How to Bathe a Border Collie Puppy

If you’re feeling nervous when it comes to bathing your Border Collie for the first time, don’t be! The whole bathing process is actually not as difficult as you may think. Moreover, it won’t take a lot of your time. As long as you have prepared beforehand, bathing your Collie puppy is a very easy task.

When giving your Border Collie a bath for the first time, you’ll need someone to help you. This will make the process a lot less stressful since you will have someone holding your dog still as you handle other things. With time, you’ll get better at bathing your dog and you won’t have a problem doing it on your own.

How to Bathe a Border Collie Puppy

You can decide to bathe your Collie either outside or in the house. If you settle on doing it outside, don’t forget to put him on a leash. Dogs like running around when they are wet to dry themselves. This is a recipe for a bigger mess. If you intend to bath your Collie in the house, watch out for loose hair. You wouldn’t want to clog the bathtub with dog hair.

What You’ll Need

Before getting your Border Collie ready for his bath, ensure everything you’ll need is prepared beforehand. This will make the bathing process easy as you’ll not need to run around looking for things while your anxious Collie is trying to get away from the tub.

Here are the items you will need:

  • Towel – This is pretty much self-explanatory. You don’t need a specific type of towel. If the one you have absorbs water, you’re good to go. Since your puppy will be wet after his bath, you’ll have to use a towel to dry him up.
  • Dog Shampoo – Don’t make the mistake of using human shampoo on your dog. The chemicals used on human toiletries are very strong and shouldn’t be used on dogs. Buy your Border Collie a pet friendly shampoo which will leave him smelling great.
  • Cotton Balls – Cotton balls should be used to prevent water from entering the dog’s ears.
  • A Scrubber – There are different types of scrubs you can use to wash your dog. Pick one that works well for you.
  • Leash (optional) – If you are planning on washing your Collie outside, then a leash is necessary. A leash is meant to help keep your dog near you. You wouldn’t want your dog to run off and end up rolling himself in dirt once you’re done cleaning him.

Steps for Bathing a Border Collie

Follow the steps below to bath your Border Collie properly:

Step 1: Gather all the materials you need

Collect all the things you’ll need and place them near where you plan on bathing your Collie from. Keep the items at arm’s length so that you won’t have to leave the dog in the bath alone to fetch something. Although there’s nothing your dog can do when left alone, you don’t want to risk him jumping out of the tub and make the bathroom messy with water and shampoo.

Step 2: Prepare Your Border Collie

Brush your Collie’s coat to remove all loose hair. This will also strengthen his hair, making it easier for you to bathe him. You can then get the dog into the tub and place cotton balls on each of his ears. Don’t place them too deep; they only need to cover his ear canals.

Expect your Collie to shake the cotton balls off the first few times. However, with time, he’ll eventually get used to them. Don’t reuse wet cotton ball. Instead, get a new pair of clean ones to avoid ear infections.

Step 3: Soak Your Dog

A shower head works perfectly for this step. However, if you don’t have one, you can use a pitcher. If you are bathing the Collie outside, you can use a water hose. Begin soaking from the head and ensure that his coat is completely wet. Be cautious not to get water into his ears.

Step 4: Shampoo Your Border Collie

Now that your Collie is perfectly wet, you can start shampooing him. Begin from the top as you work your way down. Don’t use a scrub when shampooing your Collie’s head and face. Just massage the shampoo using your fingers, making sure that you avoid any of it to get into his eyes. You can then proceed to use a scrub to wash his back, neck, chest, butt and stomach, finishing with his legs and feet.

Step 5: Rinse Him Off

Get the pitcher, shower head or water hose and rinse off the shampoo from the dog. Again, begin from the top as you slowly work your way down. Rinse your pet thoroughly to ensure no shampoo is left on the dog’s coat.

Step 6: Dry your Border Collie

This is the last step of bathing your Border Collie. The best way of doing this is to first let your Collie shake off some of the water while still in the tub. Most dogs do this by themselves (as long as they’re feeling wet). Others will need some encouragement to shake off the water.

TIP: If you tickle your Collie’s ears, he’ll think that it is water and so he’ll try to shake it off.

Once your dog is done, dry him up using a towel.

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