February 2002

Dog odours

Dogs have their own personal odours. Unfortunately, these odours can become unpleasant if a dog becomes wet and is allowed inside the home. One quick way to reduce the odours is to give a quick ‘steam wipe-over’. This saves you time when you have limited time available to give your dog a full bath and drying the dog’s coat with a hair dryer.

The Procedure!
WARNING: At NO stage is the dog to be placed in the wash trough. This is a steam ‘wipe-over’, not a bath; nor should this procedure be interpreted as a 'bath'. It’s the equivalent of someone giving him/herself a steam facial treatment whereby the person fills a basin with hot water, places his/her face above the water and covers their head with a towel. The steam helps to clean out the pores.

What you need:
1x cup of white vinegar per 9 Litres of water
1x wash trough, bucket (or other receptacle) to hold hot water out of the tap (not boiling hot – That is: Medium hot for short-haired dogs, very hot for long-haired breeds)
1x a pair of rubber gloves
2x old towels
1x small enclosed area (to stop your dog running away!)
1x hairdryer



What to do:
1/ Fill the wash trough with hot water.
2/ Place one towel in the hot water.
3/ Put on your gloves
4/ Pick up the towel and squeeze out (wring) excess water (the purpose is NOT to saturate the dog’s coat)
5/ Wipe over the dog’s coat but NOT over the FACE
6/ Repeat steps 2 to 5, two to three times (2-3 times)
7/ Wipe over the coat with the other (dry) towel.
8/ Use the hair dryer if you feel the coat is too wet to allow the dog to stay that way. That is: it is Winter, it is cold to freezing outside, there inadequate heating in the home [e.g. power failure], and/or the dog is unwell.

Time allocation: Approximately 20 minutes (provided you don’t have to ‘catch’ your dog first!)

Next month’s tip

Eucalyptus and Tea tree oils – The need for extreme care when used directly on pets. They are toxic.

Date uploaded: 31/01/02

Author: JM

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