I have a confession to make. I detest bathing dogs. Seriously detest bathing dogs. I refuse to bathe dogs without a bathing system in fact because it kills my wrists and hands as well as I feel like I am wasting shampoo when it is in dilution bottles. I feel like I spill as much shampoo down the drain as I get on the dogs!
Now, that is off my chest I have another confession to make. I have a full grooming salon at my home except for a bathing system. I even remodeled my kitchen last year and put in a large, single basin sink with a high profile water faucet with hose for rinsing. I have a folding table with an arm that I keep at home and my backup force dryer stays here as well. I only have to bring home my shears and I can groom anything that I feel like doing here at home.
That being said, since I really detest bathing dogs, so I do not use the equipment very often! Today was one of the days I did use it. I bathed sixteen of my own dogs, 12 had Face, Feet, Tummy and tail done along with a bath and brush and 4 got a full groom.
On my way home from my shop this morning taking care of my boarding dogs, I decided to bathe my guys so that they would be clean for the holidays. I usually take 2 or 3 a day to work with me and get them done there because it is easier (and my staff will do them for me) but not this time. I stopped by the Dollar General to get some baby shampoo (I use it on faces) and I decided to find something I could put diluted shampoo into for ease of application. I didn't find anything however and was about to check out when I remembered reading somewhere that you can apply shampoo with a garden sprayer that you use to apply chemicals with, but I didn't have one. I did however find spray bottles at Dollar General.
I bought three spray bottles that had dilution ratios marked on the sides of the bottles and mixed up flea shampoo, General cleaning shampoo and a highly fragrant holiday shampoo that I bought for the shop. I also bought one of the net bath pouf sponges that is used with body wash. I thought if the spray bottles failed then I would put undiluted shampoos onto the pouf and wash that way.
I used the shampoos at 10 to one ratio, labeled the bottles and got the sprayer set to where it applied enough to wet the dogs thoroughly and quickly.
I decided Toto would be my first victim. I wet the pouf slightly and applied baby shampoo and washed his face without wetting him down, using only the water on the pouf, and I misted him with shampoo, again, while he was still dry, and I used the pouf over the body to lather the shampoo, adding water as needed to the pouf, not to the dog.
I was completely surprised at how fast and easy the shampoo lathered and how little was needed to get him clean. Because there was very little shampoo used the rinsing was fast and easy and the dogs were CLEAN as they could be. I was so excited! It had WORKED!
I dried him and brushed him out then went on to the next puppy, Minnie. She was dirtier than Toto but I did the same thing to her and then after rinsing repeated the process. To my amazement she was squeaky clean and smelled great! She dried super fast which tells me she was completely clean.
THe bathing and drying was going so fast that I just kept washing dogs! I had intended to wash about 8 and more tomorrow, but because of how fast this was and how easy it was, I was able to do 16 dogs, schnauzer size and under, in 5 and a half hours! All of them got the nails, feet face and bellies trimmed and 4 got full grooms, as I stated before, but I found the dogs were so clean they were drying in 5 minutes or slightly more on average. Amazing isn't it?
Clean dogs dry faster than ones that are not completley clean and because the shampoo was applied to dry dogs it helped to cut grease faster and easier than if I had wet them first. The pouf allowed for easy scrubbing and it helped remove dirt and skin scales that were present on the skin and hair of my little guys. It was easier on my hands too becuase the pouf did the work for me that my fingers would usually do.
On top of all that, I used about 2 cups of diluted shampoo to bathe all 16 of my dogs! TWO CUPS! The dogs were all clean as can be. I was so surprised that that is all I needed to bathe them, but it is true!
Come Tuesday morning when we reopen, my de-greasing shampoo and my flea shampoo will be in spray bottles at work as well. It is a time saver, a shampoo saver and an improvement in quality that I feel I need to be taking full advantage of.
If you do housecall it will save you time. You can preload one or two sprayers with the shampoos (and conditioners) you need and they will be less likely to spill too!
Mobilers, it will save you time. Because you are not pre-wetting coats you will save water. Because you use less shampoo you will rinse less as well, again, saving you water.
Those without a bathing system, it will save you time. It will save your body wear and tear and it will make bathing a lot easier.
TIme is money. Shampoo is money. Water is money. Add to it that the dogs are cleaner and dry faster, its even MORE time and more money.
Who woulda thunk it? A simple $1 spray bottle could do all that?
Hey Debi,
I just wanted you to know that I've been using your squirt bottle method since you posted it and OMG!! It works so well! I just started my new job at a vet with no bathing system (and crappy water pressure, sigh..)and bathing was taking me forever! Your method has really helped me and I really appreciate you taking the time to write your blog. I have learned a ton! I recently bought one of those raid pressure squirt things (all because of your blog) and it works wonders as well. Thanks so much!!
Lauren
(Lauren_201 on the forum)
Posted by: Lauren Miller | December 31, 2011 at 09:06 PM