Picture taken from www.dogbreedinfo.com
Hi and Welcome Everyone!
This is Sharda with another Collie dogs newsletter!
Today, let’s talk about easy and effective tips for your Border Collie bath time!
The outer coat of the Border Collie contains natural oils to help repel water, it is important to avoid over-washing the coat.
This can lead to dry hair and problems with tangling and matting. In addition it strips the hair of the natural oils and leaves the coat looking lifeless and lackluster.
Collie dogs should only be wet bathed when necessary, no more than once every three or four months or even longer. Dry power may be used to help clean the coat between baths if required.
If you are wet bathing your Collie dog, be sure to use only specialized pet shampoos.
These products are pH balanced and are usually perfume and alcohol free to avoid drying the coat. Human shampoos and conditioners should not be used on pets.
The key to bathing your Border Collie is to be sure to remove all shampoo residue from the hair. This can be challenging with the double coat, so be sure to rinse with the outer coat pushed away from the skin.
A hand held nozzle is most effective as simply running water over the dog’s back will just be repelled by the outer coat.
Rinse until there is no sign of shampoo either in the rinse water or against the Collie dogs skin.
Pay particular attention to the stomach and chest areas of the Collie dog, as these are difficult to rinse and cleanse.
When drying your Border Collie, be sure to dry the undercoat first. This can be accomplished by using a good quality pet dryer and simply holding the longer outer coat up towards the back and then drying the undercoat.
Gradually the outer coat is brushed down. If you do not have a pet hair dryer, consider a good soft absorbent towel pressed against the hair to absorb moisture.
Avoid rubbing as this can cause mats and tangles.
There are some commercially available “dry bath” powders that work well for quick deodorizing and freshening of the dog’s coat.
Care needs to be taken when using these powders to avoid contact with the eyes, mouth and ears.
Some Collie dogs may be sensitive to the chemicals or perfumes in some soaps, shampoos or powders, so check a small area of your dog before treating the whole Border Collie dog.
IN ORDER TO BATH YOUR BORDER COLLIE, FOLLOW THESE FEW SIMPLE STEPS:
- Clean all foreign matter out of the dog’s coat as much as possible. With a longhaired breed this may take a bit of time. Small twigs or other objects in the coat can cause tangling in the bath, so removing them ahead of time will save effort in the long run.
- Fill a sink, bathtub or other water container with luke-warm water and place the dog in the water. The water should not be deeper than the top of the animal’s legs or the bottom of its belly.
- Use your hands and arms to support the dog until it is comfortable and is not struggling. It is important to avoid any falls or slips at this time.
Keep one hand gently placed on the back of the dog’s neck, or under the stomach for small breeds such as the Collie dog. Keep praising and talking to the dog in a reassuring manner.
Praise the dog for standing still.
- Begin slowly pouring water from a plastic pitcher or other plastic container onto the back of the Border Collie dog, starting at the tail and moving towards the neck.
- When the Collie dog is wet from the tail to the neck, apply a good quality pet shampoo and lather. Again, keep one hand as a support for the dog and lather with the other.
- After the dog is completely shampooed, rinse thoroughly with warm water.
- You can complete the bath with a good skin conditioner/hair conditioner for dogs. Rinse thoroughly.
After the bath your Border Collie will want to shake, which, depending on the dog’s enthusiasm, can be very messy.
Immediately after the rinse remove the Collie dog from the water and dry with fluffy towels. Keeping your hand firmly on the back of the neck will prevent them from shaking, or will minimize the amount of shaking until you can dry them with the towel.
A soft washcloth rinsed in warm water can be used to wipe the face and ears clean after the bath. Avoid using any shampoo or conditioner on the face, as the eyes, nose and ears may be particularly sensitive.
After the bath, Collie dogs will immediately run outside and roll, given the opportunity. This often undoes all your hard work. It is wise to keep the dog confined to the house until the coat is completely dried.
After a few baths, your Border collie dog may look forward to the event. You can increase the likelihood of bath time being positive if you reward your dog for good behaviour in the bath and do something special after.
That’s it for today!
I really hope that you learned a lot from today’s newsletter
All the best and take care.
Warmly,
Sharda Baker