Some dogs love splashing around in the bath, but others really aren’t a fan of baths and can find them stressful and anxiety-inducing.
Getting a dog to relax and enjoy their bath is no mean feat, even when you’ve bought the very best dog shampoo, which makes the achievements of one dog groomer in California even more impressive.
Kyle Hinshaw, who lives in Greater Los Angeles and runs Animal Kingdom Dog Grooming, has an impressive following on TikTok and often shares footage of grooming sessions with hesitant or even aggressive dogs – ideal if you want to know how to give a dog a bath.
@animalkingdomdoggrooming ♬ original sound - Animal Kingdom
Hinshaw tells PEOPLE, "When it comes to washing dogs, my biggest challenge would have to be aggressive dogs and still giving them the same quality wash that I would any other dog."
He continues, "This can be navigated in many different ways and it depends on the type of aggression and type of dog as well. For example, a small dog that's trying to bite me I can physically handle easier and there's not as much risk in being bit."
Larger dogs are often easier to calm down, but as they can give greater damage they’re higher risk to groom, explains Hinshaw, who began grooming dogs in December 2018 and has also washed a pig and a hedgehog in the past – with a horse “coming soon”.
He says he’ll often say a short prayer and make the animal feel as comfortable as possible by talking to them and showing them what he’s doing and using. (Why do dogs hate baths? You can find out here.)
“Many dogs are just scared and they think I'm trying to hurt them or they think the brushes or dryers are going to hurt them,” he says. “If you can help them understand that you're there to help, it makes a world of a difference."
Many followers have taken Hinshaw’s advice on board, and he explains that many have reached out to tell him they use his techniques, with people from other grooming facilities even saying they use his videos to train new employees – it's easy to see why.
For more on grooming, you might find the following article useful: Everything I learned about grooming while running a pet health spa and how you can do it at home. Don’t forget to take a look at these 10 dog grooming tips from a vet, too.
