One of the most common questions we get here at BarkVA is whether or not we use regular shampoo, dog shampoo, or shampoo made specifically for puppies when we’re bathing puppies.
The short answer is that, unless it’s an emergency, you should always only use a shampoo specifically formulated for puppies when bathing a dog under 1 year old. Buying shampoo intended for puppies will ensure the formula is delicate enough not to irritate sensitive young skin.
While shampoos for humans may not be outright dangerous for dogs, they often contain added fragrances, conditioners, and additives that aren’t canine-friendly. Beyond this, humans have low-pH skin, while dogs are near to pH neutral.
For all these reasons, it’s important to know what the best shampoos for puppies are if we want to gently clean and protect our dog’s coat.
Our Top Picks
| Product | Details | ||
|---|---|---|---|
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Best Overall: Adams Plus Flea and Tick Shampoo | An all-around, do-it-all shampoo, Adams Plus Flea and Tick Shampoo is budget-friendly, gentle, effective, high-quality, protects your puppy from parasites, and has a nice scent. | Check Price |
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Runner Up: TropiClean Hypoallergenic Shampoo For Dogs | Our runner-up for an overall perfect shampoo gives our puppies a clean coat, soft fur, gentle scent, and is a skin-soothing formula. | Check Price |
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Best 2-In-1 Shampoo: Burt’s Bees 2-In-One Tearless Shampoo | Burt’s Bees made an excellent combination with this tearless shampoo and conditioner in one made both for puppies and dogs. | Check Price |
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Best For Soft Fur: Pet Pleasant Oatmeal Shampoo | Pet Pleasant is hands down the best puppy shampoo to soften fur and leave it oh so nice and fluffy. | Check Price |
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Best Tearless Shampoo: Burt’s Bees Tearless Puppy Shampoo | Burt’s Bees gave us a soft and gentle shampoo that’s safe enough to wash our pup’s face and not worry about accidentally getting it in the eyes. | Check Price |
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Best For Dandruff: Hartz Groomer’s Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo | If your pup has a dandruff issue, this is the shampoo to use! It clears all dandruff issues while leaving the fur soft and skin soothed. | Check Price |
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Best To Soothe Skin: Oster Oatmeal Naturals Shampoo | Soothes our puppy’s skin from itchiness and irritation instantly, leaving a calm and happy pup. | Check Price |
How We Chose The Best Puppy Shampoos
While some of these puppy shampoos are our long-time favorites, we set out to find the best puppy shampoos on the market, testing each one as we went along.
We first took into account the specific reasons we may be using shampoos. Whether it be to soothe skin, clear dandruff up, deodorize, soften fur, kill fleas and ticks, or deeply moisturize, we wanted to see which shampoos would hold up in testing and which would be best for each need.
After much scrubbing, rinsing, drying, and cuddling, we were able to narrow our results down to a very respectable list of shampoos. We tested on puppies with various coat types and thicknesses, which gave us a much better idea of each shampoo and different types of coats and their needs.
After all our testing, we’ve compiled a list of the best shampoos for puppies and our close favorites that almost made our Honorable Mentions.
Read our related article, How Long Does Dog Shampoo Last? Find out the average shelflife of dog shampoo and what can happen if you used expired products on your dog.
Best Shampoos for Puppies Reviewed
1. Best Overall: Adams Plus Flea And Tick Shampoo
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 4/5 |
| Scent | 5/5 |
| Effectiveness | 5/5 |
| Gentleness | 3/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Item Weight: .88 Pounds | Item Volume: 12 Fluid Ounces | Product Dimensions: 7 x 2.3 x 2.3 inches; 14.08 Ounces
What We Liked
- Kills all life stages of fleas
- Soothing formula
- Softly scented with a powder scent
What We Didn’t Like
- Not good for older dogs
Our favorite shampoo for puppies comes from the ever-reliable Adams Plus brand. What do we get for our money? The 12oz bottle is quite small, but given the low price, we’re still getting great value.
