David_Smith

TO WASH OR NOT TO WASH

By David Smith

Table of Contents Foreword... page 3 Introduction... pages 4-7 Chapter one... pages 8-9 chapter two... pages 9-12 chapter three... pages 13-23 conclusion... pages 24-30 Dedication... page 30 Works cited... page 32

Foreword The first time I stepped into a dog wash, I thought to myself, “really, they make you pay them so that YOU can wash your own dog?” I walked around the store as I watched everyone diligently at work with their faces deeply consumed in their dog. I didn’t bring up the fact that I thought it was rather silly, as my mom was paying for it anyways. After the owner explained to us some beginner tips, we started right up. Hair and soap was flying everywhere as we tried to keep our dog calm while we washed the soap off her. Finally we finished about two hours later and went home. We were beat. Thats when I realized that if I had done all of that at home, I would have a trashed bathroom to clean up right now. Ever since then I have gone nowhere but the pet wash to wash my dog. The owner and I would talk all the time, and eventually I started to volunteer there. Now I work there every once in awhile, and people come in everyday asking if we can wash their dog, then give us a weird look when we tell them they wash their dog themselves.

I always wonder why dog washing is such a mystery to a lot of people? The average dog owner probably thinks that washing your dog means hosing them down in the yard, when in reality that has no hygienic value whatsoever! If you have a dog or cat that you have never given thought to washing, please, read my book and don’t look back.

Introduction What do you think of when you realize your dog needs a wash? If you’re not a seasoned dog washer then you are either thinking ‘well, time to chase the dog around the yard with a hose’, or, ‘Time to take him to the groomer.’ Is there even another choice? If you’re familiar with dog washing then you know there is.

If you do wash your dog regularly(yourself), then you probably take him to a self-service pet wash. A pet wash is where they provide all the tools for you to wash your dog, and then clean up after you for a small fee. The average person can admit that the first time they stepped into a dog wash, they had no idea what they were doing. And let’s be real, everyone in that place knew you were clueless. Walking in all casual without your dog being on a leash, letting it poop on the floor and not even realizing that it did so. Just kidding (although that did happen). Most newcomers aren’t that bad, but they do need to take some time to learn the proper technique to make it easier for your dog and yourself.

Washing your dog is a much different experience than most probably think. Someone who is foreign to dog washing probably thinks something along the lines of, ‘Washing your dog? There can’t be that many instructions for something as simple as hosing a dog down.’ Or they are probably thinking, ‘That’s a job for the groomer.’ Believe it or not, you can wash your dog yourself and make him or her smell great, but its going to take a little more than tossing him out back and spraying him with a hose. Most regular self dog washers do not wash them in their own homes, instead, they go to a self-service dog washing facility. This is where you will learn the ways of a true dog washer.

There is no “I” in team, and washing your dog is a team effort. Not only must you give full attention to the dog and his needs, but you must also make sure you are in a good mindset. How do you think your dog will react when you rush him/her in on a tight schedule and are nowhere near zen? Its going to be a bad time. Don’t think that just because your dog doesn’t seem to mind such things, that its going to be fine and dandy once you’re at the tub.

The benefits most surely outweigh the the inconveniences of washing your dog, especially if you go to a pet wash. It improves their mood because they physically feel better, and it also improves your mood because you don’t have to walk into a house that smells like dog. Keeping them well groomed can not only keep them smelling clean but can also prevent them from developing infections and other unwanted conditions. The negative effects of not grooming your dog will surely add up the longer you don’t do it. Not doing it correctly is also a problem, as you are wasting your time and possibly making the dog even more uncomfortable than he previously was. This can happen at home or at the pet wash, but the people at the pet wash will show you what you are doing wrong and will do everything they can to help your dog.

The negative effects of not grooming your dog will surely add up the longer you don’t do it. Not doing it correctly is also a problem, as you are wasting your time and possibly making the dog even more uncomfortable than he previously was. This can happen at home or at the pet wash, but the people at the pet wash will show you what you are doing wrong and will do everything they can to help your dog.

Chapter One Lets start with the basics. If you have never washed a dog before, get whatever you have pictured in your head and toss it, unless that picture is of a Pet Wash. Someone who does not know about dog washing assumes its either done outside or in their bathtub. This is an unfortunate assumption. One foreign to dog washing should not attempt to do it in their own home. It would be a disaster and would turn them off from washing their dog more than once every five years. The walls will be covered in fur, water will be everywhere, and your dog will be making a fuss.

The person who washes their dog regularly knows not to hassle with all that at home and to just go to a pet wash. Not only is the pet wash a place for experienced dog washers, its also a great place for apprentice dog washers to learn the ropes. You will have everything you need to get started there. The people will welcome you there(as long as your dogs on a leash), and they have all the information and tools you need to become a master at dog grooming.

