Dog Baths & Your Plumbing

Nobody wants their sink or tub drain to slow down. Unfortunately soap, hair, and other every day residues often end up down the drain and clogging up the pipes. If your pipes seem to clog up faster than they should, one culprit you may have been overlooking is your favourite furry friend. How do you give your dog a much needed bath without filling your plumbing with fur?

Bathe Them Outdoors.

During the warm months, your best option maybe to just bath your pooch outdoors. You can use a large container that you fill with warm water or even just use the hose — most dogs are happy to charge head first into a creek and won’t mind the cold water for a little while. When your dog is shedding particularly bad, this is the best option if weather permits.

Remember, it’s good idea to have someone give you a hand, so you can dry the dog and bring them indoors after they’re clean. After all, they’re just one good roll in the grass away from undoing all your hard work.

How Often Do They Need a Bath Anyways?

Fortunately, you shouldn’t have to scrub your favourite pup too often. Dogs do a surprising amount of grooming themselves, though they aren’t nearly as fastidious as a feline friend. Bathing more than once a month can cause your dog’s skin to dry out and make them uncomfortable. But that doesn’t mean even a once-a-month bath is necessary. If your dog is healthy and mostly lives indoors, vets say that a bath 3-4 times a year is plenty to control dog odor. Of course, you also need to keep your floor clean, so if your dog loves mud, they’ll probably need a few extra baths.

Use a Hair Snare.

Of course, Alberta winters won’t allow you to always scrub the pup outdoors. For your pup’s winter-wash-up, you’ll need to get a hair snare. Dog fur collects oils, dirt, pebbles, plant matter, and more. You don’t want any of that stuff going down your drain, and a hair snair will help to snag the debris to keep your plumbing flowing. To give your hair snare a fighting chance, you should consider brushing the dog thoroughly before washing. This will remove the worst of the mess and hair, and it will reduce matting and tangles.

Dogs are wonderful family members, but they do have a tendency to smell a little bad. We hope these tips help you to keep your dog clean and your plumbing happy, but if you continue experiencing issues with a slow drain, give our professional Calgary plumbers a call! We’ll be there in a jiffy to remove the clog in your pipe, and we may even a snap a photo of your favourite, furry friend.