Hygene question

[xayden]

Leo is a little over 8 weeks old but i allow him to play on our front lawn, and he loves it. However, ive noticed that when he comes in he smells more and more each time (no more puppy smell) and whats worse, he brings along some visitors, FLEAS! would he be OK if i gave him a bath with "gentle puppy shampoo"? he loves water, since hes always chasing around the water from the water hose and running through sprinklers.

Also, his nails are extremely sharp and no fun to play with, can anyone point me to instructions on how to trim his nails?

 

[Cami]

Perfectly fine to give him a bath but you also need to address the fleas.
Yard, home and pup need treated if you ever hope to be rid of them.

 

[Caney Creek]

Earthbath makes a Tear-Free Puppy Shampoo, I'd recommend it

When Caney was 8 weeks old we used human nail clippers to trim her nails. They worked just fine.

 

[jrackow]

good luck with the nail clipping....we find it near impossible and would rather pay $7 for the vet to do it once a month!

 

[ThunderRoll]

I use a dremel to shorten Thor's nails. I find it easier than clipping. He gets lots of peanut butter. Now that he is bigger if I don't have anybody to help me I put him in the tub and smear peanut butter on the side of the tub...it keeps him occupied.

 

[xayden]

how short is good for a pup to have his nails? is there a marking? i dont want to hurt him

 

[Caney Creek]

how short is good for a pup to have his nails? is there a marking? i dont want to hurt him

In light colored nails you should be able to see the quick, the pink part, on the inside of the nail. That's the part you don't want to cut. There is a good illustration on this page:
How to Trim Your Dog’s Toenails - For Dummies

For darker nails (and this works for light ones as well) turn the paw over and look at the underside of the nail. As long as the nail is clean (not packed with dirt from playing outside) you should be able to see the quick that way also. Cut a little bit of the nail at a time to minimize the amount of pressure that the clippers put on the nail. If you try to cut off a big chunk all at once it's going to require more force to clip and as a result will end up pinching the quick. This won't cause bleeding but will be very uncomfortable for the dog. Doing several small clips on one nail also helps ensure that you don't cut too far. Check the nail after every trim to see how much space you have left before you get to the quick.

 

[BxrMommieNAZ]

I also dremmel as there's no risk in cutting the quik and I've dremmeled my boy's nails since he was 9 weeks old to get him used to it. I do both of my dogs every 3 weeks or so.

On the bathing yes you can give him a bath but as someone else mentioned the fleas in the home, yard, and on the pup need to be taken care of also or you'll end up with an infestation. Something such as frontline Plus, Advantage or other "vet acquired" products (please do not use products from Bio Spot and Hartz, etc) are safe for pups as young as 8 weeks old and should help.

Good luck!