bath time was not fun time.. need suggestions

[Jaegergirl]

i decided to give maverick a bath since he will be meeting new friends tomorrow at rottstock. in the year i've had him, i've only given him 2 baths, both of which were in our tub. he was a lot smaller then. now that he's bigger, i don't want to bath him in our house because he has to run thru it to get outside and don't want him shaking wet dog water all over the place... so, i decided to use the hose and do it in the backyard. boy, was that a trip!!

he did not like it one bit.. even slipped out of his collar and ran around the yard acting like a goofball. i can't even imagine what he'd be like if i attempted to take him to the groomers!!! anyway, i'm sure his behavior is due to the fact that he's not used to getting baths. i tried talking nice to him and using lots of treats. that didn't work. then tried being stern with him (like i am when i cut his nails and he acts like a baby) and that didn't help. so i'd like to hear some of your suggestions how to make bath time easier for a skiddish dog. thanks!

[Sharon Marples]

I don't baby mine, if they start to fight when I start a bath outside, then they get tied to a fence, tree or whatever is available. Make sure their collar is snug enough that they cannot back out of it. Tie them short, so they don't have a lot of leeway to jump or twist around. In the long run that really makes it easier for them (and you while you are soaping and rinsing them).

Once the rinsing is over, don't dawdle.......towel them down real quick and then start treating and praising them (even before you brush them). Each time it will get a bit easier.

[Carina43]

You have to have a firm grip and work fast! My dogs also get 1-2 baths a year and none particularly enjoy it.

I fill a small bucket with warm shampooey water and soap them up with a sponge. Have the hose running so you don't have to let go to rinse. Turn hose on dog until water runs clear. Let dog run like a mad thing for the nearest dirt and roll in it...

I still have to give Cooper a bath tonight...oh heck, maybe I'll just give him a really good brushing!

[LavenderRott]

Chase was lured into the bathtub with a treat. IMO it is easier to clean out the tub then argue with the dog while you try to hose it down.

[Jaegergirl]

Chase was lured into the bathtub with a treat. IMO it is easier to clean out the tub then argue with the dog while you try to hose it down.

while i agree that would be easier, i don't want wet dog running thru my house :). plus with all the shedding he's doing, all the hair in the drain would be a mess. we have enough problems with the drain as it is.

i wasn't even planning on giving him a bath for tomorrow, i just thought it would be "fun" and that maverick would like it. ha! boy, was i wrong!

thanks for the suggestions. look like maverick's not the only one who dislikes baths.

[justrj]

I usually give my Bruno (1yr old) a bath tied to his outdoor kennel. He's getting them so often lately that he's starting to stand still. I agree with the other answers...tie, do it quick and lettem go...The hose is the best..We have a pond & 20 acres and Bruno's a house dog during the evening and night and when he decides to go to the pond, we have martian legs to hose off every 2 or 3 days...I don't use shampoo unless he's really bad and would be very interested in knowing what kind of shampoos are considered "the best"
Thanks,
justrj

[rottnkidd]

Hi Joy! I've always done the bath outdoors on the driveway, with the drain nearby. I run a garden hose from the basement laundry tub, up the stairs and out the door, so I have warm water! I have her stand/wait in a kiddie pool that's her makeshift bathtub. The warm water is a comfortable temperature and it makes lathering and rinsing easy, and I think it's what keeps my girl from "acting out", as it's not as shocking as cold water. I've always just done these things as a matter-of-fact without any fanfare and then she doesn't have a chance to put up a fuss. I do alot of humming and very little talking while I'm scrubbing/rinsing. The praise I use is minimal because she'll start getting fidgety if I start yapping too much! So I save the praises for afterwards. I have several large beach towels ready on the lawn, so after her final rinse I walk her over to the 'toweled' area and tell her to roll around. And she does! After I rinse out her "tub", she looks forward to hauling it around the yard in that proud Rottweiler fashion; while I gather up the towels, the hose, etc.
kathy

[moondog]

I always do baths outside, too. I have a threaded faucet on my laundry sink (in the garage) that I can screw the hose right on and Luna gets a warm water bath. She prefers the warm water and if she had her druthers, I'm sure would prefer not to have a bath at all, but the warm water makes it nicer for her and she doesn't complain about it.

