would like to know what age i can bath my 8 week old bichon frise puppy and how to dry him too?

Question

please help!

Answer 1

You can bath his now if he absolutely needs it. It's not good for his skin or coat to be bathed often, especially in the winter. When you do, use a dog shampoo and be sure to rinse really well. Most dogs don't like their heads done, so leave it for last and try not to get water up his nose or shampoo in his eyes.

As for drying, what would be best is to towel dry him first, then dry him with a blow dryer and brush at the same time. To get him used to the dryer, go in a small room with him and shut the door so he can't run out. Turn the dryer on and just let him get used to the noise. Then aim it at him from a distance so he'll see this isn't going to hurt. Be sure the temp. is not too hot and don't hold it too close to his skin. If you dry him, he won't get so chilled. By brushing as you dry, he dries faster and his coat will look great! Just be patient and he'll get to like this part of his grooming.

Answer 2

You can bathe him now, but you must be sure you use a good quality PUPPY shampoo. I wouldn't advise using the blow dryer on him just yet. It tends to dry out their skin and bichon's can have very sensitive skin. The best thing to do with this type of hypo-allergenic dog is to have him groomed professionally as often as your vet recommends. Because they have real hair and not fur, they tend to pick up dirt and odors more frequently than dogs that have fur (fur has a natural repellent to dirt and odor). They do have wipes that you can use on a daily basis too, that work pretty well, so you don't have to give full baths as often. Overbathing is not good for any dog, so just be careful not to do that.

My sister has a Bichon and she tends to keep her hair trimmed pretty short, to keep the dirt and odors to a minimum, thus keeping the required baths to a minimum. She pays about $25 once a month for a nice grooming for her (she lives in Portland Maine area).

Where I live in Western Mass. it's a bit more expensive ($35) but I take one of my 4 dogs every week for grooming, because it's just so much healthier for them (it works out to being groomed once a month). I have 3 mini American Eskimos (very furry white dogs) and an Australian Shepherd. It's easier than trying to bathe them all myself. They've been going to the groomers since they were 8 weeks old, so yours is at the perfect age to start.

Bear in mind that diet can greatly affect your dog's coat and skin. Be sure to feed a high quality food, such as Merrick's - which isn't all that expensive but contains high quality ingredients (and proteins), which are required for a healthy coat, skin, teeth, eyes, etc. Bichon's can get eye stains too, and a good food will help minimize this as well.

Talk to your vet about grooming and diet, as these are very important for a healthy dog.

Great question and good luck!

Answer 3

You can bathe him at 8 weeks...just make sure you use a puppy shampoo. Also dry him with a towel and then a hairdryer on very low heat. And don't hold the dryer close to him.

Answer 4

you can bath the puppy right now. You would just towel dry the puppy at this age. Later you can use a hair dryer.

Answer 5

Yes, you can bath him and make sure to use puppy shampoo. I prefer towel drying my puppies rather than the strong heat of blow drying.

Answer 6

Large Pet stores sell pet wipes that are designed for the ph/ pup's skin. You can just wipe him off with them. Good for puppies until they are finished with their shots incl. rabies shot. It won't kill a puppy to bathe it, but over-bathing is really bad for their skin and coat.
A good shampoo for puppies also sold at pet stores is Lambert Kay's Tearless Puppy Shampoo.
Get a gentle slicker brush to brush your pup with regularly.

Answer 7

I do little ones in the kitchen sink with dawn. Quickly wrap him up in a towel and hold him to get the excess water. A hairdryer on low and away from him is best you don't want to get it to close it could burn him. If your house is warm let him air dry.

Answer 8

you can bath him now and it easy to give him a bath in the kithen sink if it kind of deep inside so he will not get out and be very gentle