Dog Hates Baths

[Preposterous_Ponies]

I know - what dog doesn’t hate baths? But my Springer Spaniel pup is just absolutely terrified.

She likes water. I know this, because every time we go to the barn she goes straight for the pond. Admittedly, she is not very confident actually swimming, but she likes to wade and wallow and splash. She stops at every puddle she sees.

But god forbid you try and bathe this dog. She shakes like a leaf and /screams/ like she is being murdered. There have been time I have needed to bathe her (post swimming at a conservation area followed by rolling in dirt) at my boyfriend’s apartment, but I can’t because I’m pretty sure somebody would call the SPCA.

She isn’t much of a fighter, she just sprawls out to try and avoid being placed in the water or tries to climb up me. She just acts like you are cutting off her ears with a rusty pair of scissors; the only time she is remotely quiet is if I snuggled her right up close to me, but even then she whimpers and shakes. I’ve tried showers, bathes, hoses - she hates it all (but will happily play with or drink from the hose).

I’m going to start clicker training her with the bathtub (dry) tonight. Sitting in the tub = Treats. Any other suggestions? I’m at my wits end and I hate “torturing” my dog.

Here’s a picture of the wee beast:
https://scontent-a-ord.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xap1/t31.0-8/q81/s960x960/10658591_10202591467542283_1269543647870567654_o.jpg

[RacetrackReject]

No advice, but just some understanding. I once had a Siberian Husky that hated being bathed, not that it happened all that often He would get so upset that he would vomit all in the tub.

I do have a rescue that will go potty in the tub if I try to bath him inside, but if I put him in my JRTs swimming pool to bath him outside, he’s fine. Inside- cowered on the ground in a ball with gastric distress noises and functions. Outside- stands quietly and almost even enjoys it.

[S1969]

Aw, she is adorable!!

First I would put a non-slip mat in the tub. It is scary if they wipe out, for us and them.

The clicker is a great idea; or just giving treats in the tub. I would just keep working at it, whether she screams or not. Maybe, for example, washing just her feet, or wiping down with a wet washcloth every other day for a while. Give her a few treats, maybe using the clicker, wipe down another couple of times, and then let her be done. (And my dogs always get a treat after a bath, of course!)

I would definite not avoid bathing her - that will only make it worse when you do need to bathe her.

My guys get bathed daily in the mud season. They don’t like it, but we make it quick and efficient (and actually installed a “wash stall” in my mudroom). I can hose down 3 dogs in less than 6-7 minutes because they will all get in on their own and will stay there until they are done.

You have the beauty of time on your side – use it, practice, and train her that it’s no big deal! You will never regret having a dog that willingly lets you bathe them.

[MunchingonHay]

She is cute!

I have owned lots of dogs and worked with even more, and have never had one that hates bathes.

My current dog and my previous dog would hop into the tub when I tell/told them to.

Make bath time a game,(?) make sure the water is a good temp., it could be too hot or too cold.

I started them all young and never had an issue. Hopefully the clicker training will help.

[betsyk]

I’ve never had one that was truly terrified, but here are some ideas anyway. Get a hand held shower attachment, bonus if you can find one that will shut off with a flip of a finger. Past dogs have not liked the flooding sound of the water gushing out of the tub spout, but don’t mind the hand held shower. Test the temperature first, before soaking them! Open the drain so they’re not standing in the rapidly cooling water.

I usually climb right into the tub with them, and pull the curtain, and prepare to get wet. Leaning over the side always put me in a really awkward position. See if your dog is better or worse with the curtain pulled, with you in or out. Are they afraid of the bathroom fan?

Wash faces with a facecloth, not the spray.

A second person to feed treats is handy.

Is your dog usually scolded for coming into the bathroom when you’re using it? Ours aren’t allowed to drink from the toilet or come in when I’m in there, so the bathroom has an off-limits association that doesn’t help at bathtime.

Ours used to get hosed down with warm water from the washrack at the barn, which eliminated all the negative connotations of the bathtub at home but made a mess in the car…

[LauraKY]

I can only bathe my hound with a hose…no sprayer attached. If I attach a sprayer he freaks out.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Thanks guys! Great tips and stories to get me thinking.