Quality
There are some chemicals and pyrethrins in the formula, but it’s still suitable for puppies and shouldn’t be problematic even if your furball has sensitive skin. This shampoo is ideal for all dogs from 12 weeks and upward.
We were skeptical about this product because it has some chemicals and pyrethrins in the formula, but after tons of research and testing, we found this shouldn’t be problematic if used on puppies.
WARNING: During our research, we found a few complaints from owners of older dogs experiencing adverse reactions to this shampoo. We, of course, didn’t test this theory, but we would steer clear of this shampoo if you have an aging canine.
For puppies, though, we found it to have a gentle, but highly effective solution that also kills fleas and keeps them away for up to 4 weeks! It’s hard to find effective flea and tick shampoos, so we really hold onto it when we find one!
Scent
We know that scent is a big deciding factor for shampoo for our fur babies. Some of us prefer to have no scent, some scent, a nice strong scent, and so on. The one thing we can all agree on is we just don’t want a lingering wet dog smell!
So we tested this out on several pups and had tons of fun doing it! It lathered nicely and left a soft powdery scent that lasted several days and even throughout the week. It was not overpowering, which we appreciate, but a soft powdery, almost baby powder scent. Our pups only needed one bath to smell and feel clean!
Effectiveness
Adams claims to help soothe skin, ward off fleas and ticks, and that this formula is safe to use puppies and kittens. So naturally, we had to dig in and get to testing!
We found Adams Plus Flea and Tick Shampoo soothes the skin from itching and irritations in all cases. It gave a nice conditioning effect and left our pups with soft fur and calm skin.
As an added kicker, the shampoo is designed to ward off fleas across all life stages, from eggs and larvae to lice. This formula inhibited flea eggs from hatching for up to a month for us when applied regularly.
It also killed ticks! We rarely find a shampoo that actually kills ticks, but this one did! Not only that, but it was also effective against flea eggs, which is quite possibly the hardest thing to do!
2. Runner Up: TropiClean Hypoallergenic Shampoo For Dogs
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 4/5 |
| Scent | 5/5 |
| Effectiveness | 5/5 |
| Gentleness | 4/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Liquid Volume: 20 Fluid Ounces | Product Dimensions: 2.9 x 2.8 x 5.9 inches; 1.55 Pounds
What We Liked
- Ideal for sensitive skin
- pH balanced
- Floral, coconutty tropical scent
What We Didn’t Like
- Some occasions of itchiness occurred
Our runner-up is a generous 20oz bottle that gives us enough shampoo to keep our puppies clean for months. We like this shampoo’s gently-cleansing nature, which makes it a great fit for puppies. We also discovered that it works well for dogs with sensitive skin, too!
Quality
Unlike human pH, dogs have a pH close to neutral, and because of this, we set out to see if this shampoo stood the pH test. This balanced formula takes the difference in pH levels into account and nourishes rather than damaging your puppy’s coat and skin.
We like that this shampoo is dye-free, paraben-free, and soap-free, making it a nice, gentle option for us. Even in puppies with allergy issues, this shampoo helped clear the issues up and soothed the skin, giving us much happier pups.
As with all shampoos, however gentle the formula is, there’s an outside chance our dogs may experience skin irritation. A few disgruntled owners reported this happening with TropiClean.
We recommend doing a patch test first to ensure your dog isn’t irritated by the shampoo.
Scent
We had some dirty, smelly puppies, so we were super ready to try this shampoo! Once we rinsed away the lather, smell wasn’t a problem anymore! We were left with the delicate scent of coconut rather than the smell of dirty dog, encouraging happy cuddles.
This shampoo was great for those of us who like a nice scent on our puppy’s fur, but not an overpowering smell, either. The crisp, clean tropical smell lasted several days and took away the smell our pup was carrying around!
Effectiveness
Packed with colloidal oatmeal and aloe vera, this formula is highly moisturizing, so we can keep our pup’s coat and skin hydrated as well as spotlessly clean. It really helped with our test puppy’s irritated and sensitive skin issues.
