How to Clean a 4 Week Old Puppy

Your 4-week old puppy is just now learning how to regulate his body temperature. Hopefully before now, you have not had a need to submerge him in water to give him a full bath. At around 4 weeks you can begin to do this, but only if absolutely necessary. If your puppy somehow got covered in mud, bathing him in a bathtub or a sink full of warm water is safe to do, but you will still need to focus on making the bath very quick and getting him warm and dry.

Your 4-week old puppy is becoming a rough and tumble little guy. However, he still needs tender loving care. He might be shaking and he might be scared if he's away from his mother for too long, but you may not know if his body temperature is too low. If you can spot clean him rather than submerging him in a full bath, opt for that at only four weeks old. No matter how you decide to clean your young puppy, keep him warm and wrapped in a towel or soft, warm blanket as much as possible until you can return him to his mother or at least his bedding.

• At 4-weeks old, your puppy is becoming stronger. However, he's not extremely tough just yet.
• Spot cleaning your puppy is still best until your puppy is about 2 months old.
• Your four-week-old puppy is just now starting to regulate his own body temperature. This could mean sometimes he's very cold and sometimes he's comfortable and can get himself from cold to comfortable rather quickly. However, this also means his body is still learning to regulate his temperature, which means if he gets too cold quickly he could be in trouble.
• Remember some dogs only require a bath 3 to 4 times a year. So if you can clean your 4-week old puppy with a wet washcloth or puppy wipes, consider doing this before giving him a bath.
• Remember anytime you use a wet washcloth or puppy wipes to wipe your puppy down, start with his face and end with his body. Doing so will keep bacteria from his body out of his eyes, nose, and mouth.
• There may not be a need to use dog shampoo on your 4-week old puppy. However, if he is extremely dirty you can find puppy shampoo. Most puppy shampoos will be tear-free.
• You can also use natural shampoos such as a baking soda wash to freshen the smell of your puppy.
• Most puppies this age who have any kind of smell or stench simply require a wipe down around their potty areas or around their mouths and necks and in between their puppy skin folds.

Your four-week-old puppy is something special. He's growing and becoming quite the hound. Try as you mutt, you can't keep a puppy down. He's going to get dirty. And dirty dogs must be cleaned. But you can have a pampered pooch without giving him a full bath. Keep him clean and out of the dog house with a wipe down or a simple cleaning dip.