Struggling with bath time

[MissPennyLue]

Penny has never loved to bath, but the first month or two she tolerated it.

When I bathed her tonight & the last time I bathed her, she freaked out.....jumping out of the shower, etc. I praise her & try to give her treats. She even snoots her nose at the treats & won't take them. I laid them on the floor in the middle of the gymnastics and she ate them as soon as she got out of the tub!! It was also a real struggle to get her ears cleaned. This hasn't been an issue in the past. I was able to give her a treat and she let me do it while she was eating her treat.

Any ideas on how to make this routine better?? The bigger she gets the harder it is to try to keep her in the tub when she decides to barrel out & gets tangled in the shower curtain.

 

[laurendoodler]

What part freaks her out? Is it the tub, the water, both?

Maybe try coaxing her into the tub with treats and praising her for going near it and getting in? Don't even give her a bath, just have her by the tub and tell her what a good girl she is for going by it and going in it. I'd think maybe some positive reinforcement like that would help. Eventually she would be okay with the bath if that works.

I'm not really sure. Delilah's always been fine with baths..I got her started with them early on at 8 weeks and just praised her lots for good behavior and now she's perfect in the tub and just stands there for me.

 

[JeannieCO]

How old is Penny? Wilson's 6.5 months and up until his last bath last weekend he wasn't very happy about it so I was quite surprised that he actually seemed to enjoy it this last time. Sure he's not too thrilled but he wasn't his typical handful. I always get in the bath tub with my dogs when I give them a bath, always have. There were a few times with Wilson that I actually got down on my legs and sat down ih the tub with him. I used soft micro fiber towel with baby shampoo for his face now where before I was doing what I always did with all my dogs, tilt their heads down, cover their nose and rinse their face off. That change I believe is why Wilson likes his baths more. Of course he still tries to stand up to escape and I let because it's easier for me to rinse wash his belly.

That's about all I have to offer.

 

[MissPennyLue]

Thanks for the suggestions. I like the idea of getting in the tub with her. I will try that next time.

Lauren~ I'm not sure! She will go in the bathroom randomly. There were a few toys in the tub that needed washed, and she stood up on the edge and looked in at them without seeming worked up. She even stands in the tub and will drink water from the faucet...She doesn't seem to mind being rubbed down. I am careful with rinsing and always avoid her face/ears and do them with a cloth. She will be standing there and then start scrambling around. I think it makes it worse because of the water and then she starts sliding all over.

I'll just practice going into the bath room/tub for a treat until next time & see if that works. Girlfriend will usually work for food. That's why I was so surprised when she wouldn't take the treat!

ETA: She is 4.5 months old & we have been doing regular baths every 1.5 - 2 weeks since we brought her home at 8.5 weeks.

 

[cali~jenn]

Maybe you just said it, the sliding around may scare her. Do you have a wakl in shower maybe where she can not be "in" the water? My boys arent big fans of baths or showers BUT love the cookies and attention they get after so they still willingly take theirs just for that reason. I use our shower and a handheld sprayer for them so they dont slip so much. Maybe will help?

 

[MissPennyLue]

Maybe you just said it, the sliding around may scare her. Do you have a wakl in shower maybe where she can not be "in" the water? My boys arent big fans of baths or showers BUT love the cookies and attention they get after so they still willingly take theirs just for that reason. I use our shower and a handheld sprayer for them so they dont slip so much. Maybe will help?

Maybe that's it. I don't plug the tub, but I do still get a little bit of standing water.

We move in August & I'm planing to get a hand held so that it doesn't kill my back. Maybe that will help! I have a walk in shower that she's always getting in, so I can try that, too.

When we move & have a hook-up I want to get a garden hose. Maybe we can bath he outside, too.

 

[JeannieCO]

The sliding may be it. I forgot to add that I've always had a bath mat down too. It's can get quite slippery in there for our 4 legged friends, especially when there's soap. Time to get in and get wet.

 

[Davidh]

My buddy boy does not like baths either, and the sliding in the tub scares him, so I put down a towel so he stands on that and it helps.

 

[izstigspunks]

Stig used to stay still and whimper when we first gave him a bath. We figured out it was the sliding so we bought a bath mat. We also fill the tub with water just above his ankles and then drain it after he's all lathered with soap and it's time for rinsing. We started doing this because we thought it was a little cold in the tub too. Although he still doesn't run to us when it's bathtime, he tolerates it well.

 

[hoegaandit]

I have about three thoughts on this - one, don't force your dog to do something eg take your time about things, two - make the bathtime pleasant eg make sure the water is the right temperature, don't do stuff at first like cleaning ears or head if your dog doesn't like that - and three - I'm not sure it's actually best for a bulldog to have too many baths; we only give our boy a bath a couple of times a year (although he frequently has a dip in local streams). Our boy quite likes his baths when he has them.