Bathing Poppy

I researched soaps to buy for a Chihuahua, small dogs, dogs with dry skin...etc before going to the store to buy Poppy's shampoo. I read that Dawn is great for bug removal, but it's not so awesome on the skin. Everyone has said "Oatmeal!" for his skin. Someone else said, "Avoid sulfates. They're bad for people and dogs." I read that tea tree oil is toxic for dogs and that it may be wise to invest in some doggy body wipes for between baths.

At the store, I sat on the floor reading shampoo bottles. A guy walked past and I excused myself, but he said he does the same thing before he purchases anything for his big dogs. He bought his wash from PetSmart in a bulk size, but suggested I not skip conditioner because it makes their fur look shinier and feel softer, hehe. I bought Poppy Oster brand Oatmeal Naturals Shed Control. It smells like vanilla in the bottle. Oster Naturals also had a 4 in 1 Peach Mango scented shampoo that I liked, but shed control seemed like the better conditioner. We paid about $6 for the 18oz bottle. When I took it home and checked the reviews, I saw that pofessional groomers use it because it's not extremely expensive and it's safe for almost any type of dog. I felt confident using it on my dog.

After a long super busy family day, we filled the bathtub up with about 2-3" of water. Ray hiked up his pants and climbed in to hold Poppy while we rinsed him down. I didn't wash his head at all because I was worried about his ears. We scrubbed and scrubbed and did more scrubbing. This shampoo smelled good to use and it didn't lather excessively. I used about 4 dime to nickel sized drops. We rinsed and rinsed. Then Ray handed him to me so I could towel him. We tried to let him lay  in my lap about 2 feet from a space heater, but he just took off running like a crazy dog all over the house. He probably felt 10 pounds lighter! I brushed him a little bit with a sharp-toothed pet comb just to losen up the hairs, but the comb wasn't all that great to use over his defined ribs. The shampoo didn't leave much of a scent, but it's faintly there now that he's all dry. Gosh, his hair is soft like puppy hair. I LOVE this shampoo!

I was very pleased that Poppy didn't freak out or get mad. He was a great sport about warm water. He really needs a comb/brush, whichever one would use to separate the hairs of a curvy dog. I'll have to ask around and look it up. Poppy's next bath will be on the last week of September :-)