Poop, pee, vomit, muddy paws, spills…these are all things that come with taking care of a dog. Sure there are ways you can prevent messes from occurring more often, but inevitably accidents are going to happen no matter what, it’s just part of having a dog. Sometimes Trey and I joke about how having Jack and Keeper are like having two smelly room mates. Unfortunately, dogs don’t have shoes they can kick off every time they get home from being outside, so that means all the bacteria and germs they picked up on their paws from the dog park, sidewalks, etc get transferred onto our rugs and other parts of our home. Vacuuming helps keep pet hair and dirt in check, but for stains, odors and bad bacteria, we up the ante. This is Jack’s up the ante face…

The kind folks at BISSELL asked us to try out their ProHeat 2x Revolution Pet Carpet Cleaner. It was serendipitous that this machine landed on our doorstep seeing as though just two weeks ago we rented a steam cleaner from the grocery store to clean our living room rug. I don’t know if you’ve seen the big red steam cleaners they rent out at the grocery store or not, but they’re mammoths. Like, ride-in-the-carpool-lane, we’ve-got-a-third-passenger kind of mammoth. So, we heaved it into the car, drove home and lugged it upstairs. It wasn’t easy to use either, which in turn resulted in us drenching the rug, which then had to live outside for a day while it dried out. After all that, the odors we were trying to get out were still there. So we cut our losses, chucked the rug, and bought a “new” one off Craigslist the next day.

I was excited to try out the BISSELL pet carpet cleaner on our new-to-us rug to clean off whatever residual funk was on it from the previous owner (we bought it from two photographers who used it in a shoot and no longer needed it). When the BISSELL first arrived, Jack and Keep gave it a warm welcome by biting it’s wheels (sigh, herders) just like they do the vacuum. Once the threat had been neutralized, we gave it a go. The first thing I noticed that was different with the BISSELL versus the grocery store clunker was how much easier it was to use, and how lightweight it is. Another good feature was the detachable hose/brushes to use for spot cleaning. The rug dried in about an hour too, which was great considering it took days when we did it with the other cleaner. We’ll definitely be using this again for future messes and routine cleanings.

Good news, BISSELL is giving away two BISSELL ProHeat 2x Revolution Pet carpet cleaners to 2 lucky people! To enter, check out the product here, then leave a comment below with your email address. Winners will be chosen at random by BISSELL. Good luck!

This post is sponsored by BISSELL, however, the content and opinions expressed here are my own. Thank you for supporting brands who support Wildlandia!

Tip #5: Creating a bath time routine

After a weekend of running in the woods, it’s time for the dogs to have a bath. You might be thinking my dog hates baths. Well…I was right there with you not too long ago. Jack hated baths for a long time. He would run the other direction as soon as he heard the water running. When we got Keeper, I decided to try a different approach to bath time in hopes that she wouldn’t mind them as much as Jack did. I’m happy to report that Keeper and Jack now take baths with ease. While your dog might not come to *love* baths, they can learn to tolerate them better. Whether you have a puppy who is new to baths or an adult dog who has a track record of hiding every time the word “bath” is mentioned, there are a few simple ways to make bath time more enjoyable for your dog (and yourself).

Step 1: Desensitize

The first couple of times you give your dog a bath, there will be a fair amount of desensitizing/getting them used to the norms that come with taking a bath. From the sound of the water, to the water temperature, to them being covered in shampoo – it can be overwhelming for them at first. Easing them into the whole process from the beginning will help them make a positive association with taking a bath. If you have an adult dog who has already decided baths aren’t for them, you will need to really work on this step in order to replace their current negative association with a more positive one.

To start with, try:

Introducing a bath toy

We have 2 toys that sit on the shelf in the bathroom that are designated “bath toys”. A small, rubber chuck-it ball, and a mini frisbee. Both are waterproof. When it’s bath time, I go get these and show the dogs. You’d be surprised by how excited they get to play with toys they only see once or twice a month. I lure them in with these. Not only does it give them something to look forward to every time they take a bath, but it saves me the time of having to chase them down and wrangle them into the tub.

Adjust water temperature

Depending on the amount of fur your dog has, dogs can be more comfortable in the right temperature of water. Border collies like Keeper have long, dense coats, and need to be bathed in luke warm to cool water to avoid overheating. Can you imagine wearing a thick sweater and then hopping into a warm bath? Yeah, no way! Alternatively, dogs with shorter coats like Jack may get cold standing in a tub of water, so adjusting the water to be warmer would be better for them.

Wash face and ears separately

To avoid any traumatic experiences like getting soap in their eyes or water in their ears, make sure to wash their face and ears separate using a wash cloth. Dogs can also get ear infections if water is left in their ears so it’s good to keep them dry anyway.

Step 2: Positively reinforce calm behavior

While you’re lathering up your dog, let them know when they are being a good dog. Positively reinforce calm behavior by telling them something along the lines of “good job buddy”, or “doing great, almost done” in a positive tone. This is a nice way to let your dog know you like it when they are calm and standing still. If they have mastered the command “Stay”, you can use this here.

Step 3: Reward

After their bath, give them a reward. This should be different than the bath toy (shelve those for now in order to keep the allure for next time). We give Jack and Keeper baby carrots since they are their favorites. I do this as soon as I finish drying them off so they associate the end of bath time with the reward of carrots.

Step 4: Repeat

In order for a positive association with bath time to be made, you’ll need to repeat these steps every time you give them a bath. Dogs are less likely to feel stressed if they know the routine.

Good luck!

Do you have any tips or tricks you use with your dog that makes taking a bath easier and more enjoyable? I’d love to hear about them.

Also:

The shampoo we use
For faster washing