We had a bit of a problem with one puppy in particular that always has his own stinky odor no matter what we do. This problem was washed away with this shampoo! It lathers up nicely and delivers a soft tropical scent, removing all odors for several days. We found this to be a great all-around effective product.
This shampoo is a great all-rounder for puppies of all breeds, so why not give it a shot?
3. Best 2-In-1 Shampoo: Burt’s Bees Puppy Shampoo And Conditioner
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 5/5 |
| Scent | 4/5 |
| Effectiveness | 4/5 |
| Gentleness | 5/5 |
| Quality | 4/5 |
Liquid Weight: 16 Fluid Ounces | Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 2.4 x 8.75 inches; 1 Pound
What We Liked
- Soothing and moisturizing
- Suitable for all life stages
- Vet-recommended formula
- Natural
What We Didn’t Like
- Not good for long or thick coats
We like that Burt’s Bees has many great pet products, including this buttermilk and linseed oil shampoo ideal for all life stages. This bottle was extremely budget-friendly for us and lasted through many baths.
The vet-backed formula harnesses all-natural ingredients. We found no harsh chemicals, no colorants or sulfates, and no parabens, either! The formula is pH-balanced, perfect for dogs’ skin and coats.
Loaded with colloidal oatmeal, this is a highly moisturizing shampoo.
Quality
Using this shampoo couldn’t have been easier for us. We applied it liberally to our dog’s wet coat. We worked the shampoo in from head to tail. We only generated a very light lather which is quick and easy to rinse away. The solution worked well for our pups that dislike bathtime and tend to wriggle around when we’re bathing too long.
Scent
We like that the cruelty-free formula doesn’t use any added fragrances, but this isn’t the most delicious of shampoos on the smell front. In return, though, we’re giving Rover everything he needs and nothing he doesn’t in a shampoo. We can buy with a clear conscience and complete confidence.
For those who want absolutely no scent, this is the shampoo for you! It has no scent whatsoever and doesn’t leave our puppies smelling like anything other than their natural fur scent. After we dried them off, they didn’t smell like wet dogs anymore and smelled like a clean, dry dog!
Those who prefer a recognizable scent would probably not appreciate this product.
Effectiveness
Although this soap doesn’t lather like others on the market, it cleans well due to its all-natural ingredients and no sulfur additives. We had some grimy puppies to deal with, and this gentle shampoo washed them right up! Our puppy’s fur was nice and shiny, soft, and clean.
We did notice some irritation in a few pups due to allergic reactions, so we would recommend a small patch test first just to be safe.
4. Best For Soft Fur: Pet Pleasant Oatmeal Shampoo
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 3/5 |
| Scent | 5/5 |
| Effectiveness | 4/5 |
| Gentleness | 5/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Product Dimensions: 8 x 4 x 4 inches; 8 Ounces | Fluid Weight: 8 Fluid Ounces
What We Liked
- Hydrating and nourishing
- Can be used for all life stages
- Packed with natural oils
What We Didn’t Like
- Bottle is very small
When we have an especially smelly pooch, we like using a deodorizing shampoo to help restore freshness. This shampoo delivers quite well for us and leaves each of our fur babies’ coats super soft.
It’s a bit pricey and comes in a small bottle, but we still love it anyway! It’s especially helpful because it calms irritated or itchy skin.
Quality
The first thing we noted is that this is a very small 8oz bottle. Even when we use it on our smaller breeds, we find we go through this stuff pretty quickly.
That being said, it’s of great quality and passed each of our quality standard tests. It’s made from an abundance of pure oats and packed with lavender oils, aloe vera, and jojoba.
We were able to deliver our puppy a burst of moisture at the same time as buffing up his coat and skin with each shampoo.
Lab-tested and cruelty-free, we were able to rest easy while bathing our new puppy with this delicate yet remarkably effective shampoo from Pet Pleasant.
