puppies and baths

Question
We just got an eight week old miniature schnauzer. I have a question about baths. When can we give her her first bath?  She smells pretty bad.  How often can we give her a bath?  Is there any special shampoo we should use for a puppy?

Answer
She can have a bath now. Just be sure that she doesn't get chilled. I wouldn't give her one more often than every couple weeks, unless she really gets herself dirty.

Shampoo doesn't really matter, as long as it is a dog shampoo. I open up the bottle and sniff the stuff until I find one with an aroma that I like. After all, these dogs are up in our faces more often than not! We should enjoy the smell when our noses are in their hair*G*.

Just be sure that you rinse the shampoo out thoroughly when you bathe the puppy. Rinse, rinse, then when you think you are done, rinse again. Shampoo left in the coat can make them itchy. And be sure the hair is totally brushed out *before* the bath, and then brushed again afterwards. If that isn't done, the hair can start to mat up on you.