If you make the first time you bathe the puppy a positive experience, he’ll soon warm up to the idea. Credit: tdub303 / Getty Images
People often wonder at what age can you bathe puppies? Well, guess what. If a puppy needs a bath for its health and well-being, you can bathe them at any age, but drying young puppies well and keeping them warm is very important.
Examples of when to bathe a puppy for the first time depends depend upon the puppies and their life circumstances. If orphan puppies being hand-raised become soiled with urine or feces, they must be bathed to avoid life-threatening skin infections. Flea infestations on newborn puppies can cause life-threatening anemia, which means frequent bathing is necessary to remove adult fleas and any “flea dirt,” which contains eggs and larvae.
For the average puppy owner wondering when to bathe their puppy for the first time, if they are old enough to leave their mother and littermates, they are old enough to have a bath. Just give them time to settle in and feel confident in your home before considering a bath. And, if you want to be able to comfortably bathe them for the rest of their lives, be sure to make their first bath a pleasant experience! And always dry them and keep them warm.
How often can you wash your puppy? That depends on a couple of things. First, how dirty does your puppy get? If your yard is muddy and he’s out there romping and playing every day, he may require bathing every day. Second, does he develop dry white skin flakes and seem itchy after a bath? If yes, then you’re either bathing him too frequently or the shampoo you are using is too harsh for him.
I recommend using a shampoo specifically formulated for puppies. As far as how often to bathe, once a month is a nice, healthy bathing schedule for most puppies and adult dogs.
If you suspect your dog is going blind, see your veterinarian, who will check his eyes for things like cataracts and possibly even check for disease, like diabetes, that may affect his eyes. Credit: Hillary Kladke / Getty Images
How do you know if your dog is going blind? That seems like a simple question, but it isn’t. While people are highly visual, dogs are excellent at using their other senses to compensate for a loss of vision.
The classic waving your hand in front of your dog’s eyes to test his vision reaction won’t work because dogs naturally react to moving air as well as any light change. You need to be an astute observer to notice early signs of blindness in dogs. You might notice that your dog is hesitant going from a lighted room into a dark one or doesn’t venture beyond the light in the yard at night.
The most common way people discover a dog is blind is when they rearrange the furniture or move deck chairs out in the yard and the dog blunders into them. Up until then, your dog was trotting freely through the house and even heading straight out to his favorite tree in the yard to pee. You wouldn’t think blindness, based on that. What happened, however, is that your dog has mental maps and scent trails that he uses to guide him. By moving things, you interfered with that map.
What can you do when your dog goes blind or has major vision loss? Start by NOT moving furniture inside or outside, as it interferes with his mental maps. Leave his bowls and beds in place. Until your dog is totally blind, you can flick lights on and off to help him get in from the yard at night.
Remember, his hearing is still working. Start using sounds to guide as soon as you suspect your dog is losing his sight. Repeated short whistles or chirps can help guide him back to you outside. Stay in one place when you do this so he can orient.
When walking, keep light tension on his leash or have him heel closely so he is touching your leg. If you have another dog (or cat, in some cases), the other pet will often act as a guide. Watch for your dog walking with his nose by another pet’s tail. Provide scent games and tracks to help keep your active dog and mentally stimulated.
If you suspect your dog is going blind, see your veterinarian. The sooner the better. Diseases like diabetes and cataracts can affect his vision and may be treatable.
A dog who has gone blind can live a full, happy life, if we just work with the senses he has left, especially hearing and scent, and don’t move things around. Animals accept what life throws at them, so as long as your dog knows where things are—especially food, water, and his bed—he is happy just to still be with you.
Each puppy is born with its own placenta, and it could be up to four hours between puppies. Credit: 153photostudio / Getty Images
Recognizing signs a dog is going into labor soon is important. Your dog has three stages of labor in dogs with specific signs that help you know when your dog is in labor.
A dog’s gestation period—the length of time your dog is pregnant—is 63 days. Be aware, however, that it is not the breeding date that determines the 63 days. It is whenever the female dog ovulates, which can be several days away from the breeding date, making it difficult to pinpoint an exact due date.