Scent
We absolutely love the soft vanilla-like scent of this gentle puppy shampoo. Not only did it clean our puppies well, but it left our pups soft, shiny, and smelling amazing! Our pups tended to keep their great smell and combat odors much longer than normal with this shampoo.
This is a great shampoo for those who like a softer scent without an overpowering smell. It works great at keeping odors at bay, and we love that it’s gentle enough to use as often as we would like.
Effectiveness
This formula also gets to work at neutralizing and deodorizing those unpleasant smells that plague us dog owners. Keeping our puppies smelling fresh and clean without resorting to any harsh chemicals is a must for us, and this puppy shampoo allowed us to do just that!
We found that the jojoba oil in this shampoo really brought out the shine in our pup’s coats. Jojoba oil is the closest natural oil to natural skin and hair oils, so it works best with our pups, and us, without leaving an oily residue or weighing the fur or hair down.
The lavender oil and oatmeal added to the soft fragrance and gentle soothing of the skin.
We ended up with pups with beautiful soft fur and a clean shine! This puppy shampoo is ideal for all life stages of dogs, and we didn’t mind paying a premium for this small bottle of shampoo because we were giving our pup such a great treat!
5. Best Tearless Shampoo: Burt’s Bees Tearless Puppy Shampoo
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 5/5 |
| Scent | 4/5 |
| Effectiveness | 5/5 |
| Gentleness | 5/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Product Dimensions: 2.4 x 2.4 x 8.75 inches; 1 Pounds | Fluid Ounces: 16 Fluid Ounces
What We Liked
- Natural and organic ingredients
- Packed with moisturizers
- Backed by vets
What We Didn’t Like
- Doesn’t lather well
Next up we have another entry from the inimitable Burt’s Bees in our quest for the best shampoo for puppies. This tearless 16-ounce shampoo is a great gentle cleanser with buttermilk and beeswax. We love that it’s free of harsh chemicals and gentle enough to be used near our puppy’s eyes.
Quality
We’re always looking for an organic puppy shampoo that’s a surefire formula for keeping our puppies safe and tear-free. We like the quality of this shampoo because along with buttermilk powder, the shampoo also contains beeswax and honey.
We didn’t find any chemicals to irritate our puppy, and we didn’t find any sulfates or parabens to endanger him either.
The only real gripe we could find about this shampoo concerns a lack of lather. On the flip side, this made the shampoo super simple to rinse off.
Considering the large 16oz bottle and the pocket-friendly pricing, this is one of the finest puppy shampoos up for grabs.
Scent
Some of us would rather have no smell at all in our dog’s shampoo so that don’t carry an overly perfumey or harsh smell. This shampoo delivers no smell at all.
It washes well so that all dirty odors are gone, leaving a naturally clean-smelling pup. This doesn’t even have a slight hint of fragrance, so this isn’t the one for those of us who prefer a slight fragrance.
Effectiveness
This shampoo is also highly moisturizing and ensures that our Rover’s skin is supple and hydrated as well as immaculately clean. We could gently cleanse near his eyes without any irritation or fussing.
We really like that this is pH-balanced to safely use this shampoo with all our dogs’ life stages. This is especially convenient for those of us who have a combination of fur families with pups and adult dogs.
We noticed our dog’s coat looking softer, smoother, and healthier after using this shampoo regularly and even after only one use. It’s super budget-friendly and does an incredible job for us cleaning, soothing, deodorizing, softening fur, and being extremely gentle on our puppy’s eyes.
6. Best For Dandruff: Hartz Groomer’s Best Anti-Dandruff Shampoo
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 4/5 |
| Scent | 4/5 |
| Effectiveness | 4/5 |
| Gentleness | 5/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Fluid Weight: 18 Fluid Ounces | Product Dimensions: 1.92 x 3.32 x 9.24 inches; 1.1 Pounds
What We Liked
- Soothes itching and irritation
- Generously large bottle
- Fresh smell
- Clears up and prevents dandruff
What We Didn’t Like
- Not the strongest formula
Hartz Groomer’s shampoo is ideal for puppies suffering from dandruff. We find this is a common problem with canines just as it can be with humans, but we don’t need to allow our dogs to be plagued with this irritating condition.
