Don't know when to give Courage a bath

[BooBoo & Riley]

Ok, Courage is just past 8 weeks old and we're thinking of when to give her a bath... funny how we don't remember what we did with BooBoo... but anyway, we read one of our boxer books and it said not until after her first birthday! That seems way too long.. someone tell me what makes more sense?

 

[gordsan]

Mason was bathed from 8 weeks onwards - not often, just when he started to get a bit stinky! I would gently towel dry him afterwards and then use the blow dryer on a low setting to make sure he was thoroughly dry, as he'd get chilled otherwise! You could also just wipe him down with some of the bathing towels they have at the pet store.

 

[diego's heart]

First of all, if the breeder didn't bathe Courage (the little cutie :p!) before you picked her up, I would think it's okay to give her one now. Puppies can get pretty stinky. I think the main objective is to not over bathe in the first year for sure.

A nice alternative are those baby white type cloths for dogs. My favorite are these. You can purchase at most any pet store. I like them the best because 1) they do the job, 2) nice light scent, not perfumey 3) they're thick. When Diego was a pup, I cut them in half. I used these whenever he got a little dirty or stinky and bathed him when he really needed a bath! His coat and skin condition are excellent.

I'm sure you'll get more responses. Every one is a little different... ~ Lisa

 

[Thomas Liggin]

I find Boxers to be amazing clean compared to other breeds we've had, including some with short hair.

Ours have always been almost catlike when it comes to grooming themselves.

I have a new appreciation for that fact now that we have Ava who is all white, save for a small spot on the back of her right ear.

There are times she has come in covered with dirt, when she and Indy have played outside and the ground is wet or damp. It isn't noticable on him, but every place his paws have made contact, her white body are smeared with earth. Ditto for when he puts her on her back in the dirt.

Within an hour, she is once again sparkling white. I know it's all on the carpet or slip cover on the sofa, or perhaps a bedspread, but it's sure gone from her. She seems to shed dirt quicker than her hair.

She will clean the crud from her paws within minutes after coming back in.


Tom

 

[coleman]

I hate to admit it, but Coleman is 5 and has never had a bath. He is also very cat like - always preening himself and he always smell so great. We have never had the need to bathe him as he refuses to step in anything dirty, puddles, etc. I guess we are very lucky because I dont know how the heck we would bathe a 86 pound mass of wiggles!!!!

 

[exk23]

We gave Ruby his bath the first day we brought him back from the breeder when he was 9 weeks old. He was smelling very bad and we couldn't stand it so we gave him a bath. After that we gave him a bath whenever he was a bit stinky. As he got older he got stinky less and less so now we give him a bath about every 3 or 4 months.

E

 

[Rowdy's Dad]

Bathe him when he smells. While you don't want to overbathe him during the first year. You are probably better off bathing him now, before cooler weather comes in the fall.

 

[Scrapper's Mom]

I don't understand the rationale behind waiting until the first birthday. I know we didn't do that. I think we first gave Scrapper a bath when he was about three or four months old, you need to start when they are pretty young (and smaller and easy to handle) so they get used to it. In the alternative, there is a product, I think it's Miracle Coat, Waterless Shampoo, that you just spray on, rub with your fingers into their fur and wipe dry. You don't need water or a tub. It does a good job and makes them smell really nice and clean. But honestly, Scrapper is so clean, he rarely gets a bath now, probably every five or six months. He got baths more when we were visiting the dog park more frequently. I agree with coleman, I think they are kind of catlike, always grooming, and licking.

 

[Matt S]

I also do not understand the rationale behind waiting until the first birthday before giving a pup it's first bath.
Bathing a pup at a young age is all apart of the socialization process. Plus it's much easier to handle a 15lb boxer pup having it's first bath rather than a 50lb one. :p
This link has a little about the bathing of pups as well as other helpfull stuff....

http://www.boxerworld.com/puppy/socialisation/

 

[Kylie_L]

we gave our male a bath about 9 weeks of age....but make it fun...add toys and stuff like that get him used to the water, so when he gets older he will love the water!