Before you start to bathe your Norwich Terrier, it’s important to make sure that you brush out any debris, dead hair, mats or tangles from their coat before you begin the bathing process.

As well, removing any debris or mats from your dog’s coat beforehand will make the entire process easier on both you, your dog, and your drains, which will become clogged with dead hair if you don’t remove it beforehand.

• Whether you’re bathing your Norwich in your bathtub or shower, you will always want to first lay down a rubber bath mat to provide a more secure footing for your dog and to prevent your tub or sink from being scratched.
• Have everything you need for the bath (shampoo, conditioner, sponge, towels) right next to the tub or in the shower, so you don’t have to go searching once your dog is already wet.

Place cotton balls in your dog’s ear canals to prevent accidental splashes from entering the ear canal that could later cause an ear infection.

• If using a tub, fill it with four to six inches of lukewarm water (not too hot as dogs are more sensitive to hot water than us humans) and put your Norwich Terrier in the water. Completely wet your dog’s coat right down to the skin by using a detachable shower head. If you don’t have a spray attachment, a cup or pitcher will work just as well.

No dog likes to have water poured over its head and into its eyes, so use a wet sponge or wash cloth to wet the head area.

• Apply shampoo as indicated on the bottle instructions by beginning at the head and working your way down the back. Be careful not to get shampoo in the eyes, nose, mouth or ears. Comb the shampoo lather through your dog’s hair with your fingers, making sure you don’t miss the areas under the legs and tail.
• After allowing the shampoo to remain in your dog’s coat for a couple of minutes, thoroughly rinse the Norwich terrier’s coat, right down to the skin with clean, lukewarm water using the spray attachment cup or pitcher. Comb through your dog’s coat with your fingers to make sure all shampoo residue has been completely rinsed away.

Any shampoo remaining in a dog’s coat will lead to irritation and itching. Once you’ve rinsed, take the time to rinse again, especially in the armpits and underneath the tail area. Use your hands to gently squeeze all excess water from your dog’s coat.

Apply conditioner as indicated on the bottle instructions and work the conditioner throughout your dog’s coat. Leave the conditioner in your dog’s coat for two minutes and then thoroughly rinse again with warm water, unless the conditioner you are using is a “leave-in”, no-rinse formula.

The best conditioner for a Norwich Terrier will contain mink oil, which adds a gloss to deepen and enrich the natural color of the coat.

It is also a good idea to choose a brand of conditioner that contains sunscreen to help protect from ultraviolet radiation when your dog is outside on sunny days.

Applying a good conditioner containing protein to your Norwich terrier’s coat after bathing will help to rebuild, restructure and protect the coat by bonding to the shaft of each individual hair.

Pull the plug on your tub and let the water drain away as you use your hands to squeeze excess water from your dog’s legs and feet.

• Immediately out of the water, wrap your Norwich Terrier in dry towels so they don’t get cold and use the towels to gently squeeze out extra water before you allow them to shake and spray water everywhere. Unless it’s a warm day out, you will want to dry your dog or puppy right away with your hand held hairdryer and be careful not to let the hot air get too close to their skin.

You can use your hand or a soft brush or comb to lift and fluff the coat to help it dry more quickly, and you will want to place your hand between the hairdryer and your Norwich Terrier’s hair so that they will never get a direct blast of hot air and never blow air directly into their face or ears.

Don’t forget to remove the cotton balls from their ears and make sure the ears are dry.