mark_mjs93 Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 hi people, as some may know or seen in my pictures i have a little 5 month old pup, his name is ollie and he is fantastic, well this is the problem, he is a great dog but turn into a nervous wreck when it comes to bath time, is terrible, i have tried putting him into the bath whilst empty and still he scrambles out of it and when i try to get him to stop he forces out of it, i have tried getting into an empty bath with him, NOPE didnt work, can you help me out here and explain how i can stop this fear of the bath from the dog, its not the bath its water mainly, but he asociates (spelling) the bath with water he will walk through puddles (didnt used to but is used to them now) but large amounts of water no way he hates it... any help appreciated... happy shooting mark :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MM Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 maybe when it gets a bit warmer, leave a small paddling pool in the garden with him. when he gets used to it, he might come round. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ozzy Fudd Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 put 2 or3 inches of water in the bath, put him in and fuss over him, dont let him out, but pat him, scratch his ears, etc; also if you give him a toy to take his mind off being in the bath it should help :o Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_mjs93 Posted February 7, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 put 2 or3 inches of water in the bath, put him in and fuss over him, dont let him out, but pat him, scratch his ears, etc; also if you give him a toy to take his mind off being in the bath it should help :o thanks for the comment but i have tried the fuss thing and the toy thing it just doesnt work, like i have sed i have trie a few inches of water and no water still he hates it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 hi ithink you will find its the slippy floor your dog is scared of more than the water try putting a towel in the bottom of the bath your dog may settle down better Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mark_mjs93 Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 hi ithink you will find its the slippy floor your dog is scared of more than the water try putting a towel in the bottom of the bath your dog may settle down better well i knew about slippiness so i thought id get a rubber bath mat for the bath for when the dog is in there, but still he hates it, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Huntinlass Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I think its patience. The more often you bath him the sooner he will get use to it. Don't make it scary for him to begin with. Just a inch of water, don't splash it out him, get a pot and pour over his legs, back, and underneath- not his head. Be slow and gentle when shampooing him. The aim is to relax him, so don't think the faster you do it the quicker he gets out of the bath. Get someone to hold him on a lead so you aren't trying to pin him down while bathing him so he doesn't jump out. AT the end of the day he is only 5mths old so everything is still new to him. He will learn to behave when bathing the more he does it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boomstick Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Try this simple trick : Feed him in the bath! May sound silly, but this worked wonders for my girlfriend's pup. He was a nervous little thing (although not any more, mind!) and hated leaving the familiarity of the kitchen where his pen was. The solution: stop feeding him in the pen and feed him wherever you want him to be comfortable going to The food acts as the initial prime motivator, and then he was soon sniffing around for seconds I'm sure this will also cure your dog's bath phobia Then you should do what everybody else has been saying and start with a little bit of water, but treat and fuss over it whilst you wash Hope that helps! Boomstick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pigeon street Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I'm with sonic. Why put the dog in the bath, wash him out side. My old lab loves water, if we walk with in 100yrd of it his in it, but if he rolls in something and needs a wash he hates it. If i had to try and get him in the bath as well i'd have a real fit on my hands As has already been mensioned, if you really have to wash him in the bath try the food tactic hill soon forget his in the bath.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fallarben Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 sounds like passionates is the answer give the pup time and get it use to just getting in the bath without water and progress from there Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cranfield Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I wouldn't worry about your dog not liking the bath and I certainly wouldn't force him into it. Just because he doesn't like the bath doesn't mean that he is scared of water (you say he has no problem with puddles). Wash him outside from a bowl. Carry on with his training and introduce him to a dummy from the water when he is ready. If there is something in the water he wants, he will go and get it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casts_by_fly Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 roxy doesn't like bath time. When she was 7 wks old and we picked her up, the kennel washed her for us. Only they did it in a bathroom sink and she was covered in water from head to toe. She doesn't like baths to this day, but you can't keep her out of a pond, puddle, or river. She doesn't do the hose outside either. So bathtime used to be tough. We used to have a tub/shower with sliding glass door. I used to climb inside with her and that helped. She didn't like the roar of the running water so I filled the tub 6" full and shut the water off. That helped. She was slipping and sliding around so a wet towel on the tub helped. But, she still doesn't like bathtime. She knows when I dig out the dog towels or try to call her upstairs from the bathroom. She tries to hide or runaway, but really she has no choice and that's how it should be. She tollerates baths now. We've come to an agreement. She doesn't shake or try to jump out of the tub and I don't wash her head. No need to make a fuss. If you make a big deal of it, she will too. If you stay calm, she will get calm. Thanks, Rick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
activeviii Posted February 10, 2009 Report Share Posted February 10, 2009 my cocker pup is just the same. 5 mths old and hate the bath but as he is a house dog and rolls in cow poo then he has had to have a bath or two. noslip mat, food, praise. forget it. all will come good im told. dont rush it as its to cold for the pup to be in this time of year but when it warms up outside then find a shallow sloping lake and walk in slowly, bit by bit until the pup is just off his feet. this i pulled from joe ivings book on training spaniels so i will give this a try when the time is right. i dont think mine is afraid of water but just the bath as he has jumped in the local lake and stream as well as running full bore though flood water. im not worrying about mine and water just yet as long as he stays out the ****.lol Phil Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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