The first thought that usually comes to a mind on hearing the word “puppy” is “cute”! The adorable munchkins are loveable and quickly befriend their owners with their playful gestures. While the decision to buy or adopt a puppy can be exciting, caring for them requires patience and knowledge. The small pups can be sensitive and need to be handled carefully. Right from their nutrition intake to grooming them, each activity requires an understanding to get the job done perfectly.
Steps to Take Before Introducing Your Puppy to Bath
Experts suggest that it is ideal to wait till a puppy is about 2 months old before giving it its first bath. While activities such as walking your pup and feeding him or her aren’t very challenging, it can get pretty tricky to bath and groom. You need to be careful while handling them and read every essential guideline like this one before getting started. So, to help you get a better insight into the entire process, here are a few basic tips to start with:
1. Unlike human beings who require bathing regularly, dogs do not. This depends upon the breed as well. While some require getting cleaned once in two weeks, others can go as long as one month and even more. Dogs have thicker hair and skin and regular bathing can damage their coat. This damage is caused when the natural oil of their body starts getting removed with regular baths.
2. It is of utmost importance that you use a special soap or shampoo designed for dogs to wash your puppy. Even if you are cleaning your friend after a long gap, the products work to maintain the natural oil of their skin and hair. If in any case, you are running out of dog shampoo, a mild shampoo that is used for babies can also be used. Additionally, using the right amount is also important to be sure that the shampoo gets properly washed off.
3. Do not surprise your pup by immediately taking it to a tub of other such areas where you would bathe him or her. You should slowly and gently introduce the area along with the process step after step. While dogs are water-friendly and can spend hours enjoying the cool splash after a while, it may lead them to anxiety and other mental health concerns initially.
4. Ensure that you regularly comb your furry friend’s hair. This will help maintain the health of your dog’s hair and skin along with keeping the hair untangled. This will further allow you to shampoo and clean your puppy without causing them pain and avoid them to fear taking a bath.
5. Always keep a clean and fresh towel ready before starting to bath your puppy. Once clean, you will need to immediately cover him or her with the towel before the dry areas are wet. Most importantly, covering your friend immediately after the bath will keep it comfortable and away from the chances of catching a cold.
How to Bathe Your Puppy Correctly?
After learning the necessary methods before introducing your puppy to the process of bathing, you are now ready to take the step. Here is a step by step guide to bathing your friend so that you ensure it is done correctly and avoid unwanted consequences:
1. The first and foremost step to take when bathing your pup is to ensure that you can dedicate enough time and with patience. You will be introducing your puppy to a new process and hence, you will need to go slowly and carefully. This will ensure that your friend isn’t scared and gets comfortable minute after minute with you by the side.
2. Make sure that the water is in a comfortable temperature and then gently pour it in the body. You can slowly caress the hair and skin to ensure that the water reaches inside. You can also use a perfect sized tub and gently place your puppy in the water while holding him or her to avoid panic.
3. While shampooing, you should also check if there are any ticks in your puppy’s body. You can gently scrub him or her with your palms and understand the presence of ticks in case of a bump-like form in the body.
4. You should also inspect their nails, ears and their behind when bathing them. The use of soft cotton balls is highly recommended to clean their ears. You should also check if there are any rashes on the skin or the start of an infection.
5. Keep talking to your dog when bathing. This will help the furry one to stay calm, relaxed and connected with you. You can talk about the day with your pup and also keep telling how good he or she has been doing till now.
Once the bathing is done, you will have to be very strict about not letting your puppy run outside immediately. This will only get your friend dirty and your hard work would go to waste. Wrap your pup in a fresh towel and help it to sit in a comfortable area. You should then towel dry as much as possible and then use a hairdryer in the lowest temperature to dry the rest. Be careful when doing this and maintain a safe distance with its hair and skin. Additionally, you should also not hair dry for more than 2-3 minutes as doing so may lead to dryness.
Along with cleaning and grooming your puppy like the steps mentioned above, you should also take it regularly for a health check-up. There are numerous veterinary doctors available today and you can find one with a little research on the internet. Additionally, you should not feed your furry friend every kind of food that is available. Remember, not all foods suit dogs and eating the same may lead to infections and severe health concerns. You can train him or her with simple tricks and ensure to spend enough time.