Quality
We love that there are no parabens in this formula, and it doesn’t contain alcohol either, making this a gentle shampoo with great quality.
We like that we got a bumper 18oz bottle giving us an excellent value, even if this isn’t the cheapest shampoo for puppies. The only thing that dilutes the value slightly is the weakness of the formula. We needed to lather plenty of this stuff on for best results.
Scent
We like that this has a slight scent, but not strong. It smells stronger in the bottle and during a bath than the smell left on our puppies, which is great for us. We noticed in the reviews that one person pointed out that it smelled like sweet milk, and we agree. It’s a great alternative for those who like a slight scent but one that isn’t too strong.
Effectiveness
We like that as well as treating dandruff effectively, this shampoo also works well in the case of seborrheic dermatitis. We noticed a marked difference in the irritation our puppies experienced and how soothed their skin after washing them with this shampoo.
The formula is designed to gently address the underlying problem without inflaming our pup’s sensitive skin. The salicylic acid worked effectively and helped prevent future flakes of skin from forming.
We like that this is a gentle but efficient solution to dandruff in younger dogs.
If your puppy is suffering from other skin-related issues, check out our review of the best dog shampoos for mange.
7. Best To Soothe Skin: Oster Oatmeal Naturals Shampoo
Product Ratings
| Affordability | 4/5 |
| Scent | 4/5 |
| Effectiveness | 4/5 |
| Gentleness | 5/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 |
Fluid Weight: 18 Fluid Ounces | Product Dimensions: 2.87 x 3.5 x 9.37 inches; 1.12 Pounds
What We Liked
- Completely natural ingredients
- No alcohol
- pH-balanced and biodegradable
What We Didn’t Like
- Smells strongly of baby powder
Oster Oatmeal Naturals delivers a completely natural shampoo that works wonderfully for younger dogs. As with all the best shampoo for puppies, we found a pH-balanced formula that takes their tender young skin and coat into account and the fact the skin is close to pH neutral.
Quality
This shampoo has several variants, including an extra soothing formula and this puppy-friendly formula. This puppy shampoo worked great for us and stood up in quality throughout our testing.
It’s certainly not the cheapest puppy shampoo out there, but we don’t want to shortchange our furball when it comes to something like shampoo. Also, we got a jumbo 18oz bottle that will last quite some time.
The quality holds up to the price and has great ingredients for our pups. Oatmeal has long been used in beauty and skincare, and with good reason. It left our puppies soothed, with a shiny, soft coat, and smelling great!
Scent
Oster has put in a nice powdering scent to this shampoo which could be a take-it-or-leave-it scent. We were split on whether this is a nice scent or not. It’s a bit strong, so this is best for those of us who want a little more fragrance on our puppies.
Effectiveness
The oatmeal in this shampoo helped to gently but effectively cleanse our fur babies. A pure oatmeal extract is supplemented by rosemary leaf extract and humectants. So we’re getting a formula that’s gentle enough for puppies but effective enough to get the job done and keep Fido looking sleek and smooth while smelling great, too.
| Products | Best Overall | Runner Up | Best For 2-In-1 | Best For Soft Fur | Best Tearless | Best For Dandruff | Best To Soothe Skin |
| Overall Rating | 4.6/5 | 4.6/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 | 4.4/5 |
| Affordability | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 3/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Effectiveness | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 4/5 |
| Gentleness | 4/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Quality | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
| Scent | 5/5 | 5/5 | 4/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 | 5/5 |
The Winner
We highly recommend Adams Plus Flea And Tick Shampoo for an overall option. This is our favorite puppy shampoo to kill fleas, flea eggs, ticks, and condition and soothe the skin and coat.
It’s super budget-friendly and lasts up to 4 weeks, so you could definitely get away with only buying a bottle once every few months.
