By John WIlliams

Dog bathing is a must when living with a dog.  Dogs naturally get smelly and are not like cats in being able to wash themselves well and be hygienic, this is why collie owners have to look after their collie’s hygiene for them once in a while.

Dog bathing should take place when your collie starts to smell or is very dirty. Running around every day rubbing yourself up against trees, bushes, benches and rolling around on grass or getting drenched head to paws in rivers or puddles are all common occurrences in a collie’s life and all contribute to collie smelliness.

It is important to make sure you brush your collie’s coat and fur through before every bathing session to remove all bits of debris that may have got caught up in your collie’s fur since their last bath along with tangles or matted hair that may have formed. If you ignore this step any tangles and matted hair will get worse after bathing and make it an impossible task to rid of them.

You will need to use special pet shampoo and conditioner to clean your collie; human shampoo uses a different ph level and can be bad for your collie’s skin. Starting off by letting your collie get used to running water, warm water should be used to wash your collie, it is best to use a jug or’ container to gently pour water on your collie. Be sure not to put water directly on your collies face to be sure not to frighten them off or scare them.

When your collie is wet, keep reassuring them and rewarding them if the behaviour is good to get the message across that bathing is not a bad thing. Rub the shampoo and conditioner onto your collie gently and being sure to do a proper job of getting all the smells and everything else out.

To finish off, rinse all the soapy water and shampoo of your collie and dry your collie in the same way you would yourself or if your collie has easily matted hair use patting only to dry your collie, when this is all done reward your collie with praise and rewards for being cooperative with you.