Bathing My Chow Chows
It's bath time for my Chow Chows.
My dogs are groomed and checked for ticks and fleas every day. I have always been a firm believer in regular brushing and bathing. Just the other day was bath time for my gorgeous Chows, Empress Qin and Emperor Han. I actually love to do this task myself when I am home, but since I was busy with other commitments at our New York City headquarters, Carlos was happy to do the job. When bathing pets, it’s important to always use lukewarm water and only mild pet shampoos - we use my own Martha Stewart shampoos and conditioners from my collection on Amazon. If you haven’t checked out my grooming line, just click on the highlighted link.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- My line of shampoos and conditioners are all-natural, hypoallergenic and gentle enough for regular bathing. The formulas are also paraben and sulfate-free. My moisturizing shampoo and conditioner cleanse and intensely moisturize the dog’s skin and coat. This formula is made with vanilla and almond. When bathing a dog, it’s essential to use products made for dogs because of the differences in pH balance.
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- Carlos puts a towel on the floor of the tub to provide better footing for the dog. He also lets one end cover the drain to catch any hair.
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- Han is first – once he feels the lukewarm water, Han starts to relax. Han is two-years-old and such a good boy.
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- My dogs are very accustomed to being bathed. They have had many baths, but always keep an eye on any dog who is in the tub – just in case they want to make a quick move.
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- One can apply the shampoo directly to the coat or pour some into a bucket of water to dilute slightly.
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- Apply the shampoo from the back of the ears to the tail and always be very careful around the face, ears, and eyes.
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- Carlos makes sure to apply shampoo to the dog’s stomach as well. My shampoo formulas are all great for pets with sensitive skin.
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- After applying the shampoo and letting it soak into the coat a few minutes, Carlos rinses well with lukewarm water. It is very important to get all the shampoo out – a rule of thumb is to keep rinsing until there are no visible bubbles on the coat – and then rinse a little more.
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- Meanwhile, Empress Qin waits patiently nearby. Qin is a champion show dog. According to the breed standard, Chows must have a lovely thick mane, with small rounded ears, giving it the appearance of a lion when all grown up. My Qin is so beautiful.
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- Back at the tub, Carlos finishes rinsing Han and then rubs a small amount of conditioner on his coat.
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- Carlos lets the conditioner settle in his coat before rinsing him again.
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- Once again, Han is rinsed thoroughly, making sure there is no shampoo or conditioner left on the coat at all – the water needs to penetrate all the layers of the dog’s heavy coat.
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- I think Han is enjoying his “spa” treatments.
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- Carlos dries Han very, very well. Here he is getting wiped down with a large terry towel. This is a good time to have the dog shake the water off. Train the dog to shake on command, so no one gets wet in the process.
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- The coat must be dried thoroughly. Carlos uses the no-heat setting when blowing the coat. Drying completely is crucial. Otherwise, the hair closest to the skin will pack down, retain dirt and moisture and cause skin irritations.
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- Never use high heat on a dog’s coat. Dogs are much more sensitive to external heat than humans are and have a far more difficult time dissipating heat.
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- Carlos also dries the feet and in between the pads.
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- There are two types of coat on a Chow Chow – rough and smooth. Both are double-coated. This is a rough-coated Chow. The outer coat is abundant, dense, and straight. The undercoat is soft and woolly.
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- Empress Qin is next. Here she is in the tub. What is most unique and distinctive of a true Chow Chow is its blue-black tongue.
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- Carlos pours the diluted shampoo to Qin’s coat – it lathers pretty quickly.
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- Carlos shampoos Qin’s entire coat from head to tail.
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- Here she is after she is completely lathered. Chows should be sturdy and squarely built. Its body should be compact, and heavy-boned – Qin has a perfect body.
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- Carlos gives her a good rinse. Qin is a good girl and stays very still for the rinsing process.
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- And next, Carlos applies the conditioner.
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- And then rinses again, especially underneath and on the insides of the legs.
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- Here is Qin getting toweled dry.
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- Carlos spends a good amount of time drying the dogs. Partially dried coats will tend to curl more and be harder to groom afterward.
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- Next, Carlos takes a few minutes to brush the dogs’ teeth. He uses a finger brush and special dog toothpaste. Never use human toothpaste. Many human kinds of toothpaste contain Xylitol, an artificial sweetener that is very toxic to dogs.
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- Carlos lifts Han’s lip to massage his gums and clean his teeth – first the front and then the back.
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- Carlos finishes with some more brushing. Han loves the grooming table and will jump up on the table himself.
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- Once again, it’s Qin’s turn – here she is on the grooming table located in my Winter House basement.
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- She also enjoys her teeth being brushed. It’s a good idea to start doing this when the dog is young – all my dogs’ teeth are brushed regularly.
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- Here is Qin getting a good brushing.
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- And here is my beautiful Empress Qin after a good bath and grooming – checking over all the activity in the courtyard. Look closely – Bete Noire is “photobombing” from behind the kitchen door.
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- Chows come in five colors: red, black, blue, cinnamon and cream. The Chow should have a large head with a broad, flat skull, a short, deep muzzle, and very expressive eyes – hard to resist this face! My Han is so handsome.
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- Clean and once again guarding their domain. The Chow Chow is an ancient breed of northern Chinese origin. As an all-purpose dog of China, it was used for hunting, herding, pulling and protection. I’ll see you soon Emperor Han and Empress Qin.
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