Let your nose be your guide! If your dog is starting to smell a little less than fresh or they've had the time of their life rolling around in the mud (see Poppy below!), it's probably time for a bath.

Dogs' coats are naturally designed to be self-cleaning, so they don't need to be bathed as often as many people think. How frequently you wash your dog will depend on their breed, lifestyle and whether they have any underlying skin conditions. Speaking from my experience grooming Oodles, once a month is usually plenty.

Bathing your dog too often can strip the natural oils from their coat, interfere with topical flea and worm treatments, and in some cases contribute to dry, irritated skin or other skin conditions.

If your dog gets dirty legs from your daily walk, you can simply rinse them with warm water to remove the mud or you could try preventing them from getting dirty by dressing them in waterproof dog pants – Poppy and I LOVE these pants, they prevent her legs and belly from getting wet and muddy so I only have to wash her little paws.

How to wash your dog in the bathtub

Rub-a-dub-dub, there's a dog in my tub! There are plenty of places you can bathe your dog, including the shower, laundry sink, backyard, a self-service dog wash or the bath, which is my personal favourite. Before you start, give your dog a thorough brush to remove any loose fur. It'll make the bath more effective and help prevent hair from clogging the drain.

I’ve attached a push-on shower hose to my bath tap, which makes rinsing the dogs much easier. Before wetting your dog, always test the water temperature on the inside of your wrist to make sure it's lukewarm. If your dog is prone to ear infections, you can also gently place a small ball of cotton wool in each ear to help prevent water from getting inside.

Can you use human shampoo on dogs?

It's best not to use human shampoo on your dog. Without getting too technical, dogs have a different skin pH to humans, so our shampoos can be too harsh and may strip their skin of its natural oils, leading to dryness and irritation.

When bathing my dogs, I like to keep things simple: rinse thoroughly, shampoo twice, then finish with a conditioner. The first shampoo helps lift away dirt and grime, while the second gives the coat a deeper clean. Conditioning afterwards helps restore moisture, leaving the skin healthy and the coat soft, shiny and easy to brush.

I personally use Melanie Newman’s range of dog shampoo and conditioners. They're gentle on my dogs' skin, leave their coats feeling beautiful, and smell absolutely amazing.

When bathing your dog, start at the top of their body and work your way down. Don't forget to wash their paws and sanitary areas too. As a dog groomer, I've often found dried poo stuck around a dog's bottom, which usually softens in the water and can be gently removed. I also like to wipe away any eye goop while it's wet, as it comes off much more easily.

If your dog tries to shake while you're bathing them, gently hold the back of their neck—they're much less likely to shake.

Once you've rinsed out all the conditioner, run your hands over your dog's coat to make sure there's no residue left behind, as leftover conditioner can irritate the skin and cause itchiness. Then gently squeeze as much water as you can from their coat, paying particular attention to the ears, tail, beard and legs. Finally, give them a good towel dry before lifting them out of the bath.

Hot tip: Bath time is the perfect opportunity to give your dog a quick health check. When their coat is wet, the fur lies flat, making it much easier to spot skin changes that might otherwise go unnoticed. As you shampoo your dog, gently run your hands over their entire body, checking for any unusual lumps, bumps or skin abnormalities. If you notice anything out of the ordinary, it's a good idea to have your veterinarian take a look.

Watch my step-by-step video tutorial

Want to see the process in action? Watch my step-by-step video where I show you exactly how to wash your dog at home from start to finish. You'll learn the techniques I use, the products and tools I recommend, and simple tips to make bath time a safe, stress-free experience for both you and your dog.

What’s the best way to dry my dog? Can I dry my dog with a hair dryer?

Now that your dog looks like a drowned rat, it’s time to fluff up their coat with a blow wave. There’s a few ways to dry your pooch, here are the pros and cons of each:

Air drying

It might be tempting to let your dog air dry, especially on a warm, sunny day, but it can create a few unexpected problems. As soon as you let them out of the bath, they'll instinctively shake, sending water flying everywhere. Then they'll usually race around rubbing their face and body on the couch, carpet or bed, leaving that unmistakable wet dog smell throughout the house.

If you let them dry outside, there's a good chance they'll celebrate their newfound freedom by rolling in the dirt or grass. And if you have a white dog like I do, freshly mown grass can leave their coat with a lovely green tinge - meaning it's time for another bath!

On a more serious note, leaving dogs with long or thick coats to air dry isn't recommended. Damp fur can become matted, trapping moisture against the skin, which can lead to skin irritations, hot spots and ear infections.

Towel dry

The most common way to dry a dog is with a towel. Many people grab an old bath towel and rub their dog vigorously, hoping to soak up as much water as possible. While that seems logical, it can actually cause long or thick coats to become tangled and matted.

When I trained as a professional dog groomer, I was taught to gently pat the coat dry and lightly squeeze sections of the body to absorb the water instead. It's much kinder on the coat and helps prevent knots from forming.

For the best results, I recommend using a microfibre pet towel. They're lightweight, incredibly absorbent and designed to cut drying time in half, making bath time quicker and easier for both you and your dog.

Even after a good towel dry, don't be surprised if your dog races around the house rubbing their face and body on the furniture in an attempt to finish drying off - along with sharing that unmistakable wet dog smell!

Pet dryer

Using a pet dryer will dramatically speed up the drying process. You might be tempted to use your own hair dryer, but it's not the best option. Dogs have much thinner skin than we do, so the heat from a human hair dryer can easily dry out their skin or, worse, cause burns. While you can use a human hair dryer on the cool setting, they're not nearly as powerful as pet dryers, so drying your dog will take much longer.

Pet dryers use high-velocity air to blow water out of the coat rather than relying on heat. Most have adjustable speed settings, allowing you to increase or decrease the airflow depending on how comfortable your dog is with the noise and sensation.

If your dog is a little anxious about the sound of the dryer, I like to use a Happy Hoodie. This soft fabric band fits snugly over their ears, applying gentle compression that helps many dogs feel calmer while also reducing the noise of the dryer. They're also great to have on hand during stressful situations like thunderstorms, fireworks or even vacuuming.

Pro tip: As you blow dry your dog, hold the dryer in one hand and a slicker brush in the other. Brush the coat as you dry it, just as you would when blow-drying your own hair. Brushing separates the strands of fur, allowing the airflow to reach deeper into the coat so it dries faster and with a smoother, fluffier finish.

How does a dog groomer dry their dogs?

This is the routine I use after bathing both my own girls and the dogs I groom. Once I've finished rinsing them, I run my hands down their back to squeeze out as much excess water as possible. I then gently squeeze their tail, ears, beard and legs before patting them dry with a super-absorbent microfibre pet towel.

Next, I use a pet dryer to thoroughly dry their coat. Once they’re dry, I use fragrant free ear wipes to clean their ears and I spray a couple of spritz of dog cologne on their coat to keep them smelling fresh. My go to is Melanie Newman Refresh Cologne which has a fresh citrus scent.

I’m a qualified dog groomer and fur-mum to two cavoodles; Soda and Poppy. I’m passionate about the health and wellbeing of dogs, as well as helping dog parents groom their dogs at home. I’ll teach you the basics, however if you don’t feel comfortable or confident at any time that’s completely fine, book your dog in for a regular groom and pamper session at the salon. Please never leave your dog unattended on a grooming table.

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