I put down a towel so she has traction in the bath or shower, and her face never gets wet (though she will willing DUNK her whole head repeatedly in the pond). The water is lukewarm and I always get in with her. There are no fans or curtains, and she is allowed in the bathroom - not allowed to steal from the garbage or drink from the toilet, but she goes in and out at will and will come in with us. Tried the washrack at the barn and she hates that as well.

My old sheltie was terrified of water but she had an excuse (tried to follow my brother into a lake, got washed over by a wave when she was like 3 months old). My Springer, Maizy has been getting baths since she was 8 weeks old - not everyday, but once a week or so. Never had a bad experience (well in her mind, they were all HORRIFYING TORTURE).

She is quite a needy pup, so I think she is just feeling very insecure. She is brave, but when she does get spooked she Wants Her Mummy Now. :lol:

ETA: Our shower head doesn’t detach, so in the shower it is literally just like being rained on. She still screams her head off.

[naynay117]

My dog hates water. He jumps over puddles & prefers not to walk on dewey grass. You can fughedabout getting him into a lake. Obviously not a retriever type.

He will go in the bath, if you are in there with him, only because he wants to be with his people so much more than he is afraid of getting wet. A hand shower makes the process easier, especially the under carriage wash, and it is quieter.

I started teaching him to go into the shower, without the water running. The process was akin to teaching trailer loading. Invite him into the shower, wildly praise and pet him as if you are massaging the shampoo in, hang out a little, then ask him to go out, rinse and repeat. Then I left a little bit of standing water in the shower and started the process again. Yup it gets messy.

These days I get the water warm in the shower. Shut the water off. Invite the beast in. And then restart the shower with the water pointing away from him. And voila he will tolerate bathy time but sill doesnt like it.

[wendy]

how often do you bathe? most dogs really don’t need to be bathed more than once every six years or so, or whenever they run into a skunk, aka basically never. Bathing ruins their coats. Basically it’s not worth the effort to try to train them to be bathed. Far better to spend your time on teaching the dog to get its nails clipped and its coat brushed out.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Wendy - she gets bathed only when she is absolutely disgustingly dirty, which happens every few weeks unfortunately. she likes mud and manure and swamps.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

Also, I should add she is an angel for all other forms of grooming. For a 6 month old pup, she is exceptionally behaved.

[Big_Grey_hunter]

[QUOTE=wendy;7821466]
how often do you bathe? most dogs really don’t need to be bathed more than once every six years or so, or whenever they run into a skunk, aka basically never. Bathing ruins their coats. Basically it’s not worth the effort to try to train them to be bathed. Far better to spend your time on teaching the dog to get its nails clipped and its coat brushed out.[/QUOTE]

If you would like to have deer gut, dog poop, muddy, maggoty rodent scented dogs in your house, that’s up to you. I’ll stick to bathing at least monthly and hosing when it’s warm enough.

[wendy]

Hmm. Well, mine swim several times a day so maybe that’s the difference. The last time we actually had to bathe involved a skunk. Most dogs just shed the dirt and a good daily brushing fixed them up just fine.

[S1969]

[QUOTE=wendy;7821466]
how often do you bathe? most dogs really don’t need to be bathed more than once every six years or so, or whenever they run into a skunk, aka basically never. Bathing ruins their coats. Basically it’s not worth the effort to try to train them to be bathed. Far better to spend your time on teaching the dog to get its nails clipped and its coat brushed out.[/QUOTE]

OMG seriously??? LOL, not if they want to sleep in my bed! We could easily apply the same concept that humans don’t need to be bathed more than annually…but that only applies if we don’t care that they STINK!

Bathing is not bad for dogs. Show dog people have demonstrated that it’s possible to bathe your dogs EVERY day without any harm, although that’s certainly more than normally requred. The important part is to use appropriate types of soap only, and in moderate amounts. Rinsing in between bathing certainly does no harm.

Bathing, nail clipping, brushing…are all equally important. Like horses, it’s more about the training for grooming that the exact type of grooming. But any dog should be capable of being groomed, as necessary.

[betsyk]

If she doesn’t like the water raining down, then maybe go back to the tub = kiddie pool, and fill it with warm water and scoop the water onto her with a plastic container? That’s how I did it before we got the hand held sprayer. A big plastic pitcher works well, too.

