We tend to buy only the best natural products for our hair and body, but what about our dogs? They also deserve natural products to get clean. In this blog, we look at how to wash our dog naturally, with soap.

Why is it important to choose natural dog soap?

A dog's skin is its largest organ; it is responsible for protecting the dog's body from injury, disease and damage. Your dog's skin is also a lot thinner and more sensitive than yours! A dog's skin is 3-5 cells thick, while human skin is 10-15 cells thick. Choosing a safe and non-toxic product is essential.

Scented versus unscented dog soap

Dogs have a strong sense of smell, which is why they have been used to search and hunt for centuries. They have between 150 and 300 million olfactory cells, while humans have 5 million.
Dogs also have an amazing smell memory, which means that just as we recognise a person through pictures, dogs recognise through smell. There are scents that dogs don't like, aromas that can cause sensitivity problems and some ingredients that can be harmful to your dog.
If you have a dog who immediately goes outside and rolls in the grass or earth after a bath, that is a good indication that he cannot cope with the way he smells. Even if they smell the same scent in other circumstances (like yours) and don't react, they may not like the smell when it's on them.
Therefore, choose only natural ingredients and dog soap without additives.

Natural soap from Bobba Bars

We are fans of Bobba Bars. Bobba Bars chooses essential oils in the basic range and does not use alcohol-based perfume, therefore better for dog, coat & skin.
We are also fans of Bobba for a few more reasons:

• Bobba Bars has chosen not to use palm oil in its products.
  
• At Bobba Bars, they choose ingredients that fit on the wrapper: a short & concise list. Understandable language and no (unnecessary) additives. So you know exactly what you are using for your pet and make a conscious choice for high-quality natural and pure ingredients.
  
• Bobba Bars come in handy soap blocks. Additional advantage: a block of soap generally lasts longer than liquid soap, also because you quickly use (or spill) more of liquid soap than necessary.
  

How often should you wash your dog?

A question asked more often, according to Bobba Bars. Sure, if your dog likes to go swimming, is obsessed with mud puddles, or likes to roll in who knows what, you might want to wash them more often. However, don't bathe them more than is really necessary, as it can strip your dog's coat of its natural oils, causing it to dry out and itch.
In addition, Marieke from Bobba Bars tells us that the number of times you wash your dog depends a lot on the type of coat your dog has:

• Dogs with oily coats may need to be washed once a week.
  
• Many short-haired breeds with smooth coats do fine with less frequent bathing.
  
• Breeds with water-repellent coats should be washed less often to preserve their natural oils.
  
• Dogs with thick, double coats do best with less bathing and lots of extra brushing to help
  

Does your dog have sensitive skin? Then try using a dog soap with chamomile.

How can you wash your dog with a natural soap?

Once you have chosen a natural soap for your dog, you are almost ready to give your dog a wonderful wash.
Total time required: 30 minutes
Tools required:

• Brush
  
• Shower head or hose
  

Things needed?

• A dirty dog!
  
• Natural dog soap
  
• Lukewarm warm water
  

Make sure you and your dog are ready for the bath.
If your dog has tangled hair or fur, make sure you brush it before your dog is bathed. matted hair retains water and causes irritated skin.
After brushing, wet the dog's hair with lukewarm water.
You want to use lukewarm water because hot water can burn a dog's skin more easily, but they don't like cold either.
Make sure the dog is well lathered, but avoid contact with eyes. Rinse the soap well after washing by rinsing your dog a few times.
Dry your dog with a towel. Never use a hair dryer. The air is too hot for your dog's skin.
Keeping bath time calm and positive is a good step to make it a better experience for everyone. If your dog really hates bath time, we have some tips for you below.

• Keep talking to your dog in a calm tone of voice
  
• Provide a non-slip mat in the bathtub
  
• Give your dog a toy he loves while bathing to distract your dog
  
• Give a reward after bathing so he ends his time in the bath positively.
  

That towel is great for a game of tug-of-war 😉.
Our pets are great additions to our families. Let's share our natural habits with our dogs too when it comes to washing!