# how do you wash your fluffs faces at bath time



## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

I gave both girls baths this afternoon, I'm using a new shampoo and conditioner, it's Spa by Tropiclean, the conditioner is oatmeal & plumeria
The shampoo is Spa oatmeal & white plum, love how both girls coats look and feel. Here's the problem I'm having
I used it on Matilda no problem
Gave Maddie her bath, she's hard to bath, runs all over the bath tub, any ways I try to be careful when washing faces, I don't think I got water in her nose but might have:blush: now she is making sounds like she is having a hard time breathing, but only once in a while, so I need to find out how you wash your fluffs faces while you bathe them, or do you think she might be having a reaction to the Spa grooming products? I'm watching her close, she still barks:w00t: and barks:w00t: so I'm not all that concerned. Never had these issues with Matilda, gee I feel like a new mommy lol 
Need your thoughts


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## Ann Mother (Dec 18, 2013)

I always do the face first to get it out of the way. Only part they don't like. I have the tub filled with water & set the dog in. I use my laundry sink. Then I hold his ears under his chin with one hand. I use a metal pint pitcher and gently pour water back over head and avoid pouring into eyes. The ears are folded against the head by my hand holding them under his chin. Once the face and head are wet I release my grip on the ears. Then I take an infant wash cloth with spa lavish applied & rubbed into it. I run this wash cloth over head & face. Turn ears over & rub only where the hair is on ends of the ears. Not getting the water or soap in the ear canal. Then I rinse the same way I got the face & head wet. I only use spa lavish on face around eyes & mouth. The rest with pure paws. Unless your shampoo says tearless. Also spa lavish rinses out better than anything. I don't know if I explained this good enough.


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## Snowbody (Jan 3, 2009)

I wash Tyler's face last. I know that they hate being cold and figure that if he's uncomfortable on his face I will want to rush through the rest. I have him in the sink and wash his whole body. I then rinse it off with the sprayer and put on conditioner and leave that on while I do his face. For his face, I keep a pot or bowl of water next to the sink and I have a plastic cup (which I use to first wet the rest of him). For his face I put a baby wash cloth in the pot of water and massage it over his face, top of his head, beard,ears etc. It gets it all wet but very gently.I then put tear free shampoo on my fingers and massage into his face and head. Then I take the sink sprayer, not too forceful and shower off the conditioner on the rest of his body and then like Pat hold his ears under his chin and spray the water down with him looking down so none goes in the ears or up the nose. I don't tend to condition his face and don't find that his hair needs that. I use to also use cotton balls in the ears but they'd fall out. I don't really need them and keep tissues next to his drying towel to dry out anything that may go in them. He doesn't really mind if I do all of this now.


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

I wouldn't worry too much about the noise she is making. You probably did get water up her nose. They don't mind getting there eyes and face wet but I always try to keep water from getting up their nose. I use a hair coloring bottle that I bought at Sally's. I shampoo their face with my fingers then I use the bottle with a gentle stream of water to rinse it.


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## Furbabies mom (Jul 25, 2011)

I use a sprayer on the body, but on the face , I use a plastic cup . I get the face wet and use a baby washcloth that I put .spa Lavish on . The Spa Lavish is diluted and rubbed into the washcloth. I clean the corners of the eyes and the mouth area. I rinse the same way, with a cup. The head and ears I use the sprayer on low pressure , held close to the head with my hand keeping the water away from the face. I put my hand under the ears, but over the opening to keep water from getting into their ears. 
It sounds like Pat and I do about the same thing .


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## Matilda's mommy (Jun 1, 2005)

After all these years I am learning so much from this thread. It will make giving Maddie's baths much easier.
Matilda is so easy going she goes along with anything:wub:


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## lynda (Oct 11, 2005)

I wash the face and head last and when drying them I dry the face and head first. I think they feel less cold once their head is dry.


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## Mindi's mom (Aug 24, 2010)

I do the head first. I use a tear free shampoo on their heads. I bathe them in the kitchen sink. I use the sprayer. They don't mind bath time. I just spray each side of their muzzle and i have a little toothbrush I comb/massage each side with and then just a quick spray to rinse off. They hold their nose up in the air and are very still. I've never got water in their eyes or nose. 

I think I do the head first because when I was younger we had big outside dogs. I guess flea control wasn't as effective back then. We washed neck and head first to keep all of the fleas from the body away from the eyes, nose, ears. Of course Mindi and Oliver don't have fleas but I guess I just do it in the order I learned to do it in.


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## edelweiss (Apr 23, 2010)

Paula, I would not totally disregard that Maddie may be sensitive to a product. I know Lisi "wheezes" when I use certain things. It has been mainly by trial & error that I have discovered this. Her's was an obvious wheeze that she does NOT exhibit otherwise. I am very careful now to not try lots of new stuff on her. Kitzi isn't so sensitive w. products usually.


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## The A Team (Dec 1, 2005)

I do it like Sue does it. I wash their body first and put the conditioner on and let it stay while I do their faces. I have a plastic cup that I fill with water and pour it over the head, then take a baby wash cloth and rub the face and beard to get everything off. Then I put a dab of facial wash on my thumbs and rub around their eyes, mouth and beard area. 

Next I shower the conditioner off and pour another glass of water over the head and rewet the wash cloth a few times until I get all the soap off the face.


I bathed Ava last night and the other four this morning....oh, and I used my new Wet Brush. I guess it worked good, but I really don't have any dogs with a long coat...:blush:


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## Sylie (Apr 4, 2011)

I do it the way Sue does. I bathe them in the kitchen sink using the sprayer. I rinse the face using a baby wash cloth and finish off with the sprayer on low pressure. The key word is FAST.


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## silverhaven (Sep 6, 2009)

I also put mine in the kitchen utility sink. The girls hate spray on their faces so I wet their faces with soaking kitchen towel, then rub in some shampoo and leave it to soak in and clean while I do the rest of the body. At the end I rinse it off with very wet kitchen towel also.


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## lydiatug (Feb 21, 2012)

I wash mine in the kitchen sink, sadly I no longer have a utility sink, which I loved! I can't imagine bathing in the tub anymore, I would be crippled!

I wash face last, shampooing lightly and holding the outside of my hand over the bridge of the nose and holding the thumb and forefinger over the eyes and rinsing along the back of the head, then tipping head forward and rinsing the muzzle from the sides downward avoiding the nostrils. Georgie fought it at first, as Katherine had warned me she "hates" to have her face rinsed, but now that she knows the drill and that I don't get water/soap into her eyes or nose, she's good with it and totally relaxed . I hold ears shut while rinsing too, as cotton balls didn't work for me either, but I always use an antibacterial ear drop in them after bath to ensure we don't have chance for ear infection.


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## wkomorow (Aug 26, 2011)

Me too, I can only wash him in the kitchen sink, dry him in the bathroom sink, brush him sitting on the lid of the commode, ans put his topknot in with him in the main bathroom sick. I can only give him pills on the kitchen counter.

I think the sink gives you more control and the sprayer is very convenient.


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## sherry (Jan 4, 2013)

I wash mine in the kitchen sink. I use the sprayer on the body. I use a color bottle to wet the face and also to rinse it. I will have to try the baby wash cloth idea.


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## IzzysBellasMom (Jan 16, 2013)

Paula, I also use the kitchen sink to bathe mine, then it gets a good scrubbing after. If you must use the bathtub (I know that has to be hard on your back), can you put something on the opposite side of the tub to keep Maddie from running around? A empty plastic laundry basket or a plastic chair or stool. Any of those items could block off half of the tub and keep her contained so she can't avoid you and make bath time worse.


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