[animalover09]

Hi everyone! So, how often should I give my puppy a bath and clip his nails, and just groom him?

He's a goldendoodle, and i've been giving him a bath once a week with gnc pets puppy shampoo. He smells really bad if I don't give him a bath this often, but is it okay for his skin? And how often should I clip his nails?

Also, I've tried brushing him, but he HATES it. He has a very soft bristled brush. Whenever I try to brush him, he just runs away. I've even tried giving him a pile of treats while I brush him, and he lets me brush him a little, but then he runs away.

Thanks for any help!

 

[Devie]

Maybe not once a week as it might dry out his skin? But I don't know. I wet my puppy every day at dinner time while he eats his dinner in the tub with the water running. Only because I want him to associate baths with good things.

Then I rub him with coconut oil which he likes because he can lick it and its delicious. I rub him with coconut oil just in case his skin gets too dry. Maybe you could do that too after his baths?

As for nails, I dont clip them that often. I did clip them every day for a week whenever he was all grogggy and sleepy. Only clipping a little little little bit off. I just want him to get used to it.

As for brushing, I'm with ya. He hates being brushed. He accepts it but moves around too much and tries to nip the brush. I usually have something to distract him but I'm on the same boat as you, he runs away after a minute or so.

 

[Rain]

If you want to bathe him once a week you are going to have to find a very gentle shampoo, one that my vet recommended to me was HyLyt shampoo, it's very gentle and can be used once a week. I'd start looking for reasons he may smell so bad so quickly.

Is he rolling in stinky stuff?
Does his bedding need to be washed (they sometimes will pee on bedding and the owner doesn't know it for awhile)?
What pet food is he on?
Does he have a yeast or other skin infection?

It's better to bathe them no more then once a month, but with a good, gentle, shampoo once a week will not hurt them.

With the mix that he is you are going to have to get him used to being brushed, and depending on his coat, and how you keep it clipped, you may need to brush him every 2 or 3 days. At his age you need to go slow and at his speed. Work with him a few times a day for now and work your way up to brushing all of him in one sitting. Right now tire him out, but do not over tire him, then sit down with him treats in one hand brush in the other, and stroke him with the brush then give him a treat or two, stroke him with the brush give him a treat. Do that till he's had enough and wanders off. A few hours later try again. In a day or two try stroking him two or three times then give him a treat, repeat like when you were doing one stroke.

If he's running from the brush you may have to start by encouraging him to sniff the brush on the ground for some treats, then staying while you hold the brush and treat him for that, before finally touching him with the brush but not stroking as you give him treats.

How often you need to clip nails depends on how active he'll be, how well he wears them down with exercising, and how fast they grow. Some dogs need nails clipped every week, others not at all while their in their prime and very active. Even if your dog wears his down with exercise I encourage you to still get him used to having them clipped even if you are only taking the very tip off the nail. That way when he gets old and may not be able to keep them worn down you'll be able to easily clip them. Struggling to clip an elderly dogs nails is not fun.

 

[Pax]

Bathing frequency has to solely do with the shampoo you are using and how your dog's skin and coat responds to that shampoo. Other than that any response on frequency is just an opinion. If you have a crappy shampoo that dries out the skin for your dog, once a month may be too much. If you have a good shampoo that keeps the skin and coat nice, daily is fine.

I asked my vet about bathing frequency and she said as much as I want if the shampoo works for him. Dry skin is what to watch out for.

Pax and I go to the beach all the time so he gets baths 3-5 times a week on average after each trip for the last year and a half. His skin and coat are great. He gets complimented on his coat constantly.

Here is the shampoo I use...your results may vary!

Pet Shampoos : Amazon.com: Earthbath All Natural Puppy Shampoo, Tearless and Extra Gentle 16-Ounce

 

[supaflyskye]

I personally bathe as infrequently as possible, I don't like to strip their skin. I suppose if you have a gentle shampoo regular baths wouldn't do any damage but if they don't stink(and my dog is not naturally very stinky) or need it due to skin issues I don't really see the point. When we go to the beach my girl gets a very thorough rinse, no more, unless she's rolled in something gross like a dead fish or seagull, then its bathtime. She has a great coat.
Clip nails not less than once a month, I've been told.
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[Smudge]

My girl gets a bath every two to three weeks; any longer and she starts to smell. I use a bit or Moroccan oil on her pre-bath. My friends say I'm nuts, but it's GREAT for her skin. She used to have dry, flakey skin. Not anymore! And her fur looks great! I rub it thoroughly into her coat and on her skin and let it sit ten minutes before bath time. Supposedly it's more effective if you use it afterwards, but Argon oil can be harmful if ingested, so I prefer to let it deep condition (monitored all the time of course) and then wash it off so she can't lick at it. We no longer have flakey skin OR a smelly dog.

As for brushing, Bryn absolutely LOVES being brushed. WELL she absolutely tolerates it xD She gets brushed twice a week, and sheds quite a lot so its important that I stick to her schedule or there's hair EVERYWHERE. I suggest starting in small doses. Start with like ten seconds of brushing, then give him a high reward treat (a bit of frozen liver or something works wonders). It's important that you keep the sessions short enough that he doesn't have time to get bothered. Keep working at it, increasing amount of brushing between treats by a few seconds at a time. Do it several times a day, and hopefully he'll soon look forward to brushing! Then you can ask him to lay down while you brush him, and treat for that and so on.