The dog washing process will require you to be there for one-two hours, and you will have to wet him down, use a lot of soap, clean him off, and dry him. The length of each step will depend on the type of fur coat the dog has. Brushing their teeth will take about ten to fifteen minutes(although I just give my dog teeth cleaning treats), and once every four to six weeks you should do their nails. Once you’ve got these steps down you now have the knowledge to wash your dog and make him look great, without the nominal fee from the groomer. The best part of the pet wash is, they clean up after you! Thats right, once your dog is clean you get to strut out of the shop and let the employees clean up the big mess you made.

Chapter Two Now that you know how to physically wash your dog, there are some steps you should take to ensure that the experience is the best you can make it for the both of you. Make sure your bring him in when you have a free schedule and are prepared to give your attention to him. Its not good to be rushed when washing your dog because you probably won’t do as good of a job and your dog will sense your anxiousness and, in turn, will want to leave.

If your dog has never been washed before, bringing him to such a place can really freak him out, but only by bringing him will he ever get over it.

Thats not to say that you should just force a trembling dog into the tub.

According to Shop owner Maryann, “You have to be kind

to the dog while introducing him to the tub. Little by little, he will get used to it.

Other dogs that have been being bathed since they were puppies and those are the ones who just accept it usually. For most cases dogs rarely freak out. Its never too late to teach a dog to get used to bathing, its more habitual than an ongoing problem.�

Mood is also something to take into consideration. How are you feeling that day.

Did you just get laid off from work? Are you stressed about turning in a documentary paper? Are you anxious because you left Ice cream in the car? None of these are good feelings to be walking into a pet shop with. Your dog will sense all

of these feelings and will make it even more difficult for you to wash him. “Your

dog can feel your anxiety through the leash”, says Mary-ann. “If you walk in overly concerned or worried your dog will be too.

If your casual and say welcome to the world of being well taken care, get used to it, and just go about the bath in a casual manner, then the dog will be more casual. I’m not saying that its going to be totally comfortable if you are but at least you won’t pass on any anxiety to him(Mary-ann).”

Chapter Three The benefits of washing your dog are not only beneficial to your dog but also to yourself. Your house will be slowly restored to a cleanly place that isn’t infested with dog bacteria and hair, and your dog will also feel like even more of a king than you already make him feel. They will surely appreciate and “afterwards they prance around like they are it”(Rosemary). Taking the time to wash your dog will also give you a chance to look for things such as fleas and lumps that shouldn’t be there. The fact that it is you washing your dog and not someone else will not only comfort your dog but will also make you two closer. Washing your dog yourself is most definitely better than taking it to a different groomer every time because “If you take them only

once in awhile to a different groomer each time then they will be anxious every time you go. In that case I recommend doing it yourself. However if you have a specific groomer that gets to know the dog and the dog gets to know them then it is comfortable for them to go to a groomer as well(Mary-ann).”

So basically, it is better if either you or the same person washes your dog every time, because you or that other person are the only ones who have got your dog to that point of serenity. In that case, you two have become a machine that cannot be broken, unless you do something to mess up that beautiful cycle.

The negative effects go beyond what you would expect if you just completely stop grooming your pet. Besides having an indescribable stench, not properly grooming your dog can lead to more than just looking poorly.

They can get bacteria on their skin that just sits there which is no good. Even if you use a product to kill fleas, they need to be washed after. According to veterinarian Jake Knabb, “things like fleas, even if you kill

them with a product, whether it be systemic or topical, will still leave excrement or dirt there so a good washing is something that should happen at least occasionally.�

The fleas have done their damage and are still dead sitting on the skin, they and their destruction need to be washed off with a bath. When my dog had fleas we took her in and started bathing her. Immediately tons of blood started to come off her, as well as fleas. It was really hard to watch, so try to catch fleas early. Finding fleas quicker is also one of the many benefits of regular bathing.

(Flea shampoo)

Bathing is not the only thing you have to worry about. Full on grooming is crucial to maintain a dogs/cats well being. The smell that you smell from your dog is mainly coming from their mouth. Brushing your dogs teeth is something that most people don’t even think of, but you should actually be doing it almost daily. Thats not something thats very practical to people, so try to do it everytime you go to wash your dog(Although I just give my dog teeth cleaning treats daily, she sure likes that a lot more).

According to the American Veterinary Dental Society, Oral disease is a common health problem for pets and is present in up to 80 percent of dogs by the age of 3(ehow), so this is not something that you should skip over!

As for trimming your dog’s hair, that is something that should actually be taken to a groomer for if your dog happens to be a high maintenance furball. Thankfully there is a groomer, Rosemary, who works at the pet wash for trimming and for those who choose to only take part in washing their dog. When I spoke with Rosemary she informed me that “In grooming school you learn how to do the specific breed for the specific dog. So for instance, a poodle has ten different cuts, and a lab only gets a bath and nail trim. So every breed has a particular way its should be groomed.”

