If this is the first time you are keeping a puppy, then it might be news to you that you have to bathe your pet.
If you are surprised to hear that, you might be even more surprised to hear that you cannot bathe him everyday like humans do! Bathing your puppy is a skill you will need to learn if you have not already done so.
If you do not want to struggle with your puppy each time you try to bathe it, it is vital that one of the many puppies training tips you pick is to train your puppy to get used to having a bath! When you are preparing to bathe your puppy, here are 4 tips to keep in mind.
1.
Protecting the ears Although it is vital to keep your puppy clean by washing away the dirt thoroughly with soap and water, you must take care not to let water enter your puppy's ear canals as it might cause ear infections.
If your puppy is suffering from ear infections, you will notice signs such as constant discharge from the ears and sometimes your puppy might shake his head vigorously in an attempt to get rid of the water.
To prevent ear infections, you must close the ears with large cotton balls.
Thus if you did not train your puppy to get used to having these cotton balls in his ears, he will feel very irritated by them and would constantly want to remove them.
2.
Frequency of baths If you are wondering how often you should bathe your puppy, it actually depends on the breed.
For long haired breeds such as the cocker spaniels, you will need to bathe it monthly or fortnightly.
If you are staying in a country with very warm weather, you might need to increase the frequency to weekly.
Another occasion when you might have no choice but to bathe your puppy more often is when he is suffering from diarrhoea and had accidentally defecated on his fur.
In such circumstances, you will have no choice but to wash your puppy in order to get rid of the bad smell.
However, you have to take note not to bathe your puppy too frequently under normal circumstances such as daily or even a couple of times a day as that will cause the skin and coat to lose its protective chemicals.
3.
Selecting the shampoo products To bathe your puppy, you will need soap of course.
So what kinds of soap can you use to bathe your puppy then? Human soaps and soaps that are irritating to the skin should never be used on your furry friend.
In fact, it is best to use shampoo products that are created especially for puppies.
Refrain from using products that are meant for humans because the proportions of the ingredients in them will not be suitable for your puppy and if you use these products, they might pose a threat to your puppy's health.
In addition, do not be overly zealous in trying out new products.
Once you have found something that is suitable for your puppy, stick to it.
4.
Getting things ready Before you bathe your puppy, you should make sure that you have everything in place first.
Check all the necessities such as shampoo, leash, towel and water supply first before you start.
You do not want to leave your puppy with shampoo on while you rush somewhere else to get the missing items.
He will either be frightened if he is leashed or he will dirty the whole place while trying to get rid of the shampoo on his body.
Your puppy will love the sprinkling of the water so be prepared to have lots of fun with him as you shampoo him clean.
Wash off the soap thoroughly with lots of clean water to ensure that his skin does not get irritated by any soap left behind.
The first couple of times that you try to bathe your puppy, he might resist and that is the reason why you should train your puppy to get used to being bathed.
It is definitely no fun if you have to struggle with your puppy while attempting to bathe it! You can always search the internet for puppies training tips that help you to train your puppy to remain still while you are shampooing him such as teaching him to sit and stay.
Whatever it is, you will have lots of fun bathing your puppy so relax and enjoy the process.
It is also a good opportunity for you to bond with your puppy.