How do you wash a small dog face and head?

Easy

10 - 15 Minutes

2 Days

Introduction

Your dog needs a good scrubbing every now and then. And sometimes, especially if his face has long fur, his mouth, will need to be washed. Whether you are washing your dog’s face while giving him a nice, gentle bath or cleaning food out of his beard, you need to know how to wipe, wash, and get your beautiful pup’s face clean. A clean face is also a healthy face. Bacteria can grow in skin folds, causing irritation and potential infection. Keeping his face clean and tidy is an important grooming task. Some dogs will love having their face washed while others will turn away from you and try to get away before finding the closest mud pit to roll in. Learn the best ways to wash your dog’s face so you can spot clean and fully clean no matter what your dog has gotten into. 

Dog's Perspective

Getting anything near your pup’s face might cause a little anxiety for your little guy. If your dog doesn’t like water poured over his head, you can use a cloth to get the dog’s face wet. If he will allow you to pour water, be cautious not to get any near or in his eyes. 

Fill a small bowl or sink with warm water and a bit of dog shampoo or tear-free baby shampoo.

Brush your dog’s facial hair. Be sure to work out any knots in the fur, especially around the mouth. If your dog’s facial fur is long, it may be more tangled. This is a sensitive area, so be gentle.

Start with a wet cloth without any shampoo or soap and wipe your dog’s eyes. Starting with the eyes will keep not just soap out of his eyes, but also any bacteria the washcloth may pick up from the rest of the face.

Place a cotton ball in each ear to keep water from running into the ear canals.

Wet a washcloth with the warm soapy water and squeeze excess water out. Wet down your dog’s face using this wet cloth.

Wipe down your dog’s face with the wet, soapy cloth. Be sure to spread any skin folds to clean in between. Rub gently but with enough pressure to get clean. Be sure to rinse the cloth and dip into the soapy water again to finish wiping.

If your dog has long facial hair, there might be dried food in the fur around his mouth. Be sure to get this area wet and wipe it down well.

With clean water, rinse the washcloth and wipe down the face again, rinsing off any soap and suds.

Recommend grooming method?

Point your dog’s nose down so he’s looking downward.

Using a cup or handheld shower head, pour water on your dog’s face starting with the top of the head letting it drip down towards his nose, which your are pointing down.

Apply shampoo on your fingers and start rubbing it on starting on the top of his head. Move your fingers down across his cheeks and jowls to rub the shampoo in. Be careful not to get any shampoo in his eyes.

With the same pointing down motion with your dog’s nose, rinse the shampoo off the face. This time, cover his eyes as you are pointing his face down.

Use a towel to pat your dog’s face dry.

Recommend grooming method?

Caution & Considerations

• Be cautious of your dog’s eyes and ears as you wash. Soap in his eyes will burn, and water is his ears could cause a yeast infection or discomfort.
• Some dogs won’t want water running down their faces.
• For those who do not like running water all at, a washcloth will do. Be sure to rinse it with clean water.
• When using any cloth, start with the eyes to avoid getting dirt and bacteria from the fur and skin into the eyes later.
• Once the eyes are wiped clean with a wet cloth, you can add soap to the cloth for other areas of the face.
• Be sure to clean out any skin folds well.
• Also, focus some water and soap in the beard of any pup’s who have fur long enough to collect food.
• Rinse with clean water, not the bath water the dog may be sitting in.

Conclusion

Create a fetching look with your dog's face. Keep him clean and fur-ever fur-tastic so he remains the cutest dog on the block. Wiping or washing and rinsing your dog's face isn't difficult. Raise the ruff with your pup and make him beautiful from top to bottom.

Success Stories and Grooming Questions

Grooming Success Stories

My dog hates getting her face washed and usually I do with my hands, however once I came across this post I tried the washcloth and she seems so much more comfortable with it.

1 year, 1 month ago

More Dog Grooming Guides

• How to Groom a Dog without Being Bitten

• How to Groom a Dog Around the Eyes

• How to Groom a Dog Using Clippers

• How to Groom a Dog Using Scissors

• How to Groom a Dog with a Thick Undercoat

• How to Groom a Dog with Anxiety

• How to Groom a Dog's Feet

• How to Groom a Curly Haired Dog

• How to Groom a Pregnant Dog

• How to Groom a Dog that Bites

• How to Give a Dog a Pedicure

• How to Prevent Dog Nails from Splitting

• How to Clean a Dog's Ears

• How to Trim a Dog's Nails That Are Too Long

• How to Groom a Dog's Nails

How do I wash my dogs head?

Are you supposed to wash a dog's face?