Loading... 
I have heard lots of stories about how hard and difficult bath time for dogs can be, but we have found that it has always been an easy and simple event for Merry Heart. Before we got her we had the bathroom renovated and we made sure we had a mixer shower tap over the bath. This cost us a bit more than a simple mixer tap, but it was a master stroke of genius which makes bath time fun for Merry.
I find that Merry needs a bath just once every couple of weeks. But this varies, according to the weather (rain and mud mean more frequent baths), and how often we go to the beach or forest (sand and mud mean … you guessed it, more frequent baths).
When it’s time for a bath I get Merry’s special dog bath towels and bath tub mat and head off to the bathroom. The tub mat protects the bath tub from scratches and gives Merry a comfortable surface to stand on. It’s made of PVC foam mesh, with suction cups for a secure fit.
Merry Heart notices what I am doing and she suddenly becomes terribly interested something else at the other end of the house. I call her to come to me and after pretending she can’t hear me, she eventually waddles, ever so slowly, to the bathroom door and I tell her to hop in the bath.
I hose Merry’s legs and rear end first, and start washing from the ground up, so to speak. I use a simple shampoo like Only Natural Pet Herbal Defense Shampoo For Pets and it helps if it’s applied in this special Dog Body Brush with a shampoo applicator because I can hold the washing brush in one hand and the shower head in the other hand. Merry Heart stands still and turns around as I push her and chat to her. I leave her head to the end and I finish with a few good rinses, because even a tiny amount of shampoo residue will irritate her skin.
When I’ve finished, I keep hold of her head (to stop her from doing a big ‘shake’ all over me) while I turn off the shower, reach for the dog drying towel and squeeze the water out of her fur where I can. Rubbing her dry is easy: first I use the special microfibre dog drying towel and give her an all-over brisk rub. Then I use my special Soggy Paws large towel with pockets. You put your hands in the pockets and rub your dog dry; it’s great for getting into the hard to reach places.
And then comes the best part of the proceedings. I open the bathroom door, and my clean doggy friend starts tearing around the house like a lunatic. When we laugh, she starts clowning around just to amuse us. Occasionally, I use the hairdryer on a warm setting, slow fan, to dry her off a little bit, but mainly, Merry Heart and I are happy for her to air dry into a coat of cute little curls.