like the pb jar. Someone doesn’t like being sticky.

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