bathing pup

[EJ & Dante]

Dante has been home for three weeks and got his first bath.  My prior dogs have been ones that got only a rare bath, like a german shepherd.

Questions:

How often would you recommend a puppy be bathed?  We have lots of snow here, so he is contantly getting wet, then dry multiple times per day.

It seemed like I had to use a lot of shampoo to get good lather, and I'm not sure he's as clean as he could have been.  Tricks or techniques?

Best way to wash his face?

I used my regular blow dryer on him, and he was ok with that (with a peanut butter kong!), but not for his face or belly.  It is cold and snowy here, and he is a puppy and goes out frequently.  Fastest way to get him completely dry?  I cant let him go out in 10 degree weather unless he is completely dry.

Any other puppy grooming/bathing tips would be appreciated.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Others will jump in with more information, but if you used LOTS of shampoo, you probably didn't get him totally rinsed.  Put some shampoo in a separate container and water it down.  Use dog shampoo not people shampoo.  Brush out all knots first. I don't live in a snowy place so have no idea of how you work that out. As to the getting wet from going in and out, if he is just doing a potty break, does he get so wet that after toweling him off you can't let him air dry -   much of the dirt simply falls off.  We have our dogs bathed about once a month but dogs that do therapy work are often bathed more often because they need to be clean when they go places to visit people.  Faces are a problem for me too.  mostly I use a washcloth and vinegar water.

[V & Charlie]

I have a year old doodle and also live in a snowy place.  I put him in a fleece jacket when he goes outside to minimize ice balls on his belly in particular.  I as well use fleece booties with velcro straps if he's going to be outside for a prolonged time.  I bath my guy almost weekly, but find this can dry him out.  After trying many recommended expensive shampoos by groomers, i have landed on my favorite.  It is from Walmart, Hartz Whitening.  It's cheap, suds up and rinses out well.  Doesn't dry him out, but cleans and deodorizes and leaves him smelling great.

Im not particularly gentle washing his face, I give him a good scrub and rinse gently so he doesn't get too much in his eyes or up his nose.  He's been bathe since we got him at 10 weeks old and doesn't mind it a bit.  I brush him with a slicker brush while he's damp and use a comb on his beard.  I also use my blowdryer on medium heat.  Sometimes I don't even brush him while I dry him.  Depends on how long his coat is.  But brushing will prevent matting.  I have had to have him cut short once because he did have some mats.  Still looked adorable.

Have fun with it and him.  You'll find what works best for you in time.  They are amazing dogs.  I love my Charlie.  Good luck!

[EJ & Dante]

Thanks for the tips.  I DON'T think I got all the shampoo rinsed last week, I tried again with the tip to dilute it in a separate container and that worked nicely.  He was also more calm about the entire bath this time.  He is still not a blow dryer fan, but he gets peanut butter in his kong and at least tolerates it.  We really can't wait for him to air dry because he is potty training and we take him out at least every hour, and it's about 10 degrees here.  He's growing like crazy!

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

He looks cute as a button!   I would say that you have the hang of it.   I generally only bathe Zoey once a month or so, unless she gets into something.  I like to spritz her coat and scrunch it up after drying - like a curly headed girl.  She has a wavy fleece coat.  I had her groomed once and they blow dried her hair out to look like a frizzy Pomeranian!  Yuck!

Luckily it has not been very cold here this winter, so I didn't have to get her real dry.  If I ever do it over again, I will remember not to have a brand new puppy in the winter!  Live & learn!

[EJ & Dante]

I was only going to do about 1x per month as well, but the shampoo that didn't get rinsed was attracting dirt and making him sticky.  He's still got very much the soft puppy coat, but I make sure to brush/comb every day to get him used to it mostly.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You did a very nice job, EJ.  Something I didn't realize when we used to wash our Springer Spaniel was to be very careful not to get water into the ears and to make sure the ear canal didn't stay wet.