Here are a few ideas to make bathing your pup easier. Follow these and even your thirty pound pooch will not-longer be a bath-time nightmare!

• Stressing the dog out before you even reach the tub
Don’t rush through bath time. Dogs respond to your energy and work to please you, so be patient and focus on creating a positive experience. Start with brushing your dog’s coat regularly. Include plenty of praise — as well as treats — for good behavior. Gradually build toward milestones such as entering the bathroom and actually stepping inside the tub. It may take time, but Bardouille says your dog eventually will understand that baths can be a comfortable, happy, and rewarding experience.

• Neglecting touch-ups between baths
Once dogs return from their daily walk, Bardouille recommends that you wipe paws as well as their private areas with baby wipes or an old washcloth. These regular touch-ups keep the funk at bay between baths and help dogs grow more accustomed to regular grooming.

“French Bulldogs or English Bulldogs — they are a little bit lower — so when they are walking, they splash things up,” he says of short-statured dogs. “Wipe their armpits, stomach, and private areas; that actually makes a big difference in the odor.”

Also, don’t forget to wipe those wrinkles and eye areas, which can accumulate lots of gunk.

• Forgetting that repetition is key
Work on developing good habits, including regular brushing, so that the dog is conditioned to enjoy this bonding time. Before you know it, Bardouille says your dog will be sitting still during bath time.

I’m certainly putting his advice into practice. After that first drama-free bath, my nephew rewarded Louie with treats and plenty of cuddle time to celebrate a job well done. We’re off to a good start.

All living creatures deserve to be healthy and clean. It’s up to us, as their human moms and dads, to make sure they stay or become fit and do not smell like yesterday’s sweat socks.

There are more tips and tricks to make Fido's bath time a more positive experience. In no time at all both of you will be bath experts! Go on over to Dogster to check them out. There, you will also learn about dog dental care and nail-trimming!