Most dogs would rather skip bath time, but bathing plays an important role in the health of your dog’s coat and skin. Giving your pup a bath at home can be an easy task. To help make bath time a positive experience, we’ve got a few tips to help!

1. Brush your goldendoodle before a bath. Goldendoodles tend to have matted hair. Invest in getting a good brush that will help get all those knots out.

2. Use lukewarm water. Dogs skin is different from ours, and hot water can burn them more easily.

3. Talk to your goldendoodle in a calm and reassuring voice. Dogs know when you are anxious so it is important to stay calm. Give them a treat during bath time so they associate the tub as a positive experience.

4. Use dog shampoo. While there are many types of dog shampoos available, we suggest getting a shampoo with natural ingredients such as aloe to help moisturize the skin. We use Barklogic on all of our goldendoodles— it is natural, gentle, and sulfate free formula. It is rich in Omega 3 and Vitamin E and will help your doodles coat be shiny.

5. Avoid getting shampoo in the ears and eyes. It is important to avoid getting shampoo in the goldendoodle’s eyes during the bathing process. To ensure no suds come in contact with the eyes, we use a moistened washcloth and wipe down the face and ears.

6. Apply shampoo from the neck to tail. When shampooing the body of your goldendoodle, the shampoo should be applied directly to the coat from neck to tail. When working up lather it is important to move down the dog's body to avoid getting shampoo in the dog's eyes. During the shampooing process, a fine-toothed comb can be used to remove knots and tangles. In addition, the comb helps remove debris that can be caught in the dog's coat. The entire body, including the undercarriage, legs, tail and back should be shampooed to ensure the dog is fully clean.

7. Rinse, rinse, rinse. Rinsing properly is important to the health of a Goldendoodle's coat and skin. When shampoo is left in the dog's fur it results in dry and irritated skin. Goldendoodles must be rinsed several times with a long shower hose that allows owners and groomers to remove all traces of shampoo from the dog's body. To avoid the possibility of shampoo getting in the dog's eyes, they should be rinsed from front to back.

8. Blow dry. Nothing is worse than a wet dog running around your house. Invest in a dog blow dryer. This one has low temperatures which is safe for your doodle.

9. Reward your dog. Once bath time is over follow up with praise, petting, or play.