Read our related article, How to Wash a Dog Without Dog Shampoo. Dirty dog but no shampoo? No problem!
How To Choose The Best Puppy Shampoo
If you’ve never shopped for dog shampoo before, we understand you may have no idea what you’re looking for. Here are the most important things to consider when you’re comparing puppy shampoos.
The pH Balance
With a pH of 7, dogs need a pH-neutral shampoo to prevent damage to the fur and skin. People have a lower pH balance with more acidity, while dogs have a more neutral pH balance. So it’s best to use a shampoo that works well with your puppy’s pH level.
Scent
Shampoos use either chemicals to neutralize bad doggy odors or fragrances to mask the whiff. Many of these fragrances are safe, but you’ll find some may irritate your dog’s skin. For any dogs with sensitive skin, you should look for fragrance-free shampoo.
Other than that, this is completely up to your preference. As we said earlier, some of us prefer to have no scent, a slight scent, or a stronger scent. You’ll want to look for a shampoo closer to what you would like if you have a preference in scent.
Gentle Formula
Puppies have more sensitive skin than adult dogs, so we recommend looking for a puppy-specific formula or, at minimum, a puppy-safe formula. Also, puppies tend to move around more because they aren’t used to baths yet, so we recommend a super gentle formula that won’t irritate the eyes if it accidentally gets near them.
Moisturizing
Aloe vera, oatmeal, and vitamin E are all common moisturizing ingredients used in puppy shampoo. We always keep an eye out for these to ensure that our puppy’s skin stays hydrated. Oils such as jojoba are especially great if you need moisture without any greasiness.
You will want a shampoo that will moisturize and clean without drying the skin out, leading to irritation and itching.
Coat-specific shampoo
Keep in mind your dog’s coat as some shampoos are better for a thin or short coat, while others are great for a long and thick coat. For any owners of dogs with white coats, color-specific shampoos remove the chance of staining your dog’s fur, so keep an eye out for this also.
Origin
We have found that shampoos made in the US, Australia, New Zealand, and Western Europe typically adhere to the most rigorous safety and quality control guidelines. We typically find the safest shampoos this way.
Size of Bottle
We’ve noted the size of the bottle of each shampoo we review so you can readily gauge value, while also getting an idea of how long the shampoo will last you.
Puppy pro-tip: before bathing your puppy first take him outside and brush him so that the majority of the shed hair stays outside rather than plastered all over the bathtub.
Beyond safe puppy shampoo, all you’ll need is a dog bathtub to wash your precious pal safely.
Honorable Mentions
Here’s a brief look at the shampoos that didn’t make our list best shampoos for puppies list.
1. BioSilk Dog Shampoo – Considered for Best Overall
BioSilk’s all-natural formula is perfect for puppies from 8 weeks and up. We like that this sulfate-free and paraben-free solution contained nothing liable to irritate our puppy as we introduced him to the joys of bath time. Delicately scented with jasmine leaves, our furball was left smelling so good we couldn’t stop hugging him.
While we love BioSilk and think it’s a great buy, we liked the overall cleansing and smell of the TropiClean Hypoallergenic Shampoo For Dogs better.
2. Earthbath Ultra-Mild Dog Shampoo – Considered for Organic Formula
The eco-friendly Earthbath has a wide line of products catering to pet owners looking for sustainable and organic solutions. Earthbath shampoo contains mild cleansers so we’re able to get rid of all the debris and dander without irritating our puppy’s skin.
It’s also tearless to protect your dog from any accidental irritation. The drawback of this natural formula is the fact it does little to get rid of that familiar doggy smell. There’s a gentle scent of cherries, but this doesn’t linger for long once we’ve rinsed the shampoo off.
Earthbath has certainly come up with a great product, but we still favor Pet Pleasant Oatmeal Shampoo as a gentle and natural puppy shampoo.