When your dog is getting close to her approximate due date, start taking her temperature with a rectal thermometer every day, at the same time every day. Normal temperature in dogs is 101 to 102 degrees. At about 24 hours before she goes into labor, her temperature will drop below 100 degrees. This is the best way to know it’s time to get ready for the big event!
Stage One Labor: This is when your dog’s uterine contractions are starting, even though you can’t see them. The mom will show signs of restlessness, panting, trembling, digging like trying to make a nest, lack of appetite, and maybe even vomiting. Be patient and supportive. This stage of labor can last a long time—up to 12 hours.
Stage Two Labor: This is when a puppy comes out. You will see the mom actively pushing, and there will be some clear discharge from the vulva. Active contractions/pushing usually only lasts about 30 minutes or so before a puppy is expelled.
Stage Three Labor: This is when the mom pushes the puppy’s placenta out. It could take 15 minutes after the puppy is born for the placenta to come out. Each puppy has its own placenta, so expect one per pup.
Your dog will alternate between Stages Two and Three until all the puppies are born. Sometimes the mom will rest between puppies. This rest period can last up to four hours between pups, so relax and try to stay calm.
Signs that your dog may be in trouble, and you should seek veterinary intervention include:
Active contractions lasting longer than 30 minutes with no puppy
More than four hours between pups
The mom appears to be in worsening pain with no pups coming
Believe it or not, most of the time everything goes just fine. Try to relax and enjoy this wonderful experience but stay alert and don’t hesitate to seek help if things aren’t going according to plan.
I do things with my dogs practically every day that would make other dog owners frown with disapproval – and my friends and neighbors do things with their dogs that fill me with horror. The differences in how we live with and care for our dogs are vast and unquantifiable – and although the same could be said of the differences between how people raise their kids, I’ve noticed that dog owners are much more likely than parents to tell other dog owners – perfect strangers! – that they are doing things wrong with their dogs.
Of course, it’s a good thing for society if we care about how other beings are being treated – and even intervene in cases of cruelty or neglect. But I’m not talking about situations that rise to the level of blatant abuse; I’m talking about small daily practices that absolutely can have an effect on a dog’s health and well being and even lifespan – but the differences are small, unproven, and largely a matter of opinion.
There are a few things off the top of my head that I see people do with or to their dogs that I feel highly judgmental about:
Letting their dogs get super fat; maybe this should be “making their dogs super fat.”
Letting their dogs nails get super long.
Letting their tiny or small dogs ride on their laps in the driver’s seat.
Yanking, yanking, yanking their dog’s leash. Even more so if it’s attached to a choke chain or pinch collar.
Allowing their intact dogs to reproduce indiscriminately.
Keeping dogs on chains outdoors.
Keeping pet dogs outdoors 24/7 (there are some working dogs who are happiest living outdoors, but if you have a non-working dog that you originally got as a pet, but keep them outdoors all the time…what’s the point?).
Here are a few examples of things I do with my dogs that might horrify some of you:
I mostly feed them dry dog food.
I put Seresto collars on them if fleas have been found on one of my dogs or I’m going to be hiking in tick-infested areas.
My dogs rarely wear collars.
I do not always have my dogs restrained in a seat belt or crate in my car.
I sometimes tell my dogs, “No!”
I walk my dogs off-leash in places known to be home to rattlesnakes.
I sometimes allow my dogs to ride in the back of our pickup truck.
Okay, with that last one, I’m reaching a little. They only would be in the back of a truck for a very short distance on a dirt road, on our way to a trailhead in our local wildlife area, for example, and at a very slow speed. They enjoy this as much as any kid who has begged to ride in the back of a truck for a short distance under controlled conditions – probably more, given the way their noses go into overdrive, smelling all the wildlife smells. Even so, I have one friend who worries about this, and has admonished me on the way to a hike for allowing my dogs to do this – especially after hearing that one of my foster dogs once jumped out of the back of my moving truck. (For the record, we were only going about 5 mph on a dirt road with nobody else around for miles, and she immediately took off running for the lake that we were moving toward; she was fine!)
