At-home hygiene care for 8 to 16 weeks puppy

[Sonal & Coco]

We have an Australian Labradoodle, Coco. She turns 8 weeks tomorrow. Even though her breeder gave her a bath last Monday, her coat has tiny mats, her mouth is a little stinky, nails are starting to feel longer and her coat feels slightly smelly from body odor. 

I've read through some of the discussions but, didn't find anything specifically for small puppies. 

1. What is the best way to brush or clean her tiny teeth? She's teething but, has a few small ones. I have the Nylabone Dental Oral care kit but, wasn't sure if it's a good idea to use it because she's still a puppy. Breeder suggested rubbing peanut butter but, is there a pet specific variation or is it just organic peanut butter and is that even a good idea? 

2. What is the best way to comb/brush her puppy coat? I have a steel comb and the Red/Purple Activet brush. The brush seems too big for her tiny coat.What are some recommended puppy specific combs and brushes? What is the recommended age to start brushing n combing her coat?

3. We're terrified of clipping into her quick and her nails are not so bad but, starting to hurt as she claws or tries to jump on our legs and hands. I'm thinking I'll wait for a while till we clip her nails. What is the recommended age to start clipping nails and what's the best way?  

4. What is the recommended way to keep puppy smelling fresh after her unpredictable episodes with walking and running in poop n pee? We're using pet wipes non-fragrance hypoallergenic but, she still has a musty smell.

I have the Nylabone Dental Oral care kit but, wasn't sure if it's a good idea to use it because she's still a puppy

[Raj and Teddy]

Hi Sonal,

Given you have a puppy and she is going to lose her baby teeth, our vet told us not to worry about brushing etc. We used the toys from West Paw design for chewing and around when our puppy was 4 months old, we got antlers from anterpantry. You can call them and tell them you need it for a puppy, they can hand pick some soft ones. This should help with dental hygenie. 

We used green Activet brush and a steel comb, our puppy hates the Activet brush but likes the comb, we try to keep him busy with his favorite chew toy/bone while we brush.

We never tried clipping and have our vet clip the nails. You only need to clip once every 3 months or so. We got the nails clipped when our puppy was around 12 weeks. 

We used Paul Mitchell Pet wipes, they have a nice smell but do dry out the fur, so we used it sparingly.

[Lori, Winnie, Bob and Indie]

Great questions! Here are my thoughts...

1. I wouldn't worry about brushing the puppy teeth as they are going to be gone soon anyway! However, getting your puppy used to having your fingers in and around her mouth is a good idea. I'm guessing that's why your breeder suggested the peanut butter- to associate rubbing the teeth with something yummy tasting. Personally, I wouldn't give peanut butter to that young of puppy. If you want, you can wrap a dampened baby washcloth around your finger and periodically massage her gums. 

2. Start brushing or combing her right away, especially if she already has little matts. You'll want to make it really fun for her- lots of treats and praise, and keep the grooming sessions really short. Like with her teeth care, the important thing is to get her used to it, and to make it fun with lots of praise.

3. Nail clipping doesn't need to be done for quite a while. Her sharp puppy nails will wear down naturally if you walk her and let her play on cement. We didn't clip Winnie's nails until the vet did them for us when she got spayed at 5 months. After that I started clipping her nails about once a month. The best thing you can do right now is handle her paws and toes a LOT.  Periodically pick up her paw, massage between her toes, pretend you are picking at her nails, etc. - all with the intention of getting her used to you handling her feet. We did this to Winnie all the time when she was a little puppy, and because of that nail clipping is not that big of deal for her. Have the vet (or a groomer) show you how to do it.

4. A bath. :-)  

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

8 weeks is young to mat so I think she is dirty and needs a bath. First, brush out the mats as best as you can then bathe with a quality dog shampoo designed for coats that mat and has conditioning agents to de-mat. Water it down first so that you use much less and are able to spread it around better.  Make sure you rinse really well.

[Mary ann & Lincoln]

I agree with other comments.  One suggestionis to clean her paws too, sometimes if they are dirty they get a corn chip kinda smell.  You can use the puppy or baby wipes for them.  You can give her a bath if she needs it(good idea to get her used to that too) , just rinse well and dry and comb out.  there are lots of good conditioners for mats.  Cowboy magic detangler is one and I am sure there are more that others can suggest. 

There are plenty of puppy chew toys for her teeth and ice cubes are good too. 

[Sonal & Coco]

Thanks everyone! Great tips :) 

We went through with the brushing and combing last night and she looks like a fur ball. Took almost an hour for her little fur body with all the squirming and play-biting but, got it done. Seems like the hair had clumped up a bit with water so found tangles and actually no mats like I had assumed earlier. Just a few rough tangles which we got out pretty quickly.  

Also cleaned out her ears with the Burt's Bees ear cleaner for dogs. Sure enough, there was already stuff in there even though the vet cleaned her last week. 

Raj, thanks for the tip on the antlers, we have an antler and braided stick + lots of Nylabone chew toys but, I think it's too big for her. Switched to a smaller bully stick instead. Also ordered the dental chew stix so will try those. She likes to chew on my fingers so I'm looking for something that is softer.

The breeder gave her a bath last week so I'm thinking of waiting for one more week to avoid making it too frequent. 

Going to stay off the nails. 

Her paws had some dirt stuck in between the toes so that's all gone now and will watch for that. 

For her bath, we bought the Nootie dog shampoo based on the breeder's recommendation. I also have the daily spritzer from Nootie but, it makes her hair dry so I stopped using it. 

Is this a good brand? What is a good non-chemical/non-toxic brand shampoo? 

[Raj and Teddy]

Hi Sonal,

I would stay away from any bully sticks etc, not good for their sensitive stomach as they are growing.  Also stay away from Nylabone chew toys unless they are non-edible ones. Try to get a smaller antler. Another thing is to look at Zogoflex Dog Toys, we got the Hurley Dog Bone and Bumi Tug Toy, they are great and are softer for the puppy to chew. We used them when Teddy was in the active chewing stage. This kept him busy, you can hold it in one hand and your puppy can chew on the other end.

We used Earthbath All Natural Dog Bath Shampoo (Oatmeal and Aloe) and conditioner and it has worked out great. You may have to dilute the shampoo a bit so that its easy to apply. We give a bath every 2-3 weeks with a hand held shower, that has worked out the best.

Raj

[Sonal & Coco]

Thanks for the tips Raj! Just ordered some of the Zogoflex toys :) 

Will check out the shampoo and look for the antlers.