Labrador Retriever

　　Helping dogs regularly with cleaning and care is something every owner should do. Bathing dogs not only makes them look more radiant, but also helps remove residual bacteria and some tiny dirt on their bodies, ensuring the dog’s health. However, many owners face the issue of not promptly blow-drying their dogs’ coats after a bath, instead letting them air dry naturally or only superficially blow-drying. This phenomenon is especially common in summer. Such behavior seems insignificant but carries many potential threats that affect the dog’s health.

Dog

　　1. Effects

　　1. Catching cold and flu, easily infected by viruses

　　The most direct effect of not blow-drying after a bath is causing the dog to catch a cold. For adult dogs, the impact might not be significant, but for puppies that have not completed their vaccinations, it can be fatal. Some new dog owners first clean their dogs thoroughly after bringing them home, but after bathing, they only slightly blow-dry the coat or even just wipe it with a towel and then let the dog air dry on its own.

　　This practice highly increases the chance of the dog catching a cold. Since the puppy is very young and hasn’t completed vaccinations, it is more susceptible to external viruses, leading to infectious diseases that can take the puppy’s life. This is also a common reason many puppies get infectious diseases, which owners must be very careful about.

　　2. Yellowing or reddening of the coat due to oxidation

　　Some owners wonder why their dogs, initially white when bought, develop yellow or red discoloration of the coat after some time of raising. Apart from food-related reasons, not blow-drying after a bath is a very important cause. When owners do not promptly blow-dry the coat, water stays on the fur for a long time, causing oxidation, which leads to coat discoloration.

　　3. Skin infections

　　Many owners find the infection of skin diseases confusing since they usually pay attention to the dog’s hygiene and do not let the dog roam freely on outdoor grass. This is one of the negative effects caused by not blow-drying. No matter how well we clean the dog, fungus inevitably remains on their body, and a damp living environment is very conducive to fungal growth. As bathing frequency increases, fungi multiply, and over time this leads to fungal skin infections, a disease that both dogs and owners find troublesome.

Dog Shampoo

2. Precautions for bathing dogs

　　As we can see, incorrect bathing methods cause many harms to dogs. Therefore, we should master the correct bathing method and know what to pay attention to when bathing dogs.

　　1. Puppies just brought home, dogs that haven’t completed vaccinations, and dogs with recent vaccinations should not be bathed.

　　2. Prepare proper tools for bathing, and use dog-specific shampoo.

　　3. Before bathing, brush the dog's coat and remove loose hair.

　　4. Squeeze the anal glands before bathing.

　　5. Follow the correct bath sequence: wash the body and limbs before applying shampoo, and head last; rinse the head first and then body and limbs after applying shampoo to prevent shampoo staying too long on the head and flowing into the dog’s eyes.

　　6. Make sure to completely blow-dry the coat after bathing.

　　7. After blow-drying, proceed to clean ears and trim hair on the paw pads.