Is she too young for a bath?
 

Hi everyone! As a new yorkie mom I have a question (again!):

When is it ok to bathe a yorkie puppy? My Ruby is now 8 wks old...is she too young? According to the breeder I got her from, she had bathed her 2 days before she gave her to me (meaning about a week and a half ago)...but I would like to bathe her again because the breeder did have a lot of dogs and stuff...you never know.

If I can bathe her...what's the best way to go about doing it? Just in the bathtub or does she need to be in a smaller space like a basket and then in the bathtub? Does she need special shampoo (being a puppy?) or will a regular 'human' shampoo be ok?

Also...if it's ok to bathe her from this age...how often does she need a bath? How often do you bathe your Yorkies?

no she is not to little or young...i normally bath them the moment we get home...lol...not that i trust the breeder but for my own sense of clean. When i have puppies i bath them around the this age also...to get them use to grooming....good luck....

This is good to know. I was told from my girl's breeder that their skin and hair is very very sensitive and not to bath them until they are 16-20 weeks old if possible. My girl is in her 2nd week of recovering from a broken leg she's 3 months old, and I just use the wipes and leave in conditioner on her now, but as soon as she's healed I'm giving her her 1st bath and was wondering a lot of things like marilena4488. She'll be around 4 months old when's she's all healed up. I do know that you definitely want to use dog shampoo/conditioner. A lot of people say one with an oatmeal base too. You can find some good recommendations on shampoos/conditioners in the product review section and even links to request free samples too! :) I was thinking about just taking her to a groomer too, but I've read some horror stories and it's freaked me out a bit. Haha. I still may but my girl is so jumpy and I'm afraid she might get hurt and I've read awful things about blow dryer accidents. I'm sure these horror stories I read are a dime a dozen though. I'm sure she'll be fine, but I just haven't decided yet if I'll do the bath myself or have a groomer do it. Would love to know "techniques" for making them calm/restricted when bathing. I do know everyone say's to rinse well and I would think your kitchen sink would be the ideal place to give a bath.

I would like to know some techniques to keep them calm and like the water too...I just don't know how Ruby will react to bathing...hoping she will like it! I wasn't thinking of a groomer because mine is very very young...but I do want to bathe her, I dunno... I just want to know that I bathed her last, not the breeder, and that I did a good job and she's clean and stuff!

I hope your Yorkie is all better soon Kate07!

So I have to buy a doggy/puppy shampoo for her then...and then iiiit's...bath time! :D

well being that they are still pretty small i would just bath them in the sink if you can fit them in there....just praise praise praise....try to keep water for getting them in the face...it freaks them out....most of mine like to sit right under the stream of water and let it hit their backs....but once it gets near their face they freak out...

I use MinkSheen on my furbutts with Pantene Pro V sleek and shine conditioner on their coats...it makes it a lot easier to brush and comb out...

also I don't normally use oatmeal base shampoo unless they are itching...hehe...and to help reduce the itching also when you are shampooing make sure to get out all the residue...because it can dry and cause itching....every one have their own personal preference on shampoo/conditioner...many of them offer sample size if you send them an email via their website...i didn't know that at first and always end up with all sorts of shampoo and conditioner until someone mention the sample

Do yorkies generaly itch? Ruby is sort of scratchy sometimes...I dunno that's mostly why I want to bathe her...

Some yorkies have itchy skin, while others don't. Generally, when they need bathing most all yorkies will get itchy. What I would do with your first bath is put a little warm water in the tub and be very gentle - see how she reacts. Don't let the water run full blast and scare her. If you are very gentle the first time and make it an enjoyable experience then you will help pave the road for weekly baths in the future where your little one won't be scared. If you do decide to use the sink, be very, very careful. They are very slippery and more than one yorkie has jumped and gotten seriously injured! Also, an oatmeal based shampoo is good for itchy skin.

I think I'll go with the bathtub...that was my original plan anyway...As for the oatmeal shampoo...I don't know if they have something like that in Greece, I've never looked for it before (my chihuahua isn't itchy at all and doesn't have sensitive skin, actually she doesn't care much for baths anyway! :D ) but I will ask for it...If they don't have something like that the regular shampoo will do right?

And they have to take a bath once a week? Oh I hope she likes taking a bath then...:rolleyes:

Although today she walked into the bathroom when I was taking a shower and she didn't get scared from the sound of the water running or anything, maybe that's a good sign!!:rolleyes::)

Since we're on the subject of cleanliness...If I want to quickly clean her after she goes potty on the newspapers etc (she tends to step in her pee:rolleyes:) can I use some sort of babywipes/wet-ones or is that bad for her skin?

Just go slow with her and try to keep the same routine each time. I think it is good for them to get used to grooming early. I use a washcloth or towel at the bottom of the sink/tub to keep them from feeling like they are gonna slip around. I have used baby wipes to keep mine clean and never had a problem with that. I also make sure to keep the hair trimmed short around their bottom and that will keep them alot cleaner too.

Try the regular shampoo. She's more than likely not one that has sensitive, itchy skin anyway. Baby wipes are fine to clean her. I use them occasionally. Just be gentle the first time and you'll be doing yourself and her a favor. Mine have always needed a bath every 5 to 7 days. Yorkies don't have an undercoat - just hair like we have. They tend to get itchy by the end of the week. Their hair also tends to look oily, too.:D

I wash twinkie in the kitchen sink and place a towel on the bottom of the sink. This makes it easier for me to hold her and it's not slippery. :)