Bath Time!!!!

[lovemyshiba]

Abbey smells like a wet tennis ball--it's time for a B-A-T-H!!!
She absolutely hates it. We take them over to the shop at my husband's dealership, and wash them there, so they can run around the garage and play with the tennis balls and stuff to dry off afterwards. It's gotten so bad that Abbey won't even walk in there!!!
I need some advice on how to make it better for her

[mugsy]

Our dogs hate baths too. My mother read someplace that if you put a wad of peanut butter on the side of the tub for them to lick, it distracts them somewhat.

[Kfamr]

It's time for Simba to get a bath too. But i HATE doing it because he hates it, and after the horrible bath, he has to get his ear cleaned out and i HATE doing that too because well, he hates it! He gives us the sadest look when we give him a bath, and he growls when we clean his ears, because it hurts.

[KYS]

Geesh! Rocky hates baths too,
I have to get hold of the collar and gently
sweet talk him closer to the hose. lol
If I put tension on his collar he will refuse to budge.
I even put in a hot and cold water spicket outside,
since he hates cold water.
You know what really gets me, After they are all
clean they roll around in the dirt.
The treat idea sounds good.
I think I will try it, but outside not in the bathtub.

[Dixieland Dancer]

I can't relate to this thread at all. I never had a Golden that didn't like a bath! Actually though Dixie is the worst one I've ever had when it comes to baths. She doesn't care if it's her water or it's being drawn for someone else to take a bath, she wants in!

I always started them out in lakes and kiddy swimming pools when they were pups. They are always going around water so maybe that helped. I'm sure being a water dog though it the real major help!

[Pam]

First of all, LoveMyShiba - I LOVE your new signature! The looks on your dogs' faces are soooo cute and the view out of the car is really a nice touch! Obviously they would rather watch the photographer than see where they are going! Great job! (oops! Just realized this shot was taken from the front seat! Oh well, I know they were watching their human rather than the scenery!)

My Bella loves water so bath time is fun time for her. She's just not at all fond of the blow dryer. I have only bathed Ripley once - the day we brought him home. He seemed to be anxious to have it over with but then again he was in a strange place and a strange woman was pouring water and shampoo all over him.

[wolfsoul]

all my dogs love swimming, but timber HATES baths! i put her in the bathtub and first she tries to get out, but when u tell her no, she sortof just stands there with that sad pathetic look on her face...lol...its funny cuz when i take her to the beach, she will jump in the water and the very first thing she will do is lie down in it lol

[tomkatzid]

What do you think, does it look like Nina enjoys a bath...
She is begging me to never do it to her again.

[lovemyshiba]

Thanks for the peanut butter tip--I'll have to try that one!!

Pam, thanks for the compliments--Kito loves being in the car, Ab hates it--unfortunately she gets carsick sometimes. That trip, Kito stood up like that the whole way (2 hours)--he cracks me up in the car!!!

If we do the baths tonight, I'm going to take the camera--poor things, I'm going to exploit their misery on Pet Talk!!!

[robinh]

Three of my four are OK with baths.

Carly unfortunately does not take it well. The people we got her from evidently liked to throw her in the pool they had. She became terrified of water - to the point we were afraid she would have a heart attack even when we would take the garden hose out. It was awful!

We talked to the vet and he gave us a mild tranquilizer. We have to give it to her about 2-3 hours before bath time and she's still scared, but not aso bad. I could just choke those people. If you could see the look on her face it would make you feel the same. And she's such a sweet baby. She didn't deserve that!!

[wolf_Q]

I bath dogs daily...some freak out about it really bad...most are ok. Normally the water seems to calm them down. For the dogs that freak out about it, I'll grab their collar (well, the collar/leash type thing they are tied with) and when I use the water, I also rub my hands with the water so they don't notice the spray as much...and I spray it really close, right in the fur. Talk to them gently.

Reggie has never liked baths, but he's not too bad. Smokey seems to rather enjoy them at times...he likes the warm water.

I've never bathed Nebo at home. After working at a groom salon, i don't think I ever would. For me, the entire purpose of his bath is to help with shedding...as he doesn't stink anyway. I LOVE the high pressure blow dryer, works wonders on a shedding dog!

[tomkatzid]

We have a great heated blow dryer, the K-9 II. Nina goes to the groomer for cuts and I give her a bath inbetween groomings. With Tonee (RB) I used my two hand held dryers for 16 years. It took forever. Wish I would have invested in the commercial dryer when she lived with me. As hairy as Nina is, it's only 30 minutes for bath and blow dry. The dryer just blasts the water off her. I do have to get in the tub with them because we have glass doors on the shower and it's too hard to bend down to wash them. So the Mommy gets a shower too Ashlee dries very fast, on her own, but I usually dry around her neck so I can put her necklace back on.

[robinh]

We have glass shower doors too. I found a neat thing at Petco - a pet shower attachment. You take off your shower head and put this plastic piece on and then shower hose head then goes back on. Into the plastic piece fits this shower hose attachment that's 6' long. Works so well for rinsing the dogs including the underside which is saying something on a dachshund. Makes the bathing experince so much easier (at least for me). At least I don't get quite so wet.