Bathing your Pug should not be a hassle. Bathing frequency depends on need, but you shouldn’t bathe your Pug more often than every two weeks. Some Pugs develop very little body odor if they are exposed to the sunshine and fresh air daily, in which case, frequent bathing is unnecessary. Bathing helps remove some loose hair. If your Pug rolls in something nasty or if she develops bad body odor for any reason, a bath is in order.
Before bathing, comb and brush your Pug until most of the fly-away hair is gone. Pull a cotton ball in half, twist each half tightly, and work a twist gently into each ear canal. Squeeze a tiny amount of petroleum jelly onto her corneas at the lateral (outside) corner of each eye. It will melt and spread over the cornea to protect her sensitive eyes from shampoo.
Place a rubber mat in the tub or sink, and fill with about 4 inches of tepid water. Stand your Pug inside the tub. With the shower hose, or if one isn’t available, with a cupped hand, dip water and soak her coat. Squirt a modest amount of a good canine shampoo onto her back, neck, abdomen, and rump. Rub briskly. Pick up each foot and leg, and shampoo her tail. Work the shampoo into a lather with your fingers or a shampoo mitt.
Don’t shampoo her face. After shampooing her body, rinse the lather off with the shower hose. Dampen a washcloth or soft sponge with clean, warm water. Use the damp washcloth to clean her face and facial wrinkles. Take extra precautions to rinse all wrinkles.
Dry your Pug with a bath towel, taking care to dry wrinkles thoroughly. If bathing in inclement weather, you might need to finish her dry cycle with a handheld hair dyer, turned on low heat and low power. Pug’s wrinkles are quite susceptible to infection if they are left damp after bathing.
Bathing Necessities You Will Need
- Cotton balls
- Tube of sterile petroleum jelly to protect her eyes ($2)
- Laundry tub or kitchen sink
- Rubber shower or sink mat ($4)
- Handheld shower-hose attachment ($8)
- Canine shampoo ($6—$8)
- Shampoo mitt ($6) (Optional)
- A few large towels
- Washcloth or soft sponge
- Handheld hair dryer (Optional)