While I roll my eyes at my friend’s concern that my dogs could hurt themselves by jumping out of the back of the truck (at such slow speeds, and on a dirt road with no one else in plain sight for a half-mile), I myself have judged other people for having unrestrained dogs in the back of their trucks – on the highway, for sure, or even at 30 mph in town! Unrestrained dogs in trucks I’ve seen in regular town traffic – or, horrors, on the highway! – who are spinning in excitement, or running back and forth on a toolbox behind the cab, or running back and forth in the bed of a truck barking at other cars – yes, I’ve judged their owners! Because in my opinion, those dogs are at a high risk of falling off or out of the trucks, especially if the owner has to slam on the brakes, make a quick swerve to avoid hitting something, or if another driver runs a red light (for example) and runs into the truck with the loose dog. But those owners probably think my concern for their dogs is overblown, just like I think my friend’s concern for my dogs is excessive.
My “Never Would I Ever” Is Your “I Do That All The Time!” (and Vice Versa!)
I suppose that statistically, I could find some data to prove to the owners of unrestrained truck dogs that their dogs are at a real and quantifiable risk of falling out of the truck and being lost, injured, or killed. Any my friend might even be able to find data on injuries suffered by dogs who were allowed to jump heights that are equivalent to the back of my pickup truck. But what about practices that lack data that could confirm whether they are a danger?
The best example of this might be feeding your dog kibble. To hear it from some owners who feed a home-prepared or even a commercial fresh-food diet, dry dog food is tantamount to poison! And if they are not talking about dry food in general, they may be making strong statements about foods that contain a particular ingredient or come from a particular company or manufacturing plant. It should be obvious that there if there were any data to support the concept that dry food in general, or any specific dry food that’s on the market, actually kills dogs, it’s immediately removed from the market.
And to hear it from some veterinarians, the people who feed a home-prepared diet are the ones risking their dogs’ lives!
Anyway, my point is, there is no single correct way to feed, train, or care for our dogs. I may have strong opinions about some things, but I don’t think for a second that everyone should do as I do, or that people who do the things that I am horrified by should immediately turn over their dogs to the authorities. As long as a dog is not being overtly abused or neglected, we have to look the other way sometimes, and respect the fact that folks have the right to subject their dogs to conditions or risks that we might not – as difficult as that might be!
Are there things that you are judgmental about when it comes to other people’s dogs? When do you feel like you have to say something to them about it?
The peak of your puppy’s teething tends to occur when his baby teeth are beginning to shed and his adult teeth are starting to erupt. During this phase, it’s important to manage his access to items that you don’t want chewed (with gates, pens, and crates) and to supply him with plenty of “legal” chew toys of various textures. Photo by Eileen Groome, Getty Photos.
The period during which puppies are teething can be very trying – for you and your puppy. A pup experiences moderate to significant pain as her 28 baby teeth start to fall out, starting around the age of three to four months, and are replaced over a period of months by 42 adult teeth. She’ll likely want to chew on everything – including you – as she tries to relieve the discomfort.
When Do Puppies Stop Teething?
The good news is that, by the age of seven months, all of a pup’s adult teeth have usually fully erupted. (Occasionally a tooth may not fall out on its own; if you see a retained baby tooth in your puppy’s mouth, be sure to tell your veterinarian.) Once all her adult teeth are in, your pup’s desire to chew usually decreases noticeably. This doesn’t mean it disappears altogether; compared to older adult dogs, most adolescent dogs exhibit an increased desire to chew until around 18 months of age, and for some dogs even longer. (It’s normal for dogs to continue some chewing for the rest of their lives – it’s what dogs do!)
Puppy Teeth Chart: When Does a Puppy Lose Their Teeth?
