Grooming Matters
It All Comes Out in the Wash: 6 Tips for Getting Dogs Very Clean
by Daryl Conner
My dog looks so white after you bathe him.” “My dog stays clean a lot longer after he’s been groomed by you.” “My dog smells great for a long time after his appointment.”

These and similar comments are things we frequently hear and are grateful for. Most of the time, customers compare our bathing results with their own, but sometimes they are referring to another groomer’s work.

The woman who taught me to groom used to say, “You don’t have to be the most talented groomer in the world; send dogs home very clean with a cute face and neat trim, and you’ll have plenty of business.” So, how do you get dogs “very clean?”

  1. Consider investing in a bathing system. A bathing system will get dogs cleaner faster, reduce wear and tear on your body while you work, conserve water, and save you money on shampoo and conditioning products by using less per pet. I groom in a rural area and use well water, so our water pressure is not impressive. It would be exceedingly difficult for me to get thick double coats and many curly coats clean without a bathing system. If you have good water pressure, though, a non-recirculating, siphon bathing system may be a better fit.
    For many dogs, a single bath with a bathing system leaves them squeaky clean. Others require two baths, and occasionally we groom a dog that resembles a swamp creature and needs three. Of course, extra baths are time-consuming, but you make up for the time spent sudsing during both the drying process and finishing work.
  1. Choose your products wisely. There are so many excellent shampoos and conditioners available to us now. You don’t necessarily need an extensive product selection on hand, but keep a few tried-and-true options at your fingertips. For me, that includes clarifying or degreasing shampoo for extra-dirty or oily pets, a good basic cleansing product, a whitening shampoo, and one that helps with shedding and matting.
    I also keep a small selection of conditioners and use one on every pet to replenish the natural oils the shampoo removed. My go-to is a light conditioner that doesn’t weigh down the coat, but I keep a heavier-duty one on hand for dry or damaged fur that needs extra care.
  2. Develop a system that makes sense to you and use it on every pet. You can be creative with this part, but come up with a plan that feels right and is effective. I start bathing behind the ears and work in a pattern that moves down the spine, then down each leg, then from the spine down the sides to the belly. Next, I work on the tail and hindquarters, then the head, face and fore chest.
    I like working from top to bottom so the dirt and water run downward, and I generally wash with the lay of the coat. If I am giving more than one shampoo, I squeeze the suds from the first bath out lightly, then rewash.
  3. Don’t be afraid to bathe the dog more than once. If the water is not rinsing clean, just suds that pup up again. Sometimes you will find that the body and legs look and feel clean but the head and ears still seem iffy. This is a good time to apply facial cleanser. Try saturating the head and ears, then lightly brushing the product through to get that fur perfectly clean.
  1. Use a degreasing or clarifying shampoo first. For pets with greasy, extra-dirty or naturally oily coats, try using one of these specialized products first, and then use whichever shampoo gives the best results for that dog’s coat type.
    A groomer on social media recently posted that on some of her Standard Poodle clients, the coats still feel oily after a bath, and sometimes she could even see greasy, dusty, whitish residue at the base of the hair when she dried the dogs. This method would help get those curly coats clean.
  2. Rinse like you mean it. I tell pet owners and new groomers alike: rinse, rinse, rinse until you are sure you have removed every trace of shampoo and conditioner, then rinse again just to be sure. Pay special attention to the sanitary areas, armpits, the part of the neck where your grooming loop lies, face and feet.
    Products left in the coat can leave it limp, dry it out, cause skin irritation and even attract dirt after the bath. Your goal should be a coat that is residue-free when you are finished. (Of course, if you are using a “leave-in” conditioner, that is a different story.)

My daughter once met a man in a dog park who was complaining about a recent grooming experience, saying, “I’ll never take my dog there again. He smelled like shampoo for months!” We both wish she’d thought to ask who the groomer was that made a dog smell good for months—because that is something to aspire to!

Meanwhile, we do our best to make every pet very clean, showcase our grooming skills, and help them look and smell as good as possible between visits.