When to wash and walk???

Hi all,

I just have a 2 questions i hope you can help with,

Firstly, I was just wondering if anyone could tell me if it's ok to wash my puppy now or should he be a certain age? He's 8 weeks. Should i wait a while? Hubby says he's too young to give him a bath right now.

Secondly, when should we try and get him use to a lead and take him for a walk?

Thanks in advance!

Yes it's fine to bath him now, get him used to it. He's probably already had a bath by now at the breeders, they do get quite dirty when they are little. I prefer using a shower. He's very young and won't be able to go out until 2 weeks after this second lot of vaccines so I wouldn't rush a collar and lead just yet. There are threads about introducing a collar and lead, I can't find a link, maybe someone else knows where it is...

Almost certainly your puppy would have been washed a few times by his breeder, as little puppies often stomp around in their poo or just get generally mucky.

It is a good idea to get him used to being handled in all different ways when they are young as this sets them up nicely to be calm in the future. As well as getting him used to being bathed, get him used to having his ears handled, feet touched, handling each little toe, gently open his mouth & look inside, massage his gums gently with your fingers. Lift his tail & have a look at his little bot. Make it fun & keep it short and positive.

With his bath, he probably doesn't need shampoo but if you do use it, be sure to use only dog shampoo as dogs' skin has a different pH to humans, so human shampoos can cause irritation. At this stage though it is more the ritual of getting used to being bathed, rather than actually getting clean.

I probably wouldn't be in too much of a hurry to get him walking on a leash. Puppy play is really all the exercise he needs at this stage. Later on though you can put a leash on him in a fun way so that he gets used to the idea. Always keep these sessions short & fun. Always end on a positive note.

Thanks for the info girls. I
got a special shampoo for puppies so i'll use that. And i should make sure he's completely dry before letting him away should i?

Like others have said, absolutely fine to be giving him a bath at 8 weeks. At that age, we are giving puppies a bath as needed, sometimes as often as every other day. When an entire litter is together, it's amazing how dirty those little guys can get! Especially when they are that small, the kitchen sink works great as a bathtub. Just be very careful he doesn't get away from you and fall on the floor.

As far as drying, we just get them as dry as possible with a towel and put them down on the floor. Every puppy/dog we have ever had gets the "zoomies" and will air dry themselves. It's an absolute hoot to watch!! Once he is mostly dry, he can be put in his crate or pen or whatever you use.

Oops, almost forgot. We suggest waiting til a puppy has had the rabies shot before taking any distance. Just keep him on a lead in your yard. Just to be on the safe side.

Thanks Bruce,

I think i'll wash him tonight. I just want to make everything as comfortable as possible for him.