If you keep a pet dog, you would always like to make its fur coat look shinier. Won’t you? Pollution and dirt give your pet a dull, unsightly look. That is why you need to give these furry pets a bath every now and then - especially those that spend most of their time outdoors. Apart from ridding your pet of dirt, bathing your dog also helps get rid of fleas and fungal skin infections. Read on for some tips on how to wash your dog the right way.

Brush Your Dog Before Bathing It:

You may have noticed that your pet's fur usually becomes tangled and matted over time. It's, therefore, crucial to brush your dog's fur before getting them wet; as untangling wet fur is quite impossible. Brushing your dog before bathing them also helps with the removal of excess hair, helping you minimize the time spent cleaning up your bathtub after you've bathed them. For this purpose, you may need to invest in a dog shedding brush, as they're specifically designed to remove excess hair, on top of the grooming function. Another benefit of brushing your dog prior to bathing it is that it helps with loosening up the pet's coat. This comes in handy- later on- as you'll be able to easily work in the shampoo into the dog's skin.

Buy the Right Shampoo

While regular dog shampoo may work just fine, there are other types of dog shampoos that come with additional benefits for your pet. If your pet has a fungal infection, for instance, and keeps scratching its skin, ears, and paws; you may need to buy an antifungal dog shampoo. The best ones also have anti-seborrheic ingredients to help with skin scaling, on top of treating fungal infections. Other types of dog shampoos that will give your pet more than the routine spruce up include hypoallergenic shampoo for dogs with sensitive skin, aloe vera shampoo for dogs with certain skin conditions, and flea shampoo for eliminating dog fleas. It is advisable to consult a veterinarian to find out whether your dog has any skin conditions/issues; and what type of shampoo would be best to use on them.

Wash Your Dog with Lukewarm Water

After you've bought some dog shampoo, brushed your dog, and readied your bathing supplies; it's now time to give your pet a bath. One thing you'd want to ensure prior to bathing your dog is that the water is neither too hot, nor too cold. Lukewarm water is usually the best, especially for pets with sensitive skin. You can then take the following steps to wash your dog:

• Step:1 Wet the dog all over the body.
• Step:2 Work the shampoo into the dog's fur, skin, and other parts of the body; ensuring to focus on dirt-prone areas like their paws.
• Step:3 If your dog has fleas and you're using a flea shampoo, you may need to use a neck barrier to prevent them from escaping.
• Step:4 After applying shampoo, thoroughly rinse your pet.
• Step:5 Dry off the dog with a towel.

There are a few other dog bathing supplies that might come in handy when you're cleaning up your pet. For instance, a non-slip rubber mat helps keep your dog in position as you bathe it. Cotton balls- on the other hand- help keep out the shampoo from entering their ears- which are rather sensitive.