We always get asked how often you should bathe your puppy, we recommend at least once a month and to get your puppy groomed every 3-4 months (more for woolly/longer length coats, shorter/plush coats can be done around every 5-6 months). Once they are fully grown you can probably stretch between bath time up to 3 months, obviously if your puppy or dog gets mucky or rolls in something smelly then you can bath them in-between. Bath time is a bonding time and all puppies should get accustomed to being bathed and groomed at an early age so when they are older its not a big deal for them and a lot easier for you.
Try not to over bathe your puppy as all dogs have natural oils in their coat which helps there skin and natural hair growth, overbathing will result in your puppy losing their natural oils causing dry skin and irritation which we don’t want to cause. Avoid getting water in your puppy’s ears as we don’t want to cause any ear infections from added moisture in the ear canal, always dry the ears after bath time or if your puppy goes for a swim when you’re out and about.
Items you need to bathe your puppy:
Puppy shampoo – we recommend using all-natural shampoo for your pups, you can even use baby shampoo if you wanted to.
Microfibre towel – these types of towels are great because they dry your puppy’s hair faster and soaks up the water a lot better than cotton towels that we would use. We like using microfibre dog towels with hand pockets as we find its easier to hold while drying your pooch.
Brush – use a dog brush with silicone bristle to give your dog a deep clean massage, these bristles are very gentle and will not hurt or pull on your puppy’s coat.
Just like a baby the water temperature is important for your puppy, lukewarm is the best, not too hot but not too cold. A boiling bath will burn your puppies’ skin and will cause a negative association with bath time, no body wants to boil their skin in the bath, a nice warm bath is key.
Tip’s:
If your puppy doesn’t like bath time, just like some children, don’t panic we have a good tip that could help make bath time enjoyable and less stressful for your pooch, lick mat’s with suction cups on the back to stick to your tiles. Lick mats are a simple but amazingly effective, spreading some 100% natural peanut butter, liver paste for dogs, Kong easy treat puppy paste for example will help keep your puppy occupied and calm whilst your giving them a good relaxing lather in the bath.
Check your puppies/dog’s feet, ears, and skin while the hair is wet, check for any abnormalities, scratches or cuts. Whilst their coat is wet it makes it a lot easier to see their skin.
If you want to dry your dog with a hair dryer or blow dryer make sure the heat isn’t too hot or too high and you are constantly moving the dryer over their body, if you dry one spot for too long at a high temperature you can cause burning to your pups skin.
