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How to Bathe Your German Shepherd

| Updated September 26, 2017

Things You'll Need

  • Metal comb and/or brush

  • Bathtub that is safe for both you and your pet

  • Dog specific shampoo and conditioner

  • Towel

  • Blow dryer

Want to know the right way to bathe your German Shepard? Want to keep your doggie nice and clean and sweet smelling (or as sweet as you can make a German Shepard smell)? German Shepherds don't need to be bathed frequently, assuming they are brushed regularly and fed good quality dog food. Monthly bathing should be plenty, unless it is flea and tick season, in which case you may need to give more frequent baths (still no closer together than every 10 days).

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Brush your dog's coat. Make sure you have removed all the tangles and mats in the fur. You will find the areas these problems may be the worse are generally in the neck, legs and thighs, and around the chest.

Gather all the necessary supplies you will need for the bathing process and place them next to the tub. The last thing you will want is to get your German shepherd wet and realize you have to step away to grab a product. That's not going to be a pleasant experience for you or the dog!

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Gently lift the dog into the tub. Or, if you can't pick the dog up, since it is a German shepherd, you might want to just coax or persuade the dog to get into the tub by itself.

Turn the water on and make sure it is lukewarm. Wet the dog all over. Next, shampoo the dog all over by lightly massaging the shampoo into the dog's entire coat. Allow the necessary time for all the dirt and oils to dissolve (follow the directions on the shampoo bottle to determine the time). Then, rinse thoroughly with lukewarm water. Repeat the process using the dog conditioner. This is where you might wish you had purchased the 2-in-1 bottle of dog shampoo/conditioner.

Tips

  • Protect the dog's eyes and ears during bathing. Brush the dog's coat regularly between baths. Use a shedding rake to remove the dead hair in the undercoat of the dog's hair. For a shiny looking coat wipe the dog's coat with a Chamois cloth after bathing and drying.

Warnings

  • Bathing too often will strip the animal's coat of natural oils that are needed to maintain a healthy coat.