Hi, my friend has a litter of puppies now 6.5 weeks old. She wondered when you first bath your puppies? and would you use a dog hairdryer? (the pups are used to all household noises and love it when the hoover is out they try to play with it). She has been changing the paper and bedding very often but the pups do smell a little, she just wants to freshing them up.

Also someone would like to come and see a puppy, they have a dog already and would like to bring her along to meet the pup would you allow this?

She has been very careful when people have come to meet the puppies eg washing hands etc, but never been asked if an older dog could meet the pups too.

Thanks

Sorry if them seem like silly questions just she wants to be on the safe side.

We bath pups from four weeks on due to their size, they are then toweled dry and put in their whelping box with vet bed to snuggle into next to the radiator. We would never at any age allow someone to bring their dog anywhere near the puppies..They are not vaccinated and could pick up anything from the other dog..Hope this helps.

Having a short coated breed, I've never bathed a puppy. I have occasionally had to wipe them over with a damp cloth and then dry them but never actually bath them.

I bred my first litter way back in 1987 and there's no way that I have ever or would ever have someone else's dog anywhere near my puppies.

i would never let any1 bring a dog to meet the pups ever!!! even if there are othere dogs in her house her pups will be used it there germs ,but anther dog will bring different germs into the home ,also what if there dog attacked the pups?? i dont bath my pups (well ive never had to ,,,yet :)  ) ...but my litter i have at the mo are a large breed and ive just started weaning ...OOO THE MESS lol so maybe i will have to do it soon :) ,but not to worried as the weather is good and i also use vet bed .

xx

I wouldnt let ANY dog near pups as young as this - they havnt had they're injections so they're open to every disesse (excuse spelling!) I'd just wipe them ova with a warm damp cloth x

My breed is smooth-coated too, so I've never had to bath any puppies. And no, I'd never let an 'outside' dog come into contact with the litter.

Apart from the infection risk(which the individual pup will be exposed to when it goes to live with the other dog anyway) the main reason for me not to allow a strange dog into the house when I have pups is upsetting the resident dogs, especially Mum as they will be protective of the pups.

Mien are very social and more than happy with human visitors around their puppies as long as I am supervising, but a strange dog would be too much to expect.

I did have a couple some 10 years ago bring their dog without asking and I allowed him in the house (it was hot in the car) but nowhere near the pups.

I did bath pups for the first time this time as it had been wet and they smelt a bit unfresh after rolling around in mud and what have you.  Generally wiping over with a wet wipe, and washing their feet is enough.

Only bath mine when they are going to their new homes,  Never would allow someones dog to come in.

i completely understand all of you not wanting someones dog near your puppies but i was just wondering how do you judge then if their dog will get on with the puppy.
I'm sure you wouldn't want to let a pup go to a home with other dogs without knowing if they will accept it or not.
I only ask this because i've seen alot of puppies on the internet with people trying to find them new homes because once they got the puppy home their other dog didn't like the puppy.
I got my last dog from the breeder of a crufts champion and he allowed me to take the puppy home and see how things went, very trusting i know but it was a great help to me as it took a couple of weeks for one of my other dogs to accept the pup. of course i was very careful and made sure the pup would never get harmed.
This maybe very unusual for a breeder and i'm sure alot of you will not like the idea but it was great for me as i'd hate to of paid alot of money for my puppy only to find the poor thing had to be re-homed again, also not fare on the puppy.     
I also got a behavourist in when i got the pup home and she was really good at reading the body language of the pup and dog, although you can never be sure they will get on it gave me alot of hope i could work though the problem and keep the pup safe. with in a couple of weeks they were playing together etc, i still always keep an eye on them and give the dog time out away from the pup but things are going pretty well.

it took a couple of weeks for one of my other dogs to accept the pup.
Exactly.  The important thing is to explain to the new owner the best way to introduce a pup to an established dog and give them every support.  Of course that would be a difficult thing for an inexperienced breeder to do and maybe the pups that you have seen advertised come from such breeders.  Responsible breeders would be having their own pups back in cases of genuine difficulty and they wouldn't be appearing on internet sites with that excuse.
There is no way that I would have a strange dog introduced to puppies and I always bath and blow dry my pups the morning before they go to their new homes.

Our puppies are long coated and bathed as and when needed, all have a bath the morning they leave us.

If new owners have an adult dog we do allow them to bring it when they pick the puppy up if they wish. Their dog does not meet our adults and will only meet the puppy it will be living with. If more than one puppy is leaving that day, their's will be the last to go, to minimise infection risk. Floors are washed once they leave.

Sometime new owners can be worried about their dog meeting the puppy and we found it very helpful to get introductions over whilst we are present. We have found that this system works for us.

I always bathe the puppies when they go, but if someone has another dog I suggest that they bring the dog with them when they collect the pup and the older dog gets the smell of the pup on the way home and still gets an outing in the car.

I bathe puppies as and when required.  They also get wet out in the rain (or snow in the case of one of my litters :-)). The important thing is to rub them well with a towel and keep them warm until they dry.
I would not allow a visiting dog because of infection risk but I also think it would be of no assistance in assessing how the dog will be with a puppy because his reaction to a very young puppy with the nearby presence of its mother will give no true indication of how he will be later on.  The owners should know how he is with other dogs generally and advise should be given how to introduce and just give it time, as others have said.

isabel i agree 100% with you ...if some1 had a dog that shows agrestion towards other dogs then you wouldnt want to put a puppy at risk going to your home or there home !

<<but I also think it would be of no assistance in assessing how the dog will be with a puppy because his reaction to a very young puppy with the nearby presence of its mother will give no true indication of how he will be later on.  The owners should know how he is with other dogs generally>>

Of course I agree with this, however most adult dogs have never had contact with a 7/8 week old puppy, and some owners are understandably wary of how their dog may react, sometimes thinking that their dog will leap on the puppy in play etc. It's reassuring for them to have the introduction at ours and have our advise on how to cope with various situations.

And as the older dog is invariably one of our own breeding, it's always a good chance to see them again!

As I said, it works for us.