Tooth Type
Deciduous (Baby) Teeth
Adult Teeth
Canine
3-5 weeks
22-30 weeks
Incisors
4-6 weeks
10-22 weeks
Premolars
4-10 weeks
18-26 weeks
Molars
None
22-30 weeks
Tips for Teething Puppies
Your puppy’s going to chew. You can’t stop her, and you shouldn’t even try. Instead, provide her with plenty of appropriate chew toys and manage her world so she doesn’t have lots of opportunities to chew inappropriate objects. Supervise!
Today’s dog owner has an enormous selection of chew toys to choose from, including some that can be stuffed with food to increase the dog’s interest. Buy toys in a variety of textures, until you find the type that she chews with the most passion; then buy more of that type, whether they are hard plastic, soft and rubbery, made of leather, comprised of wood, or made of fabric: ropy, fleecy, silky, or tough like a fire hose. The more legal chew items a puppy has, in a variety of textures and densities, the less likely she is to chew on you or your household items.
Ideally, offer your pup a tempting chew toy before she latches onto an inappropriate chew object. If you’re too late for that, redirect her to a chew toy as soon as possible. Keep toys handy in every room so you can easily grab one when you need one, and use leashes, tethers, exercise pens, and/or crates to keep her out of trouble when you can’t supervise.
The better your management, the sooner your pup will learn to direct her teeth to her own chew toys rather than your valuables, and the sooner you’ll be able to give her house freedom. Meanwhile, be patient… This, too, shall pass.
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The number of dog friendly hotels is increasing. Keeping your dog under control and behaving ensures this trend will continue to grow. Credit: NoSystem images / Getty Images
Dog friendly hotels are a lot easier to find today than they were 30 or even 20 years ago. Almost gone are the days when you had to sneak your dog inside. Why? Because as more people consider pets part of the family, more people are traveling with their dogs and not leaving them at a boarding kennel, as was done decades ago. And, because hotel owners want customers, they’re meeting the needs of those of us who travel with our dogs. They want our business.
The list of pet-friendly hotels starts with the famous Plaza Hotel in New York City (at $1,295 per night!) and runs to the nearly as famous Bellagio and Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Most Airbnb rentals are also dog friendly.
The good news on the more affordable level is that at least 16 hotel/motel chains—including Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn, Holiday Inn Express, Hyatt Regency, La Quinta, Red Roof Inns, Fairfield Inns, Motel 6, and all Westin Inns—are pet-friendly. They may charge a fee, ranging from $30 to $100 per stay or per night, to keep your dog in the room with you, but some do not. The fee depends on the individual hotel, even within a chain, however, so expect variance.
Finding dog friendly hotel chains is not difficult, but a few individual hotels—even in a chain—may not be dog friendly. It’s best to check online (bringfido.com or gopetfriendly.com are two sites to try), or you can call the hotel’s front desk (or the Airbnb manager) before you make a reservation to be 100% sure your dog is welcome. If you have more than one dog, always ask what the limit is on dogs per room. Write down who you spoke with and when.
Remember, too, that even if the hotel is dog friendly, not all customers are. So, the rules of common courtesy toward other guests apply during your stay:
Make sure your dog is completely house-trained.
Don’t allow him to bark excessively.
Avoid leaving him alone in the hotel room, as this can result in annoying barking.
Always carry a poop bag and clean up after your dog. It matters. Don’t let your dog urinate on the hotel walls, trash cans, outdoor furniture, or anywhere near entrances.
Keep your dog on leash and away from other guests. If other guests enter the elevator, politely wait for the next ride. Try to use side or back doors for entering and exiting, avoiding the main doors and lobby when possible.
Treat your hotel room like you would your home:
Clean up if your dog has an accident in your room or anywhere in the hotel.
If your dog destroys something, let the front desk know (you may have to pay for it, but it’s important to ensure the hotel remains dog friendly).
Bring a bed sheet from home to put over the bed your dog sleeps on to minimize dog hair.
If your dog sometimes urinates in excitement or anxiety, keep a disposable dog diaper on him.
