Want to keep your dog fresh and clean without having to go through a full bathing routine? Whether you're on the go,
your pet hates the tub, or you're just looking for a quick and easy way to keep muddy paws and funky dog smells out of your home after a walk, dog wipes are the answer!
Earth Rated® compostable dog grooming wipes are hypoallergenic and gentle enough for daily use. After all, the best bath is no bath!
In this video, certified dog trainer
Erika Gonzalez will walk you through 3 easy steps to make sure your dog feels comfortable with you wiping them down. So you and your dog both have a great experience getting them clean!
3 easy steps to make sure your dog feels comfortable with you wiping them down
Step 1: Get your dog familiar with the wipes package
What we don't want to do is start pulling wipes out of the package to get it on your dog right away. Your dog might get scared or view it negatively! The goal here is to take a moment to teach them that when the wipes package comes out, it means good things for them.
When you take your package out, mark the action with "yes" or a clicker, and immediately reward your dog with a food treat. Then, take the package away. Repeat this a couple of times until your dog seems comfortable!
Step 2: Reward your dog for interacting with the wipes
Open the package up, take a wipe out, and start rewarding your dogs for any interaction with the wipes. If your pup looks at it or if they come up to smell it, mark with "yes" or a clicker and reward them with a treat! You can also mark and reward by tossing the food away from you. This gives your dog the choice to return to you to do it again.
Once your dog seems comfortable, it's time to start wiping them down!
Step 3: Use the wipes on your dog
Dog wipe in hand, start with one or two strokes on your dog's body. Mark and reward, then repeat! As you go over this step, slowly build up to more strokes as your dog gets comfortable.
Food rewards are important for this type of training because they help your dog create positive associations with the procedure! Not only will they have a better time, but it's going to make your job a lot easier long-term when you're trying to clean them off.
Now, if your dog has a bit of trouble being handled in general, Erika has a couple of extra tips you can try to keep them happy while you wipe them down!
1: Give your dog a stuffed food toy, or a lick mat with something yummy on it. They'll stay happily busy while you wipe them clean.
2: Give your dog something fun that doesn't involve too much movement, like a snuffle mat with some dry food in it.
Bonus step: Teach your dog to let you wipe their paws
Want to learn how to train your dog to let you wipe their paws? Erika's tips work for that too! Once you've followed the steps in her video and successfully desensitized your dog to the wipes packaging, move on to the paws.
With a wipe in hand, mark and reward your dog every time they lift their paw to you. Once they're comfortable with that, build up to marking and rewarding your dog every time they touch their paw to your wipe. From there, you can start stroking their paw with the wipe, building up the number of strokes as you go.
Always make sure to mark and reward your pup at every step!
We hope with these tips, keeping clean in between baths can be easy on everyone.
Follow Erika for more dog training and lifestyle tips!
Instagram:
@FromDuskTillDog
Website: https://www.fromdusktilldog.com/
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The Future of Dog Walking is Here: Introducing the NEW Earth Rated Leash Dispenser 2.0
