Bath time

[M SALEEM]

How often can we give a puppy a bath/shower? My puppy really enjoys jumping in the muddy wet leaves and he really enjoys having a bath too!

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Hi there!

Welcome to the forums! 

How old is your puppy?

What breed?

It's great that he loves having a bath. So many people often struggle with dogs who hate baths.

Keep up the great work!

[M SALEEM]

Teddy is a Maltipoo, he is 12 weeks old and I’m trying to potty train him at the moment.  He’s had a few accidents peeing in the snug fit crate over-night, despite last meal/water time at 6pm and being taken out in the garden at 11pm, so I’ve had to give him a bath in  the morning to get rid of the urine smell from him.   I was just wondering how often he could have a bath/shower?

[Adrienne Farricelli]

Thanks for the extra details, they are very helpful!

So firstly, let's see what we can do to get to the root of the problem and try to reduce the amount of baths needed. 

Being so young and a maltipoo, your puppy will likely benefit from an extra potty trip or two in the wee hours of the morning.

If the last trip is at 11 pm until morning, that can be quite a stretch, so as much as it is painful, it may be worthy of setting the alarm for an early morning potty break to prevent an accident. Maybe aim for one between 300-3:30 AM and then first thing in the morning at 700-7:30 AM. 

Make sure your puppy fully eliminates during these outings. Don't talk to your puppy or make any fuss during these trips, just be matter-of fact, leash on, potty, leash off and then back in the crate. 

Don't worry, this isn't a long term ordeal. Most likely, in a week or two you may extend the 300-3:30 AM potty break gradually for later and later until you finally reach 7:00-7:30 AM.

If you still see accidents, make sure to mark the time and schedule for an earlier potty trip. 

Keep the crate near your bed so that you can hear your puppy turning around/whining as that can be a sign of needing to go potty.

It's important to not make it a habit of peeing in the crate. This can turn problematic because it feels good to pee and soon becomes habit forming if allowed to happen too often. This is about pooping, but some similar rules apply: https://www.braintraining4dogs.com/members/archive/how-to-stop-a-puppy-from-pooping-in-the-crate/

The problem with bathing a puppy too often is that dog shampoo strips the coat from oils. This causes drying of the coat and a breakdown of the protective skin barrier which may lead to itchiness and scratching, which in turn cause micro-abrasions to the surface of the skin, paving the path for bacteria establishing there and wrecking havoc. 

An alternative to baths is using puppy wipes (think of baby wipes but a version made specifically for dogs). You can use these on the affected areas in place of a full-blown bath. Your vet can recommend specific types. 

 

 

 

 

[M SALEEM]

Thank you so much for such a detailed response!!!! I’m definitely going to give all of that a try.  Also his crate was downstairs, so it’s really helpful to know to have it in the bedroom.  We kept it downstairs because we have wood flooring downstairs and carpet upstairs, and we have put a stair gate in to stop him from coming upstairs, incase he does any accidents on the carpet.  Can I also ask if I am going out for 2 hours during the day, should I leave him alone at home in his crate straight after taking him outside or should I shut him in a room where he can pee/poo on wood flooring incase he needs to.

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You are very welcome!

If you are concerned about the carpet, and you are at a too far distance from the door (being upstairs) you have several options: 

-Keeping him downstairs and installing a nanny cam so that you can watch/her him from your bedroom at night and take him out as needed (there may be chances though that you may sleep through and miss some some subtle signs)

-Keeping him downstairs and setting your alarm at set times to take him out to prevent the accidents

-Keeping him upstairs, and taking steps to protect your carpet such as, lining the bottom of the crate with a puppy training pad or placing a shower curtain liner under the crate so to catch any leaks

Any accidents on the carpet need to be cleaned up as quickly as possible using an enzyme-based cleaner. 

About going out for 2 hours a day and whether to use a crate or a room (preferably small area with toys and puppy's bed on one side and opposite side lined up with pee pads),  this really depends on how much your puppy is able to hold it. He should be able to hold it for 2 hours at his age, but of course, every puppy is different and with the smaller breeds potty training generally takes longer.

So this will be judgement call based on your past experiences with your pup. In other words, if he has shown the capability of being able to hold it for 2 hours straight when he's with you at home during the day, then being crated for that time *shouldn't * be a problem (excluding medical issues like a urinary tract infection, or other forms of peeing like peeing from anxiety, excitement/submissive urination) as long as he potties before being crated. 

The crate by itself should help prevent accidents because 1) it keeps your puppy restrained and quiet. The more puppies move about and are active, the more they'll drink and pee. 2) it helps inculcate some restraint in going potty because puppies should be naturally predisposed to not want to soil where they sleep. 

As you mentioned, yes, you need to ensure he is  "empty" (watching him eliminate, not sending him out and assuming he goes). It may be worthy doing a little experimenting before going straight for 2 hours, such as starting with one hour, then one hour and a half and based on how it goes, then stretching to two hours. It may help to strategically coordinate your 2-hour absences with when your puppy is likely to 'crash' and take a nap so that he just spends that time napping. 

 

[M SALEEM]

Thank you soooooo much!!! Great detailed advice!!!!! X

[Adrienne Farricelli]

You're very welcome! Keep us posted on how things go!

Best,

Adrienne