Can Rinses Be Used to Color a Dog's Hair When Grooming?

Expressing your personal style through your pup isn't that unusual; people buy clothes for their dogs for just that purpose all the time -- it's big business. When dressing your pooch isn't your idea of a good time, changing her fur color might be. Using dog-safe products, you can brighten or completely change your dog's color while you're grooming her.

  1. Reasons to Color

    • Coloring your dog's hair might seem unnecessary, but several reasons exist. When you need to enhance her color, a rinse can help you stick to her natural shade with extra depth. This is especially handy with white dogs, who often suffer from yellowing hair or stains on their fur. When it's time to celebrate, color your pup to fit in with the holiday -- green for St. Patrick's Day or pink for Valentine's Day, for example.

    Hair Dye

    • When you want to color your dog's hair for days or weeks, use a dog-safe hair dye product. Put on some clothes you don't mind ruining, and line your bathroom with old towels -- or groom your dog outside; dying a dog's hair can be messy business. Dilute the dye so it's about 1 part water and 1 part dye, then pour it in a squirt bottle so you can direct the color as you cover her hair with the rinse. After letting the rinse sit in the hair for 10 to 15 minutes, rinse it off and dry her well with a towel before finishing your grooming. For a lighter color, pour the dye directly into 2 to 3 inches of bath water, then rinse her with the diluted solution.

    Powdered Drink

    • For a more temporary coloration, use regular powdered drink mix. Keep the color light by dumping several packets in the bath water, then rinse your dog's hair thoroughly with the colored water. When this color isn't dark enough, mix the powder with just enough water to make a paste, then brush it on your dog's fur and let it sit for a few minutes before rinsing it off. One of the benefits of using powdered drink is that it's nontoxic -- a relief if your dog tries to lick it off while you're applying it. However, you're unlikely to find the powder in a natural fur color -- it is mostly for festive colors.

    Considerations

    • Don't be tempted to use human hair color on your dog. The dog's fur texture is different than that of human hair, and your dog's skin reacts differently to chemicals than yours. Human hair dyes can lead to redness and itching if used on your pup. If you opt for a dye designed for dogs instead of the powdered drink, stay with your dog while the rinse is coloring her fur to make sure she doesn't try to lick it off. With any kind of colored rinse, keep it away from her eyes, nose, mouth and ears for safety.