Puppy comes home Saturday... need some grooming tips!

lalipupper · Jun 15, 2017

Hi all!

Baby Lily comes home this Saturday at 10 weeks old and we are so thrilled! This is our first dog. We have always had cats.

Everything is ready at home for her for the most part, but I do have a few questions about the frequency of grooming.

I purchased a Kong rubber grooming brush. Is a 1 week brush of the coat sufficient? Is it ok to use a furminator?
We just had a fence put in so the backyard is a bit muddy. I suspect she's going to have a blast in the mud and dirt (much to my chagrin lol)... Is it okay to spray her down with the hose or in the tub without soap and towel her off? How often is too often? I'll be sure to dry her thoroughly in all the right places.
I purchased malacetic wipes for cleaning face folds and tail (if needed - I don't think she'll have a pocket). How often should I do this? Do I need to dry the folds after using these kind of wipes?
I've purchased witch hazel... Can I use this to wipe inside her ears with cotton balls? How often?

Thanks!!

davidh · Jun 15, 2017

Congrats on your new pup, can't wait to see pics. Sounds like you have prepared quite well. Frenchies are pretty much maintenance free and need little care. They can go a month or two between baths. If your pup gets muddy, just wash off the dirt and dry as needed, no need for soap. On a pup I wouldn't use the Witch Hazel in the ears. I use unscented baby wipes in our Frenchy ears. You can use the Malacetic to clean the ears if you want, but don't need to every time. The Kong Zoom Groom is an excellent grooming tool, and brushing once a week should be fine. When they blow their coats in the spring and fall, you can brush more often to help get the old coat off. Just a reminder, no rawhides, bully sticks, pig ears or anything like that for chew toys. Nylabones, Kong hard rubber toys, and Elk or Moose antlers are all good chew toys.

lalipupper · Jun 16, 2017

Thanks davidh! Appreciate it!

Yes - we've stuck to nylabone and kong toys. I didn't end up getting antler toys as they're very expensive in my area for some reason.

Cbrugs · Jun 16, 2017

David has you covered!

I use Zymox to clean the ears. I *think* that if you use a medicated wipe, you do not need to dry the folds after. Same with witch hazel. But if you were to use an unscented baby wipe, then you would dry afterwards. I use Duoxo wipes and I probably clean Jax's face maybe once a week, sometimes twice. And then sometimes I will do a wipe down with the witch hazel.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and congratulations! Make sure you get your sleep now...hahahaha.

And be sure to post lots of pictures!

lalipupper · Jun 16, 2017

Cbrugs said:
David has you covered!

I use Zymox to clean the ears. I *think* that if you use a medicated wipe, you do not need to dry the folds after. Same with witch hazel. But if you were to use an unscented baby wipe, then you would dry afterwards. I use Duoxo wipes and I probably clean Jax's face maybe once a week, sometimes twice. And then sometimes I will do a wipe down with the witch hazel.

- - - Updated - - -

Oh, and congratulations! Make sure you get your sleep now...hahahaha.

And be sure to post lots of pictures!

Thanks! Yeah I was wondering about the Malacetic wipes and drying... I know some stuff like that seems 'wet' but it dries like alcohol. I guess we'll see.

The sleep thing... I've been so excited all week. I woke up at 5 this morning from excitement. I might need to knock myself out with something tonight in an attempt to sleep before she gets home - lol.

I will definitely post pictures... We haven't seen her since 4 weeks so I'll be taking a ton!