Nails are something that should be done every 4 to 6 weeks if the dog/cat doesn’t regularly walk on cement,

which most don’t nowadays. There are a lot of problems that occur when you leave the nails untrimmed, “One

of the biggest concerns is there nails will grow in such a way to where they can actually grow a full 360 and grow into the paw pad. Unfortunately most animals nowadays aren’t walking around on hard surfaces constantly, they lead a pretty cushy life nowadays so theres no real natural wear down of the nails in a lot of cases. If walking on pavements not enough for your dog then they could lose traction with nails that are too long because they don’t walk on their nails they walk on their pads. So if the nails get too long they decrease their traction on regular surfaces(Knabb).”

Yes, a task as simple as walking can be complicated by not do the nails, and cause extreme pain. The nails just get in the way. If the nails get much too long, then they will just be walking on the nails in an awkward position. You can also imagine the pain that comes from them doing a full 360 back into the pad. The quick inside the nail can also become a problem when you don’t trim the nails regularly then go and randomly trim them. “When a nail isn’t trimmed regularly, the inside of the

nail, commonly called the quick, which is the housing of all the blood vessels and the nerves of the nail, will continue to grow under a longer nail. So when you keep the nails trimmed regularly it prevents that quick from getting too long, because when that quick gets long and you decide to trim the nails, you run the risk of hitting those nerves and blood vessels and the dogs really don’t appreciate that”, says Knabb.

These problems that occur aren’t obvious to the average dog owner, and will only get worse as you continue to live your life thinking they are fine.

Just look at that face, how could you not provide him with great hygiene?

Going to a pet wash will not only familiarize you with cleaning your dog, the people there will also assess everything wrong with your dog and will quickly try to help him. They care about your dog just as much as you do, and will tell you everything you need to do to self groom them.

Not surprisingly, if you do try to clean him but are very confused and give up, then your dog will not benefit from the wash, won’t be used to being washed at all, and will most likely leave more uncomfortable than he was due to soap thats still on him.

Rosemary adds that “If you don’t use enough soap and don’t get

it down to the skin then he will basically leave the same way he came in because all you’re basically doing is rinsing him off, not bathing him. Also, a lot of people won’t wash the face, which is where the most saliva gets built up from them licking their mouths. Thats the first place people smell but don’t wash.

They come in saying ‘he stinks’, well its because of his saliva and the bacteria built up in his saliva.”

Conclusion A lot of people who own pets don’t take the time to properly groom them. It is something that is commonly overlooked when it comes to pets and is not something that should be ignored. Most don’t realize that the benefits outweigh the inconvenience of washing them, and once you learn how it is something that just becomes a regular chore every other month or so.

Washing them benefits both of you; you can come into contact with them without needing to wash your hands after, and they are completely refreshed and ready to slowly get dirty again.

Not only will they smell better, but if you groom them they will also be physically healthier; their teeth will be clean(which is where most of their stench comes from anyways), and their nails will be nice and short which helps prevent traction loss and pain.

I feel as if a lot of people don’t consider that a pet wash may be the best place to go, because they think they can do just a good of a job at home for free. Well, I have two things to say to that; spraying them with a hose won’t clean them in any way, and good luck cleaning up your bathing area if it’s indoors. It will not turn out the way you plan if you wash them indoors, unless you plan on chaos ensuing. There will be hair on the walls, water on the floor, and your dog will be soaking and just waiting to destroy the house.

Yup, pet washing is a lot different than people think, but not necessarily in a bad way. If you had in mind that dog washing will be easy, you should hire a groomer. If you are prepared to tackle the challenging task but don’t need the disaster taking place in your home, take him to a pet wash.

Take him when hes relaxed and when you are relaxed, guaranteeing there will be little to no tension between you.

Learning to wash your dog in harmony will make the bond between you and your dog stronger and will make him very comfortable with you. So the next time when you go up to your dog and play with him, realize that you should not be smelling him at the same time. You could then take him to the pet wash, skipping the failure of washing him in your house, and learn the technique that comes with the art of dog washing.

This book is dedicated to: The Country Pet Wash Mary-ann Stefanic Rosemary Ferreira Jake Knabb Mr.Greco Ms. Parkinson Mr. Florendo and Freestyle Academy

Works Cited

Stefanic, Mary-ann. Personal Interview. 3 March, 2013.

Knabb, Jake. Personal Interview. 15 March, 2013.

Ferreira, Rosemary. Personal Interview. 8 March, 2013.

Petska, Jessica. “How Often Should You Brush Your Dogs Teeth?� ehow, N.D. Web. 18 March, 2013.