Bring a dog crate with you and crate him at night if there’s any chance he may not behave while you sleep
Bring food and water bowls. Don’t use the ice bucket for a water bowl, and remember that toilets may have chemical cleaners your dog shouldn’t consume.
Those who frequently travel with dogs highly value nice dog friendly hotels. The only way to keep them available is to be courteous.
Anything that breaks the skin, like mange mites (pictured) or fleas, would make the dog susceptible to a skin infection like Staph.
Most skin infections in dogs are caused by Staphylococcus (Staph) bacteria. The most common culprit in dogs is Staph pseudointermedius. This infection is different from MRSA (Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus), the super bug that can be deadly to people. And, although MRSA is highly contagious and can transfer from dog to person, Staph pseudointermedius in a dog rarely transfers to a person. Dog staph infection treatment depends on the severity of the infection.
Staph infections in dogs can be superficial or deep. With superficial infections, you may notice redness, hair loss, dry flakes, and pimple-like lesions that may or may not bother your dog. The infection may be localized to one area, like the groin, or widespread. Deep infections have similar lesions, but they include pain, swelling, disruption of the skin surface, and oozing. The classic, nasty “hot spot” on the neck or cheek is a perfect example of a deep bacterial infection.
The initial treatment for a minor dog staph infection may be done at home. It involves frequent bathing with an antimicrobial shampoo. Products with 4% chlorhexidine, like TrizChlor4, are effective and available without a prescription. Your veterinarian may recommend daily bathing with this medicated shampoo, although the minimum protocol is twice a week.
In addition to the antimicrobial action of the chlorhexidine, bathing helps remove the scabs, crusts, scales, and grease that harbor bacteria. If bathing is not possible, 4% chlorhexidine is available in wipes, sprays, and foams. If the infection fails to resolve, you must see your veterinarian.
Because of the ever-increasing occurrence of drug resistance in bacteria, many veterinarians will initially treat superficial infections topically before reaching for oral antibiotics. This topical-first method of treatment is called “antibiotic stewardship,” and it is important for the health of everyone.
Your veterinarian may recommend mupirocin, a generic antibiotic ointment available by prescription only, as it is highly effective against Staph infections in dogs. If topical therapy does not resolve your dog’s superficial Staph infection, oral antibiotics will be prescribed. Two to three weeks of treatment is usually sufficient.
Deep infections may require treatment with oral antibiotics for up to 12 weeks. Choosing the right antibiotic and keeping the dog on it long enough to kill the bacteria is important to avoid recurrent infections. Recurrent infections create resistant bacteria like MRSA. Your veterinarian will require follow-up visits to ensure full resolution of the infection before discontinuing antibiotics. These follow-up visits are extremely important. Some recurrent infections require culture and sensitivity testing to find the right antibiotic.
Most Staph infections are caused by another problem, so if your dog keeps getting skin infections, your veterinarian will try to identify and treat any underlying causes. The most common predisposing factors for Staph are:
Finally, if your dog has a Staph infection, remember that resistant infections are an ever-increasing threat to everyone. Washing hands and bedding frequently helps keep everyone safe.
Hard rubber toys, like the original Kong shown here, are your best bet for an indestructible dog toy. Credit: Tepepa79 / Getty Images
There is no such thing as an indestructible dog toy for an aggressive chewer. Unless it’s made out of lead. Hard rubber chew toys are durable dog toys that need replacement far less often.
Dogs can have a strong bite force—between 200 to 700 pounds per square inch (PSI)—and an aggressive chewer with a strong biting or chewing instinct will work on a toy-destruction project endlessly. Maybe not all at once, but day after day after day.
Looking for an indestructible stuffed toy? Forget it. Dog toys with parts that stick out or are stuffed and fluffy are especially vulnerable—any kind of adorable doll. They almost always have legs and a head that a dog can grab with his teeth and pull. These toys often also have a squeaker inside. Dogs love to chew or eat stuffing, and a squeaker is even more fun because it makes noise. (It’s potentially dangerous, too, because the squeaker could get stuck in their throat or on a tooth or swallowed.) And if the doll has hair too—well, that’s even more fun.
