Rub-a-dub-dub, TERRIFIED dog in the tub

[Camden's Mom]

We’re heading out to see family this weekend and (OMG) the dog was invited to come!! The family does like Camden, but is not comfortable with dogs in general, so this is a big deal. I’m not one for bathing my dog unnecessarily but it had been two months and he smelled, well, like a dog. We gave him a bath last night and I swear he gets more and more terrified each time we do it. How can I convince my dog that bath time does not mean I’m going to cause him bodily harm??? Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated. I’ve included a step by step of what bath time looks like at my house, if that helps at all.

1. I prep the bathroom beforehand so everything is ready – Pre- heat the bathroom, put a towel in the bathtub to prevent slipping, shampoo right at hand, clean towels for drying, water (we use an extendable shower head) set to a lukewarm temperature.
2. I leash the dog and bring him to the bathroom. At this point he is keenly aware of what’s going on and is curled up in the saddest little ball of fur you’ve ever seen. I do NOT pull him. I do NOT coddle him. This stage can actually take awhile, as there will be a lot of two steps forward, one step back. Once he has entered the bathroom on his own, I close the door and unleash him.
3. I lift him into the tub, at which point he pees all over me and starts to tremble. Yes, he got a potty break before bath time. I use a calm, steady voice to assure him I am not trying to murder him with water. I use calming signals (lip licks, yawns, blinking) to try to assure him I am not trying to murder him with shampoo. Nothing works. He shakes and is terrified the entire time.
4. Everything is fantastic once he’s out of the tub. He seems to like being towel dried and, even though he seriously wants OUT of the bathroom, the trembling, tail tucking, etc. have all passed.

I should mention, this dog loves the rain and snow. He loves wading in streams and swimming in lakes. We’ve had him since he was ten weeks old and nothing bad has ever happened to him during a bath (unless you count becoming clean). The fear reaction seems to be getting worse. I'd really like to make bath time less stressful for my little guy. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

[gcv-border]

I don't have any great suggestions as my guy doesn't like bath time either (when he gets a bath once a year or so). But he doesn't pee. He just stands there looking miserable. I do give him lots of treats during the bath, and he is not so stressed that he won't take treats. Treating makes the bath last a bit longer, but I think that he appreciates the treats.

 

Jovi

[Kian's Mom]

I'm sure you will get a lot more reply's. Sorry I don't have this problem as mine will jump in the tub with me. I have a garden tub so more room. But my suggestion would be get everything ready like normal and get plenty of treats that are over the top. Hot dog, cheese , cooked chicken and treat him as soon as he steps in the bathroom and praise. Let him go back out. And repeat. Make taking a bath a good thing. When he gets comfortable maybe put him in the tub with no water and again treat and praise take him back out. Just baby steps. Maybe even play a little ball in the bathroom. But make sure the bathroom and bath time equal good things.

I know this sounds dumb but with mine she is more comfortable with me in the tub with her. I don't have to lean over the tub and when little I could hold her on my lap. She is now almost 2 and will jump in when I ask her to. She also goes in the bathroom every time I take a bath and will check in to see if I want her in or not.

Hope this helps.

Jan

[Root Beer]

Do you ever take him into the room when you are not going to give him a bath? That can help.

 

My Tessa is afraid of bathrooms (came that way) and I occasionally just pitch treats into the room so she can go in, get the treats, and then leave the room by her own choice. That has helped her a lot. She still doesn't love baths, but she knows that she will always be able to get out of the room, and that sometimes good things happen in there. She tolerates baths much better now.

[Jescano]

I was going to say what root beer said. Go in the bathroom and the tub other times not just when getting a bath. Go in the tub and have some treats, maybe eat a meal in there.

 

Maybe it's the spraying water he doesn't like? Have you tried filling the tub up and using a cup to get him wet instead of spraying him? I had a dog that didn't mind a bath but hated the sound of the running water.

