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Bathing Your Chihuahua

Depending on how dirty or smelly your Chihuahua gets, he will need to be bathed at least once a month, although most owners will give their indoor Chihuahuas a bath once every one to two weeks. As a dog, the animal will be going outdoors often, and can get into all manner of things that you will want to wash away.

Bathing a Chihuahua is fairly easy. First, only use shampoo that is designed for dogs. Human shampoo – including baby shampoo – will dry out his skin. Because the Chihuahua has sensitive eyes, look for a tearless dog shampoo, and even then, try to avoid getting soap or water in the dog’s eyes when you wash him.

Use a sink or dishpan to bath your Chihuahua. These are small dogs, and due to this, it is much easier and safer to bath them in smaller containers. Only a small amount of water is required in the sink or dishpan, and if you have a water sprayer, this is the best way to wet and rinse the dog.

Get the dog wet, and avoid getting water in the ear canal. This can be avoided with the use of cotton balls right inside of the ear canal. Once he is wet, lather him up good, and inspect his skin while you do so. Look for dry skin and wounds, as well as for evidence of ticks or fleas. If a tick and flea shampoo is needed, contact your veterinarian for a recommendation.

Once he is lathered well, rinse him. It is very important that you rinse away all of the shampoo, because if it isn’t rinsed away well, it could cause his skin to dry out.

Have a couple of towels handy. Chihuahuas lose body heat very fast, and after his bath, he will be cold. You need to bundle him up and dry him to get him warm again after his bath. You can blow dry your Chihuahua, but make sure that you put the dryer on low heat, and that you don’t get it too close to the Chihuahua, so that you don’t accidentally burn his skin.

Brush the Chihuahua before and after his bath. If you will be trimming his nails, the best time to do this is right after his bath, while the nail is softened. Wipe out the ear canal, check the pads on his feet, and give his teeth a good brushing – using a toothpaste designed for dogs – while you are at it.

Just as good hygiene is important to your health, it is also important to the health of your Chihuahua. Start bathing him at an early age so that he becomes accustomed to it. In most cases, you won’t need to take him to a groomer for this, unless you prefer professional grooming.