So, you have to constantly buy new toys and clean up all of the pieces.
The toys that come closest to being indestructible are hard rubber dog toys. The leader among these rubber dog toys is the original Kong, a bell-shaped piece of rubber that costs $8 or $9 and can be stuffed with something yummy. The original Kongs aren’t fun to look at, but dogs like them, and all types or hard rubber Kong toys will last your dog a long time.
Don’t be fooled. Kevlar—that synthetic material that’s said to be stronger than steel and is used in protective vests—is used to make durable dog toys. But, yes, your dog can chew through Kevlar and swallow strands of the fiber, which is not good. If you really need an indestructible dog toy, choose hard rubber Kongs, which are available almost anywhere dog toys are sold.
A stressed dog is withdrawn, refusing to move toward you, ears are down, and he may be cowering—among other things. Talk with your veterinarian, a Fear-Free trainer, or behaviorist to get help before the dog’s anxiety worsens. Credit: Robert Way / Getty Images
Your ability to recognize critical signs of stress in a dog is an important aspect of taking good care of your dog. Stress can lead to medical and worsening behavioral problems you’d much rather prevent. You need to recognize dog anxiety and take steps to help your dog manage his stress.
Learn to recognize signs of dog anxiety, so you can help your dog feel more comfortable in a situation. Examples of potentially stressful situations for your dog include unwanted confinement, leash restriction when other dogs are free, new people or pets in the house, new home, and scary noises like rattling shopping carts or plastic bags flapping in the wind. But there can be more, which is why you need to know signs of dog anxiety. Dog stress symptoms include behaviors that are known to mean a dog is feeling stress:
Barking
Circling
Cowering
Dilated pupils
Excessive drooling
Flattened ears
Front paw lifting
Head shaking
Heavy panting
Losing control of bladder or bowels
Nose licking
Obsessively licking one spot
Refusing to look directly at something
Scratching himself
Shying away from/refusing to move toward something
Trembling
Whining/vocalizing
Yawning (when obviously not sleepy)
Bloodshot eyes in your dog aren’t necessarily stress. Yes, sometimes anxious dogs or even happily excited will get bloodshot eyes, but you shouldn’t assume bloodshot eyes just mean stress. Medical problems like conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, and glaucoma can cause bloodshot eyes, too. If you see bloodshot eyes in your dog, get an appointment with your veterinarian.
In addition to the signs of stress listed above, dogs exhibit certain behaviors that signify chronic stress. These include:
Compulsive licking at a limb creating a “lick sore”
Destructive behavior like tearing up his bed or destroying household things
Diarrhea
House soiling
Loss of appetite
Low activity
Restlessness/pacing
Shut down (withdrawn, unresponsive to stimuli and people)
Withdrawal from family/less interactive
Vomiting bile
If your dog is exhibiting any of these signs of anxiety/dog stress, seek professional help. Your veterinarian can make sure there are no underlying illnesses involved and give you guidance on best ways to manage your dog’s stress. You may need to make adjustments to his environment and your handling, slowly increase his socialization to build confidence, or consider some medications that can help modify his behavior.
Pour the entire skunk-spray deodorizer recipe on the dog who got sprayed by the skunk and let it sit for 5 minutes, then rinse. Repeat, if necessary. Credit: Tonkovic / Getty Images
When your dog gets sprayed by a skunk, there’s more to worry about than how to remove skunk smell from the dog. Although rare, compounds in skunk spray can cause chemical reactions in the body that damage red blood cells and hemoglobin. This can be deadly.
While this reaction is least likely to happen if your dog is sprayed in open air, small dogs who get sprayed while trying to dig skunks out of burrows can collapse and lose consciousness so quickly that they must be dug out of the burrow themselves to be rescued. Hemoglobin damage occurs within minutes to hours. Signs include chocolate-colored gums, chocolate-colored urine, trouble breathing, weakness, collapse, seizure, and coma. Red blood cell damage may take three days to show up. Signs include weakness, lethargy, loss of appetite, and trouble breathing.
