[nagdu] Dog washing- video "Washing a dog the disabled way"

[Dailyah Patt]

Hi all!

I am debating whether I should post this, but I'm going to because I think it might be helpful for some of you. It's just embarrassing because I'm in the video in a swimsuit (pre weight loss!  UGH!!!!), but there are a number of good tips and tricks in the video that people might not have thought of that do make washing a dog in the bathtub a LOT easier and more entertaining.  So, since the videos might be helpful and thus for a good cause I guess I'll get over the swimsuit embarrassment and share the links if anyone is interested. 

Back when I was in grad school, I had to do a video demonstrating some things I had taught a dog to do. No big deal, but I didn't want it to be a boring video, so I tried to do something that could be fun, goofy, and still demonstrate the things I'd taught. I needed to wash all my animals anyway, so I decided to center the video around that.  (Lazy grad student!  Kill two birds with one stone!  HAHA)  Anyway, I thought at the time that only a few people would ever see the video - but then I showed it to various friends to critique before I turned it in and I got a ton of positive feedback and requests to put the video on Youtube so it could be shared with new dog owners, other disabled people who had challenges bathing their dog, people who were having trouble washing their animals, etc.  

I had to split it into three parts to make it fit on Youtube, but the video(s) is called Washing A Dog the Disabled Way. It's the first thing that pops up if you put that title in the search bracket.  I'm in my wheelchair and wearing a blue tshirt on the screenshot thingee for part 1.  I think this link also works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KIDv11GrYPU  I think everyone should be able to then easily find Parts 2 and 3, but I believe these links will work, too.  Part 2: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dUU22CYI3IE  Part 3: http://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&feature=endscreen&v=MNozR7ZdULM  

This is a yellow lab, service dog - not guide dog.  He's on Blue Buffalo food.  Have to wash him a lot more than we'd like because he's SO white.  All kinds of dirt show and of course we avoid taking a dirty dog into public.  I'd guess we have to wash him about every 6-8 weeks.  The other thing I've noticed (which is why I mentioned the brand of food) is that since we started feeding the Blue, sometimes he starts to smell like frito corn chips...only not in the good way!  It doesn't always happen and there's no set schedule or anything, so I don't know what the deal is.  It's VERY sudden when it happens, though.  I'll go to bed and when we wake up the whole room smells like corn chip AKA DOG!!!  Yuck!  I've asked a couple of vets and it's apparently a mystery.  Any time that happens, he gets a bath right away.  That happens a few times a year.  Not a bath thing, but I will mention that this lab sheds WAY more than my last dog did.  I had a
 golden as my SD and now we have this lab and WOW!  Maybe it's that the lab hair is straight and pointy, but I'd swear the lab sheds double the golden.  Or maybe it's that it's so light in color that it shows up really obvious on all dark fabric.  But yeah, trying to keep the lab hair under control is a lot harder than other dogs I've had (including partner before the golden who was a lab-dane cross).

Happy bath time!
Dailyah

P.S.  There are also 'washing a cat the disabled way' videos.  The first one is a repeat of the dog version.  Part 2 is very short and a training session to get the cat's attention and just maybe get him listening to me a little bit.  Part 3 is the actual bath.