[Preposterous_Ponies]

[QUOTE=betsyk;7821765]
If she doesn’t like the water raining down, then maybe go back to the tub = kiddie pool, and fill it with warm water and scoop the water onto her with a plastic container? That’s how I did it before we got the hand held sprayer. A big plastic pitcher works well, too.[/QUOTE]

This is what she tolerates the best, but I have to do it Very Slowly. Too much water too fast and she screams. She’s a drama queen. :lol:

[Bicoastal]

Sweeping generalizations and all…

[QUOTE=wendy;7821466]
most dogs really don’t need to be bathed more than once every six years or so, or whenever they run into a skunk, aka basically never. Bathing ruins their coats.[/QUOTE]

Wow what a big generalization. Thousands of people would disagree that a bath is only needed once every six years or that bathing ruins the coat. It depends on the coat type, shampoo and conditioner quality, and the knowledge of the groomer.

[QUOTE=wendy;7821690]Most dogs just shed the dirt and a good daily brushing fixed them up just fine.[/QUOTE] There are hundreds of people that say only brush after a bath and bathe weekly to condition and maintain a healthy coat -specifically not to brush a dry or dirty coat.

@S1969;7821709

Bathing is not bad for dogs. Show dog people have demonstrated that it’s possible to bathe your dogs EVERY day without any harm, although that’s certainly more than normally required.

Both parties’ opinions have their place in moderation. It is the generalizations and declarations that prompt me to pipe up. Bathing weekly could harm one dog’s skin and improve another’s. It depends on too many factors to make a blanket statement.

[Canaqua]

My BC mix hates to be bathed, she does loooove to swim. I rarely bathe her, she’s got a lovely shiny, weirdly water repellant, coat and I don’t want to wreck it with soap…plus she hates it ;). I wash her only if she’s rolled in something sooooo stinky that we just can’t stand to have her in the house.

She turns into a 72 pound limp dishrag to avoid a bath…it’s like she suddenly has no bones. It’s very hard to lift a 72 pound rag, it keeps slipping out of your arms! I get DH or my 12 year old to help me lift her into the tub, I can lift her alone when she’s not all limp. I wash her with warm water with a shower hose in the bath tub. Once she’s in the tub she’s OK, except for the shaking and panting. We’ve had her since she was 12 weeks old, so I’m pretty sure she’s never had a traumatic bath experience. Not sure why she is so afraid.

[toady123]

One of my dogs (a LAB!) hates being bathed. She will make a beeline for any body of water that comes within eyesight and will happily swim for hours (we literally drag her out for breaks because I’m convinced that she’ll drop dead of a heart attack) but stick her near a hose or a bath and she freaks out. She shakes and cries and generally acts like a big wimp.

Traction I think is the main thing. She gets nervous if it’s slippery. I am also careful to ensure the water is not too hot or cold. We also use a hose and keep the drain open rather than filling the tub. And then really I just try not to make a big deal about it. We will give her treats when she behaves to reinforce good behaviour but we try not to coddle her or anything that would reinforce that her behaviour is warranted/rewarded.

We did re-do our bathroom and have a giant stand-up shower (3 x 6 feet) and she is much better in there than in the old whirlpool tub. More space and a flatter surface so she has traction (I need to go buy more mats too). I actually just gave her a bath yesterday and while she did shake a bit, mostly when I was trying to get her to move around to get reach her with the hose, but overall much better. But not the hysterics we used to get.

She is our little drama queen

[Bombproof]

I used to have a Beagle who hated to be bathed and she never got over it for the 15 years we had her. No matter what we tried, the best we could do was that eventually she would just lie forlornly and give us sad eyes while we used a sprayer on her. Maybe some dogs just aren’t going to like it no matter what. For 7 of the years that we owned her, we also had a Hamiltonstovare who loved to be bathed and would play with the stream of water. I now have a 10-month-old American Pitbull Terrier who can take it or leave it. I suspect it’s sometimes just the dog’s personality. Your dog may never be happy about being bathed, but if you’re persistent, she will probably eventually learn to tolerate it.