Bath Time!

Well, since my family and I got up early this morning, only let the dogs out once, and left them inside for hours at a time without having someone to let them out, GIzmo went pee in her cage on her bed. No, I do not blame it on her-for she's still a young puppy and it was our fault we weren't there to let her out. But besides smelling really bad, peeing in her crate also means the urine got on her....ewwwww. I also read Soterias Dogs on the Dot, and when she posted about giving dogs a bath...I knew I had to. It was like a sign...and a good post, too. So, I decided I seriously need to give her a bath.

So, with the do shampoo I got from Walmart (I wasn't paying $15 for the dog shampoo at Petco! O_O) that smells like Berries and is a shed control shampoo. (No, I didn't use puppy shampoo-sue me! I think I've been washing dogs long enough to be careful not to get it in her eyes, anyway. And cats, and when I washed my cats when I was little, I'd do it butt naked in the abthtub and get not a claw mark on me, so obviously I was doing something right.) And even though Gizmo absolutely HATES the water and is still a bit suqirmish, she does very well and isn't necassarily afraid of getting bath. Which, is a good thing.

However, after reading it in a Chihuahua magazine from Petco, it said put cotton balls in her ears...yeah right. She would sit still and let me put them in, but she'd just shake her head and the cotton balls went flying! So, I decided, "Fine. If you want to get water in your ears, go for it. But that'll just put more work on me when I have to get the water out afterward!" I tried again after that, but obviously, she didn't understand a word I had just said. I just shrugged it off.

So, I gave her a good bath in the tub, the usual way I gave her a bath. Like said above, she was very good and hardly gave me any trouble. So, afterward, I got the water off of her (using advice from Soteria's post about baths on Dogs on the Dot) to help get any extra water off, got her in a towel, and dried her pretty good. (I already knew about the towle part lol) Then, using a dog comb (one that doesn't have any of that annoying static) and brushed her mostly dry fur out to help get any clumps of wet fur out and to help spread the fur apart, so I could blow dry her.

So, I set her on a towel in the corner of the bathroom floor, were I usually blow dry her so she can't escape, and began. She is pretty used to it by now, though still a bit skittish when I get too clsoe to her face still. However, since t he start, she has HATED her ears being blow dryed. I tried covering the canal by flatting her ears to her head and using my fingers to block any holes, but it never seemed to work. So while i had the cotton balls out, I got a good idea. I took one out, placed it in her ear, falttened it and lightly pressed down. Then, I blow dryed her ears. It seemed to work! She still was a bit fussy, probably because she thought air was gonig to get into her ears, but she was much better. (And before you have a heart attack-I use it on Cool 75% of the time and hold it 3" away from her body. And I only use it on regular heat for about 5-10 seconds, and never keep it in one place. What, do you think I am too stupid to know that it gets hot after a while and just keep going on regular heat? >.>)

And so afterward, I had a very happy dog! So remember people! A clean dog...is a happy dog. lol. And just a few tips for bathing Chihuahuas-

• If you are going to get in the bath and wash your Chihuahua...ALWAYS wear a long-sleeved shirt and sweat pants unless you want to be clawed to death...I have many scars to prove it. O_O
• Always make sure you use warm water. Chis get cold easy, and if you use room temperature, prepare to meet a shaking Chihuahua! Use luke-warm water to save your Chihuahua from a chill. (:
• Make sure you dry your Chihuahua, of any age, completely! They are easily chilled and if you let a damp Chi go, they will get cold-expecially if you live in a cold climate. And if you use a blow-dryer, keep it 3" at minumum away from your dog, and don't always use regular heat! Modern blow dryers have a Cool button on it-use that button 75% or more of the time you use it, and never keep it on regular heat for more then 10 seconds! And make surewhile you use regular heat, that you have the blow dryer moving back in forth around the area so it doesn't burn the area and hurt your Chi.
  
• Make sure you brush your Chihuahua afterard to help get the clumps of fur out. It also helps get any extra fur out, expecialyl when it's wet because it sticks to the brush easier.

-Fezz!