Bath Time

There comes a time that all dogs hate called 'Bath Time' and this week it was Yu You's. She had just gotten too smelly!

Tools of the trade...

Time=10mins.

To start, I get together all the things I need for her bath and grooming afterwards. When I first got Yu You, I just tried to groom her on the floor but it was too easy for her to run away and unfortunately for both of us, air drying really doesn't seem to work for her. Her hair ended up tangled and curly. Not curly in a good way either!

So, to save my back I invested in a proper grooming table which has had lots of benefits.

1) It's big enough to fit Yu You and all my kit.
2) It's non slip.
3) It's high enough that she can't jump off.
4) It saves my back!

I have actually forgotten to put her grooming spray on here but I use All Systems 'Fabulous Grooming Spray'. As you can see, Yu You has more grooming products than most dogs...but then she has more hair than most dogs too!

Before Shot

Time=30mins.
Before she gets her actual bath, all the grooming guides say to make sure she is tangle free before contact with the water or else! I've tried missing this bit out but Yu You suffered for it as the matts ended up tighter and hard to brush out.

She doesn't actually look that dirty or messy in this photo so you'll have to trust me when I say that she did actually need the bath!

Bath

Time=30mins.
These are some photos of her in the bath and with a towel. Her actual bath is pretty straight forward as she knows escape is futile. I use a whitening shampoo and a separate conditioner. It's quite hard to get her completely wet as her hair is so thick. By the time she is fully wet she is half her dry size and usually looks like a terrier!

When she has her bath, I usually attempt to brush her teeth while the conditioner is working. That's why there is a strange toothbrush on table. It doesn't always work well as she sticks her tongue in the way but it's better than nothing I think!

Blow dry

Time=60mins.

The longest part of the process is the blow dry. I just use my own dryer as I foud out that dog hair dryers actual cost more! As you can see from the photos, this is not a bit she enjoys and is glaring at me.

The best tip that I've ever gotten for this part is to only brush the area that is being dried. It seems to minimise the tugging needed and her hair comes out lovely and fluffy.

After

Ta da! These are some after shots of Yu You. She's normally returning to her happy mood by now as she knows she is getting off the table and will get a treat and a loo break. After she is dry I normally try to trim her fringe and cut her nails and neaten her paws. May as well do everything while I have her up there!

To finish, she gets a spray of her doggie cologne - Baby Powder smell this time! I can't actually use baby powder on her as I read that it can stay in the dogs lungs hence the perfume.



Over 2 hours later and looking beautiful!