3. Wahl Puppy Shampoo – Considered for Soft Fur and Tearless Shampoo
We really love that this product has been used by professional groomers for many years, and we can see why! It’s a fantastic product with a rich, moisturizing, deodorizing, and clean lather. It’s loaded with aloe vera and cornflower to ensure that Rover gets a shot of hydration at bath time.
Wahl’s dedicated puppy shampoo is pH-balanced and free of alcohol, parabens, and PEG-80. This gentle puppy formula is designed to wash away the dirt and debris without inflaming or irritating our pup’s tender skin. This shampoo is suitable for all life stages.
As great as a product as this is, we think that Burt’s Bees 2-In-1 Tearless Shampoo is just as great as our groomer’s products and even better.
4. Rocco And Roxie Argan Shampoo – Considered for Best for Shine
Rocco and Roxie brought us a shampoo and conditioner combined so that we can keep our puppy spotless and won’t irritate his skin or coat in the process.
The bottle is neatly designed and filled with an all-natural formula safe for all life stages, including puppies. At 16oz, we’ll have enough of this economical shampoo to last for months. It’s not especially cheap, but we feel it represents sound value.
The formula contains no dyes, no parabens, and no alcohol that could dry out our pup’s skin. We can’t fuss about this shampoo, but we still liked Oster Oatmeal Naturals Shampoo better because it delivers all of the pros of the Rocco and Roxie formula, but with an incredible shine for our puppy’s coat.
5. Sentry Oatmeal Shampoo For Dogs – Considered for Best Overall
Puppies need treatment for fleas and ticks, but it’s not much use applying the treatment if our pet shampoo washes it away. Some shampoos are designed to allow common tick and flea treatments to continue doing their work. This shampoo, by contrast, actively kills fleas so saves us using a separate treatment.
As we would expect from a shampoo designed to kill parasites, there are some chemicals in this formula in the form of permethrin and piperonyl butoxide. We found no reported complaints about these causing irritation, but you may want to consider a patch test before lathering your pups.
We love oatmeal shampoos for puppies because of the many benefits they give, but we still prefer Oster Oatmeal Naturals Shampoo for our number one pick for oatmeal-based shampoos.
6. PET CARE Sciences Dog Shampoo – Considered for Best 5-In-1 Shampoo
As a 5-in-1 shampoo, this is a great pick for an overall grooming solution. It shampoos, conditions, moisturizes, deodorizes, and detangles puppy’s fur and skin, and does an amazing job!
Pet Care’s formula is laced with oatmeal, a common ingredient in puppy shampoo. While some shampoos use as little as 2% oatmeal, this solution contains 96%.
Pet Care Sciences Dog Shampoo is an excellent choice, however, we would rather use our overall pick Adams Plus Flea And Tick Shampoo because it does it all!
7. Perfect Coat Mild Puppy Shampoo – Considered for Soft Fur
This Perfect Coat jumbo 16oz bottle goes a long way, even when we have a larger breed to bathe. For anyone shopping for puppy shampoo on a tighter budget, this is one of the most cost-effective options.
While many customers find the baby powder smell appealing, we also found a few complaints about the smell being overpowering, so it really depends on individual preferences.
Packed with milk protein, keratin, and jojoba oils, the hydrating formula keeps our puppies’ young skin supple and moisturized as well as squeaky clean. The easy-rinse formula is good, but we think Burt’s Bees Tearless Puppy Shampoo is a better choice for an easy rinse and gentle formula.
8. Veterinary Formula Solutions Puppy Love Shampoo – Considered for Best Overall
Veterinary Formula Solutions serves up a bumper 17oz bottle of highly effective shampoo ideal for puppies. One of the key selling points of this organic formula is the way it works alongside all common flea and tick treatments.
Because it’s pH-balanced, we didn’t see any irritation of our dog’s delicate and pH-neutral skin. There are no sulfates in this formula, and there’s no DEA either. The tearless shampoo keeps bath time fun rather than a cascade of tears and irritation.
While this is a great puppy shampoo, we have better results with Adams Plus Flea And Tick Shampoo, so we recommend using it for flea and tick treatments.
