Bathing your dog in the winter can be lots of fun for you and for them when done properly. Here are a few tips to help keep your dog clean, warm, and groomed!
Bathing Your Dog in the Winter
It is currently February and still officially winter. Before your new puppy will need to be groomed (have their hair trimmed), they’ll need a bath. It’s tempting to bathe your pup outside all year round because it can be more convenient; less clean up. However, keep in mind the cold water that comes from the hose in the winter; it is equivalent to you taking an ice cold shower. Neither you nor your dog would enjoy it. Not unlike how people approach winter-time bathing, keep these tips in mind when bathing your puppy or dog in the winter:
- Line your tub with a slip-proof mat
- Keep your home warm
- Keep the water warm
- Before using soap, make sure your pups entire coat is thoroughly wet – including their under coat
- Wash all areas of your dog, and be careful to keep soap out of their eyes and water from their ear canals
- Remember to towel dry and/or blow dry your dog very well for their comfort. Adult dogs may require more than one towel.
- Keep wet dogs indoors until they are completely dry – just a few moments outside in the winter air can give them a chill (consider a potty break BEFORE the bath)
Grooming a Goldendoodle
As a hybrid mix, Goldendoodles will have fur that either looks retriever-like, or poodle-like, but usually something in-between. Unclipped Goldendoodles will have hair about 4-7 inches long, shorter on the face and longer on the body, tail, and legs. They should be combed out every few weeks for their best coat and preventing mats, which can be painful but and can result in skin infections. A dog’s coat provides personalized climate control as well as a first line of defense against sunburn, twigs and stickers, among other things. Be mindful not to shave/buzz cut your dog any time of year. Depending on how often you have your dog groomed, a clipped Goldendoodle is groomed several times a year (once every 4-8 weeks is normal).
A Little History
If you’re on this site, you probably already know that a Goldendoodle is a Golden Retriever and Poodle mix. As the smaller poodle hybrids had been such a success in filling the wants for small, allergy friendly family pets, Golden Retriever breeders decided to try breeding with a standard poodle for a larger family pet. This marvelous mix created one on the most popular, and most wonderfully dispositioned, dogs ever.