Dog Bath Supplies

Dog Bath Supplies:
Making a Clean Sweep

When it comes to bathing your dog, there's no shortage of supplies out there to help you do it right.

Here are some of the major ones that you might have heard of, but may not be too certain about.

Bath Mitts - These handy bath mitts make cleaning your dog as easy as petting him or her. These are perfect for removing dirt and dander on your dog, and shedding and allergies from your home. Since the surface area of these bath mitts is larger than your hand, you'll get a deeper clean in a larger area, which is especially important for larger breeds. The soft, flexible rubber nubs massage shampoo into and out of the fur, and are comfortable even on the most sensitive skin. Bath mitts also protect your hand dry and protected while you shampoo your dog.

Drying Towel - These reusable towels are designed to be extremely absorbent, pulling moisture away from your pet's fur without damaging it. Drying towels are multifunctional, and extremely durable. You can use them to cool your dog on a hot day, or dry him or her after a bath or a rain shower. They're easy to care for - just toss drying towels into the washer and dryer - and are quick to dry.

Shower Hose Kit - a quality shower hose kit makes bathing your dog so much easier when you wash him or her in your shower. With a shower hose kit, you don't need to struggle with messy, awkward buckets, or re-used water. Shampoo rinses away much faster using a shower hose kit, with the right length of hose, and the proper amount of water pressure. Moreover, you can control when and where the water lands, when your shower hose kit includes an adjustable sprayer. If you're environmentally friendly, you'll be happy to hear that it reduces water usage as well!

Rubber Grooming Gloves - these great little tools are great for reducing shedding. Many people find that rubber grooming gloves are easier to use than a brush, since it's just like petting your dog. Moreover, you can often use rubber grooming gloves on your bedding, clothing, upholstery, rugs, and carpets to pick up fur from them as well. Rubber grooming gloves are easy to wash, as many of them are machine washable, but even for the ones that are not, they're simple to wipe clean with a wet rag.

Outdoor Pet Sprayer - For those of us who don't like using the bathtub to wash the dog, then a warm sunny day, and an outdoor pet sprayer is the ideal solution. It is very easy to attach to your garden hose or outdoor spigot, and it has its own on/off switch for better control. A good length of hose means that you won't be running out of hose, or getting tangled up. The spray is gentler than a garden hose nozzle, making sure that your dog will remain comfortable throughout the bathing process.

Dryer - Ideal for groomers and pet owners alike, a dryer can make certain that your dog dries faster, and in the style you like after a bath. This is very important with colder weather, or with dogs that tend to dry very oddly after a bath. Make certain to watch your dog while s/he is being dried, to be certain that no injury ensues.

Grooming Shears and Scissors - clippers are great for trimming larger areas of your dog, but when you simply want to give a trim or clean-up to a small area such as the face or feet, then scissors and shears are what you want. You may want a pair of grooming scissors with a slightly curved and shorter blade, to allow for accurate trimming in hard to reach places. Grooming shears have little teeth, and are used to thin hair, remove mats, and handle general trimming where you don't want a scissor line left behind.