Now that she's 8-1/2, all her zoomies are saved up for bath time and when she's done and I tell her okay, she zooms like a puppy for a couple of minutes. Then I towel her off and that turns into a game of towel tug. :D

[rakishilover]

I prefer bathing my dog in the bathtub. I have a massage showerhead that i can take off and use like at the beauty shop.

I have given my dog a bath every other week since he was born and he is used to it and the bathtub helps control their movement. i tried doing it outside, tied him to the fence but then he was jerking his neck like crazy to get out. Too much trauma for a bath. I crate him for drying when he is done.

If you bath him in the bathtub you can also blow dry him dry when he is done, i have also done this for him.

[fbkeays]

I have always bathed the dogs inside. When they are little puppies, in the kitchen sink. when they out grow that- the tub. I use two big beach towels to dry them off. I use my hands to scrap off most of the water. I then use one towel until it is too damp to be much good. I throw that one down on the floor and tell the dog to get out. They land on the towel and I use the second one to do the feet and the rest of the dog. By the time I am done, they are only damp- not wet.
I wash them about once a month or when they need it. I strip down and get into the tub with them- makes it easier to control and bath them. I also have treats that I give out after they get into the tub, after I wet them down, after I shampoo them, after I rinse them, after I towel them, etc. They have learned to behave because they get cookies faster.

[KateG]

My old Calvin hated hose baths till I got a nozzle that had a bunch of settings including "Gentle Shower," then he was fine. Turned out he just didn't like the water hitting him at high pressure.

In my experience, the best way to hang on to a wet zoomie dog is to use a chain (choke or pinch) collar that can't slip off and a COTTON web leash....they don't get slippery and aren't hurt by the water. I generally stand on mine, and it works quite well.

[POPPYHONEY]

My dogs love bath, except my rescued dog.
For the first time, I had difficulty bathing him(he used to be the wild - street dog), he would tremble even when he saw my other dogs bathing.:o

Stern way was not work with him. I prefer to use a harness thanthe collars on the neck. I give him more praise gradually (just the way when I try train him a command)
eg:
Sit pretty near the shower-praise
Get the legs wet and still sit pretty - praise
Get the shampoo on the body and stand nicely - praise.. and so on..

Now, I could bath him easily, well with his little whinning complains, but I am sure he enjoys of feeling clean and fresh after the bath..
:D

[Jaegergirl]

thanks for all the replies and good tips. good thing maverick only needs a bath once or twice a year!!!

[RottiMomCT]

Originally posted by rakishilover

I have given my dog a bath every other week since he was born

May I ask why the dog gets bathed weekly? Unless he/she gets very very dirty or is a show dog there's no need to bathe weekly (do show dogs get bathed weekly?!)...

Here at Casa Five Dogs (aka The Loony Bin :D :D) the dogs get bathed maybe twice a year...if they need it. Ben sometimes gets bathed 3-4 times a year, especially if he goes into a lake/pond or other 'substance' that makes him stink...but only if he stinks. He's not too keen on the bath, tolerates it and gives me 'sad eyes' but he LOVES the toweling off and the brushing he gets afterwards...

[rakishilover]

I bathed my dog every other week because he had a playmate and the amount of playing and drool and dirt that ended up in his fur made him smell horrible. I mean they played and there was always fur in his mouth and his fur in his friends mouth and they would both be covered with slimey dog drool by the time it was over. two weeks of that and you can tell your dog doesnt smell pleasant. Now that he is no longer playing with his friend he no longer smells and no longer gets bi-weekly baths.

He has never had a problem with dandruff and has beautiful soft, shiny fur. Even his vet asked me what we were doing with him because they had never seen a rott with cleaner or shinier hair.


Just because you cant see the dirt doesnt mean it isn't there...
Sure sometimes they look clean to the eye but did you ever really look at the water that rinses off of them when after you shampoo...