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Puppy First Bath and Fear Periods?

HaleyComet

HaleyComet

Member
Wow this is great so many times I was here lurking around as I did not have a CKCS and now I have my new baby blenheim girl I can post a question :rolleyes:!

So I brought home Phoebe 1.5 weeks ago and it is going amazing :lotsaluv:. She is the utmost best puppy ever - I already have her potty trained and crate trained, sleeps all night, knows her name and knows to stop something if I say 'no'.

Anyways she is 10 weeks old tomorrow (Feb 3rd) and i would like to give her her first bath.

How is the timing? Is she too young? I understand there is a fear imprint period between 8-11 weeks so I am wondering if I should just wait another week before doing the bath because of this or if a bath is ok now? :d*g:

Thank you!
Haley
 
Hi. I have 10 month old that doesn't know the meaning of "no". He thinks I'm funny when I yell at him.

I would wait on giving her a bath unless she really needs it. From what I understand, Cavaliers don't need that many baths.
 
Yeah puppies do go through fear stages. It is best to introduce new things gradually and with lots of happy things, like treats and praise, but being careful not to praise and coddle fearful behavior (makes your dog think you are happy for the fact she is frightened). I gave my puppy her first bath at 10 weeks simply for exposure. Her second one at 14 weeks at the groomers, to get her used to the blow dryers. And 3rd bath at 5 months old again at the groomers. She is now to the point where baths are no prob, the groomers say she is fantastic. Now I will only bathe her every 3 - 4 months as needed. Bathing too often strips the essential oils from the skin and can cause them to get itchy and dry out!!

I do think a bath is an important experience for a puppy to go through, even if it is just getting her a bit wet and rubbing her body without using any shampoo. Careful not to get water in the ears!!

Also practice handling the paws, ears, and mouth to desensitize her to those things as well for future nail clipping, ear cleaning, and tooth brushing. Makes things easier in the future!
 
Thank you both for responding.

Yes I was worried about the fear period but I too dont' want to over delay the exposure of having a bath.

I will wait till next week and give her a bath.

I appreciate your opinions b*n*n*

Haley
 
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