What an adorable bathtime video! The puppy is so relaxed, so calm. Not at all stressed by the bath experience. Vets Kitchen created a video that shares how we can create a positive bathtime experience for our puppies, especially for that first bath. It’s important that the first experience be a positive one for the puppy. It’s setting the tone for future baths.
In that video, the woman who is preparing the puppy for her bath narrates throughout the video. She recommends that we have all the towels, brushes, treats, shampoo all ready, so we don’t leave the puppy unattended while we look for an item. Before she even turns on the water, she lets the puppy get used to the feel of the basin, keeps giving her treats, so she associates positive feelings with bathtime.
How to create a pleasant bathtime experience for a puppy
This woman recommends brushing the puppy’s hair before getting it wet, especially for those with longer hair. If there are mats in the hair, it’s easier to brush them out before getting wet. Keep giving treats to the puppy during the brushing. Then test the water on your wrist to make sure it’s a comfortable temperature for the puppy.
This woman says that she only wets the body, and not the head or eyes because those might be scarier territory for the puppy to get wet. Of course, unless they are very dirty. But when you are toweling them dry, you can clean their head then. She recommends rinsing off the shampoo really well, so none remains on the puppy’s skin. Otherwise they might itch.
It’s best if the bath is no more than 5 minutes because puppies cannot regulate their body temperature yet. They might get chilly. Then wrap them in a nice thick towel as you dry them off. Use a hairdryer (again using lots of treats to help your puppy feel positive even with the noisy dryer) in the lower setting and hold it far away enough that the puppy won’t accidentally get burned. Enjoy watching how relaxed this puppy is during bathtime!
