1. After setting up your Booster Bath, encourage your dog to enter and exit a few times before bathing. You may want to have treats on hand and always remember to praise him or her for good behavior.

2. If your dog has tangled hair, makes sure you comb it out first as washing will only make mats worse.

3. Placing cotton balls into your dog's ear will help protect them from water entering and getting trapped in the ear canal.

 4. Test the water and adjust the water temperature before wetting your pet thoroughly.

5. When first applying water, start by spraying low volume on their paws. This allows them to feel that warm water is coming. And of course we recommend not using cold water.

6. Once your dog is completely saturated with water, apply dog shampoo in small amounts.

7. Begin lathering dog shampoo at the back of the neck and work toward the tail.  Make sure you lather the dog's belly, legs, tail, between its toes, behind its ears, and under its chin.

**Note**

• Wash short-haired dogs with a fast circular motion
• Wash medium-length hair dogs with a back and forth motion
• Wash longer-haired dogs rubbing in the direction of the hair growth

These wash techniques will help pull dirt from your dog's coat.

8. It is always a good idea to save washing your dog's head for last, as this will reduce shaking.

9. When it's time to rinse out the shampoo, rinse it out thoroughly. Residual shampoo left on your pet can potentially cause skin irritation.  If your dog has a heavy coat, you can scrape the lather off with a comb or brush before rinsing.  To check for soap residue you can look for bubbles as you squeeze your dogs hair.  Keep rinsing until the water runs clean.

10. Never spray water into your pets ears, this can potentially cause ear infections. To avoid this when rinsing, cup your hand over the ear or simply pinch ears shut with your hand.

 **Note**

If you need to clean your dog's ears, take a cotton ball and wet it with mineral oil. Gently clean the ear, but only as far in as the cotton ball will go easily. Mineral oil helps prevent certain types of parasites in the ear.

11.  Adding a small amount of vinegar or lemon juice as you rinse your pet is a good way to help wash away strong orders.  You can also use baking soda which will leave your pet's coat shiner and softer.

 12. Always dry your pet thoroughly in the Booster Bath. In most cases medium to large dogs will require two towels, so it's a good idea to have them with you when you begin.  If your dog has long hair, you can squeeze a lot of the water out of its fur with your hands before towel drying.

13. Never leave your pet unattended in the Booster Bath.

Remember, a clean pet is a happier healthier pet!

Some bathing tips found at tutorials.com