After Dog Giving Birth?

by Alex F Guerrero
(Horizon City TX)

My question is about how soon after giving birth can you give your bitch a bath or send them to the groomer?

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Answer From the Editors at Dog-Spoiling







We would definitely suggest that you do not take your dog to a groomer for clipping right away. During the first few weeks, you want to keep the mother as stress-free as possible. Remember, it takes up to two weeks for the puppies to even open their eyes so they need to be watched over by the mother as well as need the assurance of having her close by.

You can however give her an enjoyable grooming at home with a very effective grooming tool called the FURminator. It removes all the dead hair in a gentle manner that dogs seem to enjoy and makes them feel much more comfortable. Plus it leaves their coats looking great.



The next best tool that works in a similar way to this is the Zoom Groom For Dogs. This also gives a nice massage that the mother will enjoy after giving birth.




When you see that the mother is comfortable spending considerable time away from her puppy responsibilities, then you can consider a trip to the groomer.


In regard to bathing your dog, a full bath can wait for a week or two. The new mother needs to spend some time recovering from the birth and most of her time tending to the pups. But there are products you can use as alternatives to a wet bath that are just about as good.

You can give your dog a pretty thorough and quick all-over clean up with DermaPet Wet Wipes/Dry Bath. These wipes are handy until your pet is ready for a full grooming.

After a completely soothing wipe down, your dog will feel refreshed and smell nice while only being away from her puppies briefly and without the trauma of getting wet at this delicate time.


One last option we can suggest to get your dog clean and smelling good is using a waterless shampoo such as Miracle Foaming Waterless Dog Shampoo.

Hope these are enough suggestions to get you started with the new mother and best of luck with the new puppies. Hope you have great families lined up for them when they are ready for their forever homes.


The Complete Book of Dog Breeding can be found here.