What is the Best Puppy Shampoo?
Your new and highly excitable puppy is going to create all kinds of messes as they explore their new surroundings. This will not only leave your house in disarray, but it will also leave your puppy filthy. Come bath time, nothing but the best puppy shampoo will do.
The best puppy shampoos are not only gentle but specifically formulated for delicate and changing skin just like your puppy’s. Our top brands focus on providing dog parents with puppy shampoos that are pH balanced, made of all-natural ingredients, tearless, and have no added fragrance.
Let’s take a look at the puppy shampoo that we rank best overall which is the Pure and Natural Pet – 2-in-1 Grain Free Organic Shampoo and Conditioner, as well as our other favorites. They all come highly recommended by our experts: people who know a thing or two about giving puppy baths!
The Best Puppy Shampoo for Your Pup
In this round-up, we have tried to focus on the best puppy shampoos made from all-natural ingredients. Many on this list are tearless, which means they won’t irritate your puppy should you happen to accidentally get some shampoo in their eyes during bath time.
Best Overall Puppy Shampoo: Pure and Natural Pet – 2-in-1 Grain Free Organic Shampoo and Conditioner
- Recommended Age: 12 weeks and up
- Scent: Lavender
There are two main reasons why we rated this Pure and Natural Pet – 2-in-1 Grain Free Organic Shampoo and Conditioner as the “best overall”. For starters, it bears the USDA Organic badge, which means that the ingredients used in its manufacturing have been grown and processed according to a set of extremely high standards. These include soil and water quality, among many other factors. Simply put, even the government agrees that it’s an excellent product.
That being said, there’s more to this Pure and Natural Pet – 2-in-1 Grain Free Organic Shampoo and Conditioner than just the USDA Organic badge. Made out of organic oils, this shampoo and conditioner are formulated to moisturize and soothe your pet’s skin. Since it doesn’t contain any synthetic dyes, formaldehyde, preservatives, or chemical foaming agents, it’s both safe and gentle on your puppy’s coat.
Even though it smells like lavender, the scent isn’t overpowering. It’s great for pups that have skin allergies, and it won’t interfere if alternated with any topical flea shampoo, tick shampoo, or medicated shampoo your vet might have recommended.
What We Like
- It’s formulated to moisturize and soothe your puppy’s skin
- It’s soft and gentle on the dog’s coat
- It has the USDA Organic badge, assuring you high quality essential oil and other natural ingredients
- After prolonged use, your dog’s coat will be shinier
What We Don’t Like
- It doesn’t lather very easily
Best Puppy Shampoo for Multiple Pets: Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Pet Shampoo
- Recommended Age: 8 weeks and up
- Scent: Vanilla and Almond
If you’re like most people who can’t decide whether they are dog or cat people, there’s a good chance that you might just become a pet parent to both. Thankfully, with this Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Pet Shampoo, you won’t need to spend extra money getting each pet their own shampoo. Unlike most shampoos on the market which are pet-specific, this Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Pet Shampoo is designed for both cats and dogs.
Manufactured using nothing but natural and organic ingredients, this shampoo contains colloidal oatmeal, organic aloe vera, and a host of coconut-based cleansers. It doesn’t contain any soap, parabens, dyes, sulfates, or alcohol, which makes it ideal for puppies or pets with skin problems.
Speaking of irritable skin, this Earthbath oatmeal and aloe shampoo is specifically formulated to soothe dry and itchy skin. The organic aloe vera and colloidal oatmeal, which make up part of the ingredients, promote natural healing, combat irritated skin, and re-moisturize dry skin.
Not only is this oatmeal shampoo manufactured by a trustworthy brand that adheres to strict “cruelty-free” regulations, but it also has the coveted “Amazon’s Choice” badge. This means that it’s highly rated among the thousands of users who bought it and it has a low return rate compared to its competitors. This accolade can only spell good news for you as a pet owner.
What We Like
- It contains only natural and organic ingredients
- It has organic aloe vera and colloidal oatmeal, which are great for your puppy’s skin
- It’s a cruelty-free product
- It comes from a reliable brand that has decades of experience and an excellent reputation in the industry
What We Don’t Like
- Some bottles on the market don’t lather up as well as the store-bought options
Best for Sensitive Skin: Rocco & Roxie Calm Sensitive Skin
- Recommended Age: Puppies and dogs
- Scent: Rosemary and chamomile
This Rocco & Roxie Calm Sensitive Skin is yet another puppy shampoo on our list that bears the coveted “Amazon’s Choice” badge. This tells you that most of the other dog parents who bought this product were happy with it, which is why there are hardly any returns and it’s highly rated.
