How to Guide: Bathing a Puppy

Puppy bathing can create more havoc for you if you are unsure how to properly bathe a puppy and keep your house clean at the same time.

Whenever you want to bathe a puppy you should follow the next rules:

1. Brush Your Dog Before he Goes in the Bath

Whenever you are getting ready for some puppy bathing, you should first brush his coat thoroughly to remove all excess hair and mats. Otherwise, if you don't do this before the wash, your puppy might get some hair tangled up, and at a later time, you might be forced to cut his coat at the dog hair salon.

2. Get a Rubber Mat for His Tub

The next step is to place the rubber mat into the tub that is designated for the puppy bath. If it's in your bathtub, place the mat there, if it is in a plastic tub, put the mat at the bottom of the tub.

3. Close the Doors

Before you start doing anything you should confine your puppy to one room. Once you start getting your puppy wet from the shower or shampooing, he could have a burst of energy and start jumping around. So, before you have to chase your dog shampooed around the house, make sure to lock the doors and get him into the bathroom.

4. Pre-wash the Puppy

Before you fill the tub with water, consider pre-washing the puppy to remove all the dirt and grime that could be stuck on his bottom half of the coat and paws. Once you fill the tub with water, the puppy will splash and play in it, making it hard to clean him from the dirt if that dirt is not removed before the washing in the tub begins. Puppies can be a handful at this stage, so try to calm him down and prepare for the explosive positive energy he will have once you are done pre-washing him.

5. Fill the Tub With Warm Water

Puppy bathing should be done at a similar temperature like when a baby should be washed. Usually, it's around 38 - 39 Celsius or 97 - 100 Fahrenheit. Check with a thermometer, however, if you don't have one, dip your elbow or fingers in the water. If it's cold add a bit of warmer water and if it's hot, spill it out and refill it until you feel it’s a temperature your puppy can be comfortable with. When it comes to the depth it should depend on the size of your puppy as the smaller dogs won't require much water, let's say almost up until their belly, consider adding more if you have a puppy that is obedient and will not splash around or cause a lot of splashing.

6. Shampoo Time

Only get shampoos that are designated for dogs. Puppies have a soft skin under that lump of hair, and their skin requires a soft touch the same as humans. Start lathering around the dog's neck and move to their back and down to the paws. Once you have everything shampooed up, you can take a picture of your puppy, because he will never be cuter than he is now.

7. Be Careful Around the Head

Once you start shampooing, be careful that you don't get any of the chemicals in the puppy’s eyes. That can sting their eyes for days, and since they can't scratch it as we can, they will have a hard time dealing with the itch. So, if you have to wash the head area of your dog, use a rag and make sure that water is not dripping from it. Also, if you are washing and rinsing the puppy, make sure not to get water in their ears, this can cause lots of problems down the road.

8. Rinse Thoroughly

When you are done with the shampooing make sure to remove all the shampoo chemicals by rinsing properly.

9. Drying

If you have a small puppy, make sure to dry him properly before you leave the bathroom as you don't want them to catch a cold. Get a nice warm towel and softly pad them before you use a hair dryer. Make sure to not burn them with the hair dryer.

10. Finish With a Reward

Once everything is done, make sure to brush him if needed, to remove any mats and curled up hair, and reward them with a treat and praise if they did not cause a lot of trouble. This way they will learn in the future the behave while they are being cleaned.