How to Bathe Your Puppy

A clean puppy is a healthy puppy. Follow this routine to make bath time more pleasant for both of you.

Before the bath

• Gather what you need: puppy shampoo and conditioner (don’t use people-products on dogs), a non-slip tub mat, a towel and a rubber brush. If your tub has a hand-held showerhead, that will come in handy.
• Brush your puppy to help remove loose fur.
• Put a cotton ball in each of your pup’s ears to absorb water splashes.

Tub time

• Before pup goes in the tub, turn on the water and adjust the temperature and pressure so the spray is lukewarm and gentle.
• Put your dog in the tub and, holding the spray nozzle about an inch away, soak him or her from tail to ears, in that order. To clean your dog’s face, skip the spray and use your hands or a cloth.
• Massage the shampoo all the way down to your puppy’s skin, from back to front. If your pup is roly-poly or wrinkly, work the shampoo into all of those cute, fuzzy wrinkles. Use the rubber brush to gently loosen any gunk clinging to the coat.
• Avoid getting shampoo in your puppy’s eyes, ears, nose or mouth. Cover the ear canal with your hand when washing or rinsing near the ears.
• Give a really thorough rinse so you don’t leave any shampoo behind. Apply conditioner, and rinse, again avoiding your puppy’s face and ears.

Toweling off

• Before you take pup out of the tub, wait for that doggie dry-off shake.
• Now blot your puppy dry with a clean towel.
• If your puppy has a long or very thick coat, you can use a blow dryer on the lowest setting. Be sure to avoiding their face.

Need help from a professional? Leave it to the Pet Stylists at our Grooming Salon.