The ingredients that go into making this shampoo make it perfect those who want to give their puppies the best care during bath time. The main ingredients include chamomile, which soothes and softens your puppy’s skin; aloe vera, which attracts and seals in moisture ensuring that your pup’s skin condition isn’t dry and itchy; and rosemary, which stimulates follicle growth, giving your pup a rich and thick coat.
This shampoo is ideal for sensitive skin, mostly because of the aforementioned ingredients, as well as the fact that it doesn’t contain any drying alcohol, parabens, or masking dyes.
What We Like
- It doesn’t contain any artificial fragrances or harsh chemicals
- It has a very mild scent
- It soothes and restores your pup’s skin and fur
What We Don’t Like
- It’s quite thick and requires plenty of water
Best Puppy Shampoo Buyer’s Guide: What to Look For
There’s no doubt that you want the best for your puppy, but just because a shampoo comes from the best brand or costs just enough money to qualify as “pricey” doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s good for your puppy specifically.
With that in mind, here are some factors you should consider when looking for the best puppy shampoo for your furry little friend.
Recommended Age
This is an extremely important factor to consider. A puppy isn’t as tough as an adult dog. Their fur and skin are still very sensitive and using anything other than a shampoo that is recommended for your puppy’s age might be detrimental to its health.
The recommended age, therefore, is the very first thing you need to look at when buying the best puppy shampoo for your dog. Recommended shampoos for puppies often have ingredients that are not only gentle enough to soothe their sensitive skin but are also formulated to repair and moisturize.
Even though most shampoos on the market will be recommended for “all ages,” it’s often best to check with your puppy’s vet if you have a very young dog. According to the American Kennel Club, you should wait for at least three months before giving your puppy its very first bath, although some vets agree that 8 weeks is good enough.
Tear-Free or Tearless
You will see this label on almost every puppy shampoo you consider buying. This means that the shampoo is formulated to cause minimal to no irritation should it get into your puppy’s eyes during the bath.
Just because a product claims to be a tearless puppy shampoo, remember that this doesn’t mean the shampoo is safe to pour over your puppy’s head. You have a bit of time, however, to rinse off any shampoo should you accidentally get into your puppy’s eyes. Use a lot of water to keep the shampoo from stinging your pet’s eyes, otherwise it may still cause chemical burns if not rinsed away properly.
The Ingredients
This is another huge factor in both pet shampoo and our own products. Shampoos that use a lot of organic or natural products as part of their ingredients tend to be safer to use than those made from artificial ingredients. You need to pay close attention to shampoos that contain formaldehyde, dyes, artificial fragrances, and chemicals, as they tend to be more likely to cause skin irritation.
FAQ:
Q: How often should you wash your puppy with shampoo?
A: It’s not advisable to bathe your puppy more than once every two weeks or so. Frequent baths can cause skin irritations and dry out their coats. You can use dog-specific wet wipes to clean up your puppy’s paws in between baths or investigate some dry shampoo options.
Q: Do you have to use shampoo when bathing your puppy?
A: No. You don’t have to wash your puppy with shampoo every time, although it does go a long way towards making sure that his or her fur is thoroughly clean. You could simply rinse out your puppy with lots of water to get rid of anything that might be stuck in the fur. Another advantage of using shampoo is that you end up having a puppy that smells nice if you choose a scented option.
Q: Can you wash your puppy with baby shampoo?
A: Even though it’s not recommended to use human shampoo on your puppy, baby shampoo is the one exception. Mostly because baby shampoo is made out of ingredients that are just as gentle on their skin and will therefore not irritate your puppy.
Even though there are countless options for puppy and dog shampoo available on the market today, finding the best shampoo that is safe for your dog requires a bit of research and care on your part. On our list, we have options for almost every scenario. If you have multiple pets and aren’t looking to spend too much money on the best dog shampoo or cat shampoo, you could simply buy the Earthbath Oatmeal & Aloe Pet Shampoo that works well on both dogs and cats.
If you want something that won’t irritate your puppy’s sensitive skin, the Rocco & Roxie Calm Sensitive Skin is an excellent option. If, however, you are looking for a well-rounded option that is not only USDA Organic Certified but is also gentle, affordable, and smells great, then this Pure and Natural Pet – 2-in-1 Grain Free Organic Shampoo and Conditioner is perfect for you. That’s why it’s our best overall pick!