[Camden's Mom]

Thanks everyone for some great suggestions. To answer a few specific questions:

 

I tried high value treats (hot dogs, steak, cheese, etc). They didn't seem to make a difference at all. I was worried I was rewarding his fear and making it worse. Having said that, I might try peanut butter next time. The only reason my groom-A-phobe dog doesn't vanish into thin air when I pull out the nail clippers is because of peanut butter. It's not something he can swallow whole, he has to work at it a bit. It helps to know that treating HAS helped others overcome their bath fear, I'll def give it another shot!

 

I have never tried getting in the tub with him. I'm sure me leaning over him so much during the bath only adds to his stress, so maybe I'll try hopping in with him next time! (Jan, LOVE that she checks in during your bath times to see if you want her to join you. That's adorable!)

 

We've tried both the shower head (spraying water) and just filling a tub (using a cup to wet and rinse him). I didn't notice a difference. Fear of spraying water... not likely. This dog will play in the yard with a sprinkler or spray hose until he passes out...

 

I AM going to work on desensitizing the room and tub, especially since I'm hoping our next bath time is many months in the future. He does come into the bathroom (does anyone who owns a border collie get privacy?) but it's not an especially fun or rewarding room. He just wants to be nearby when I'm in there. I'm going to make it a great place and see if that helps next time.

 

Have any of you found that the "do-it-yourself" doggie wash places are better for dogs that don't like baths? There are a few in town, but I'm not sure if he'd find getting a bath in a strange place more or less stressful.

[hkwm]

My pup is pretty scared of the bath as well, and while this is probably not the most graceful strategy what I do is prep everything first (like you), smear some peanut butter on the sides of the tub, lure in Laika, and work FAST while she licks her way crazily around the tub.

It does make a huge mess of everything but the dog, and the bathroom smells like PB for a while, but it keeps both my hands free to wash, Laika is pretty oblivious to everything that isn't the peanut butter, and (bonus!) it forces me to clean my shower every 6 weeks or so.

 

It's a silly scene, but it's worked rather well. I think she's even starting to like her little peanut butter fests.

[alligande]

I also have a dog who thinks bath time is the most horrendous thing. When he was a puppy I tried to do everything right, a slow introduction, lots of rewards etc. He was just over a year old, I had washed our other dog (not a lover of bath time but would hop in on request) and my husband picked him up to put him the tub, he grabbed the newel post with both legs and wrapped them around it, hanging on as tight as possible, once we where done laughing he got put down and has not been near the tub since. He gets bathed outside with the hosepipe, still an awful undertaking but at least we don't have wrestle a huge dog into the tub. Good job he has a coat that is self cleaning, doesn't get smelly and loves swimming!

[GentleLake]

Have any of you found that the "do-it-yourself" doggie wash places are better for dogs that don't like baths? There are a few in town, but I'm not sure if he'd find getting a bath in a strange place more or less stressful.

 

I'd guess that the advantage to trying it would be that he doesn't have the negative associations that he now has with the bathroom and bathtub at home, which means that you could start desensitizing him right from the get go. Awesome treats when you pull into the parking lot, again when you get out of the car. If he's OK off leash or dragging a leash maybe some quick play with a ball (short tosses, obviously) or other favorite toy. Some more toy play inside before getting into the tub. Basically make every step of the way a party so that it doesn't feel like the bathroom at home. You might want to make several visits without even turning on the water, just to get him used to the place and help him associate it with a fun place to be.

[Gideon's girl]

Both of mine thought I was trying to kill them for the first bath. They screamed bloody murder. Gideon decided that playing in the hose was great. Micah decided that he could tolerate a bath if treats were involved. Both prefer to be bathed outside. I wet them down and suds them up, then go play fetch for about ten minutes, then rinse them off.

[bcnewe2]

Dew is a water fool, hoses, pools, lakes, rivers or anything that has to do with water you'll find her in it, but HATES any sort of contained bathing. So we do the hose outside and a leash. She's still not fond of the whole deal but it seems to be easier on both of us. Unless it's the dead of winter and then we just suffer through as quickly as we can in the tub.

It's more about the whole ordeal of bathing not water.