So, the first thing to do when your dog gets sprayed by a skunk is to be aware of this rare but deadly consequence and carefully monitor your dog’s mucous membranes, urine, and breathing for several days after a skunk encounter. If you have any concerns, call your veterinarian immediately.
On to how to remove skunk smell from your dog. Skunk smell can last on your dog and anything else it touches for up to three weeks! The sooner you begin to remove the smell, the better.
The homemade recipe is the absolute best remedy for removing skunk odor from your dog. Nothing else comes close. Don’t waste time heading out to purchase commercial products while your dog stinks up your home. Keep these ingredients on hand at home, and you can be done with this smelly nightmare as fast as you can say “pee-yoooo.”
Ingredients:
1 quart FRESH 3% hydrogen peroxide (“fresh” means a previously unopened bottle)
¼ cup baking soda
1 tbsp liquid dish soap (preferably Dawn)
First, bathe your dog with Dawn dishwashing liquid to remove as much of the oily film as you can. Next, mix the ingredients in a bowl and use the entire contents, rubbing it into your dog’s coat, focusing heavily on the areas directly sprayed, for 5 minutes. Then rinse. As long as you have treated every area hit by spray, your dog should be fresh as a daisy and good to go. Remember that:
You cannot mix this anti-skunk smell recipe ahead of time.
If the dog got sprayed in the face, you must treat the face. Be careful to keep the solution out of the eyes, and hold the eyelids closed while rinsing the face.
Do not leave this remedy on the dog longer than 5 minutes as it may bleach the coat.
It is OK to repeat as needed if necessary, rinsing between.
This is a decent sized panty-style diaper, probably being used for heat cycles. We hope it has a hole for the dog’s tail, because even short tails are better outside of the diaper. Credit: Firn / Getty Images
Do you have a dog who leaks urine while she’s sleeping? Do you have a male dog who lifts his leg to urine mark indoors? Has your un-spayed female dog come into heat? If you answered yes to any of these questions, a dog diaper could be a helpful management tool. Even without these specific needs, you may find dog diapers are especially useful when you’re traveling—with all those new scents to excite your dog—to prevent accidents in a hotel room or an AirBnB (we don’t want to lose our ability to find dog-friendly accommodations by letting your dog pee on the furniture!).
First, though, let’s be clear: Diapers for dogs are not a suitable replacement for house training. It is best for your dog not to be in diapers all the time, so teaching your new canine family member to toilet outside, on a pee pad, or in a doggie litter box is one of the first priorities after adopting a dog. However, as discussed above, there can be some special situations or medical conditions that make a diaper useful.
Dog diapers come in disposable and washable forms, and the styles vary depending on the sex of the dog and particular medical condition. Female dogs require a diaper that looks like a panty, and there is usually a hole that the tail can go through so that it stays out of the mess.
Male dogs, who have different anatomy, can use a belly band, which is wrapped around the abdomen and secured over the lower back. The washable panty or belly band can be lined with a human incontinence or menstrual pad and can be found in a variety of plain or fun styles to suit your individual dog’s personality.
The best way to make a dog diaper stay on is to get the right fit. You may have to try several better-quality brands to find the one that best fits your dog, but it’s worth the trial. We recommend you target quality dog diapers, like the one from PeeKeeper that was a 2019 Whole Dog Journal Best Gear of the Year finalist. You can also purchase things like dog suspenders to help hold belly bands in place and choose panty diapers with tail holes whenever possible for added stability and comfort.
A word of caution regarding diapers: Make sure you check the inside of the diaper frequently to be certain that the dog’s skin is not in contact with poop or pee for a prolonged time. Dogs, like babies, can get diaper rash, and if this occurs, it will often require veterinary medical attention. Also, remember to remove the diaper prior to letting your dog out into the yard to toilet! Failure to do so will provide a test of the fluid-holding capacity of the diaper you chose to use, which is not really something you want to experience.
