Bathing a Puppy With Baking Soda

Baking soda is ideal for bathing your puppy. It's gentle and doesn't contain any chemicals that could hurt your puppy, even if he manages to swallow some. It can be used wet, dry or sprayed on for a super quick bath. On top of that, it's environmentally friendly and inexpensive.

Baking soda is often mixed with dog shampoo or in the bath water because it makes your dog's coat soft and shiny. It's great if your puppy has dry or flaky skin since it soothes itchy spots. Baking soda is also effective at removing odors and will leave your puppy smelling good. Best of all, it's perfectly safe to use even on young puppies, and you don't have to worry if he gets a little silly and swallows some of the bathwater or licks himself while you're trying to get him clean.

There are a few ways to use baking soda in the bath. You can sprinkle some in the bathwater so it can soak into his coat and skin during the bath. Alternately, you can mix it with your regular dog shampoo, or make your own by combining 1 cup warm water with 1 tablespoon baking soda and 1 tablespoon mild dish detergent. You can even add the baking soda to the rinse water as well. After your dog is dry, brush him well to remove any remaining baking soda and notice how soft and shiny his coat is.

When it's just not possible to give your puppy a bath, or you just want to spot clean to remove something yucky he got into, you can use a spray-on baking soda bath. Mix together 3 tablespoons baking soda, 1 teaspoon baby oil and 1 teaspoon mild dish soap in a spray bottle. Mist your puppy with the mixture, making sure you don't get it in his eyes or ears, and then wipe him down with a clean cloth.

Another wonderful thing about bathing your puppy with baking soda is that if you don't have time to give him a regular bath, or want to freshen his coat between shampoos, you can simply give him a dry bath. Sprinkle dry baking soda onto his coat, rub it in and brush it out. His coat will smell and look much better with very little time or work. Even if you don't have time to brush it out well, the baking soda won't hurt him or irritate his skin.