OH Great... Bubba hates baths.

[Lyn]

I need some suggestions on getting Bubba over his fear/hatred of baths.

Yesterday I litterally had to drag him into the bathroom, get into the tub myself and pull him in. Then in order to use both hands and scrub him I had to put his head between my knees or he jumped out. It was NOT funny while it was happening.. but I can laugh now until the next bath.

I've tried luring him into the bathroom with treats.. that worked somewhat. But I have to be quick to shut the bathroom door or he's gone. I've thrown his favourite treats and toys into an EMPTY tub.. now way in h*ll he's getting in there. Water or no water.

I have bathed him outside, and that solves most of the problems. But even outside he still fights. And I can only do that in the summer. And come winter he's going to be too big to pull into the tub.

I don't know what to do with him.. I really don't even know why he hates baths. He's been this way since we brought him home. But then he was small and easy to put in the tub. It's not that he hates water since he will sit outside in a downpour and get soaking wet with no problems.

Is there any hope? Or am I going to need to buy that brush in dry shampoo stuff for the winter. OR let my vet bath him and wrangle him into their tub. LOL

[greek4]

Rocco learned early with weekly baths to tolerate them.  Maia still doesn't like them but I can drag her to the edge of the tub and tell her to get in and she does.  She will try to get out but if I tell her NO she stays in.  All I can say is practice makes perfect.

[SWEETVABREEZE2DANE]

LOL!!! I HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, THE ONLY DIFF. IS SNOOPY AND CHARLIE ARE GREAT DANES!!! WAY TOO BIG FOR ME TO GET IN THE TUB!!!! SEE MY THREAD  ' CHARLIE GETS A BATH'!!!
GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!

gALE

[lins_saving_grace]

I bribe mine to get in the tub and keep them in there as best as I can.  Lady hates baths...Grace so far doesn't like them but won't fight to hard when she gets one. 

[Kiahpyr]

I have to bribe Kiah to get into the bath too. Me or my husband gets in with her to scrub her up. Then the other one stands right outside of the tub. If not then she's gone. We close the shower curtain to help contain the water mess and the whole time she has her nose sticking out of one end of the curtain.

[Lyn]

At least I'm not alone. LOL But I wish I could just bribe him into the tub.. my arms are killing me from the 'battle' yesterday.  He acts like I'm trying to drown him.

I'm wondering if part of the problem is that he's not bathed that often... maybe once every 2 months. He stays pretty clean since he's in the house 90% of the time so he doesn't really need one. I usually just bathe him when the 'doggy odor' gets overwhelming.

I think his major fear is the water being poured on him, as odd as that sounds. He's assocciated the tub with the pouring water.. But I don't know how to decensitize him of that.

[shangrila]

Zoey doesn't particularly like baths in the tub, but she is used to them since she has gotten them regularly since she was a baby - we bathed her practically every day for the first month we had her because she kept getting pee on herself or getting dirty one way or another. So she may not like them, but she tolerates baths in the tub. Hose baths outside are a whole nother story though since we only started attempting them this summer.

Do you have someone who can assist you? The biggest help for us was that when she got bigger and felt restless wewould tag-team to bath her. Dan would do the shampooing and rinsing, and I would dispense the shampoo for him to speed things along and treats to her to keep her happy - I'd use the smallest yummiest treats we had and just feed them to her every minute or so and that kept her happy.

Also, do you have a detachable shower head or do you use a cup? If you are using cups full of water, maybe it would be helpful to buy one of those kits that convert you tub so you can make a temporary detachable shower head for grooming.

[lins_saving_grace]

At least I'm not alone. LOL But I wish I could just bribe him into the tub.. my arms are killing me from the 'battle' yesterday.  He acts like I'm trying to drown him.

I'm wondering if part of the problem is that he's not bathed that often... maybe once every 2 months. He stays pretty clean since he's in the house 90% of the time so he doesn't really need one. I usually just bathe him when the 'doggy odor' gets overwhelming.

I think his major fear is the water being poured on him, as odd as that sounds. He's assocciated the tub with the pouring water.. But I don't know how to decensitize him of that.

Lady and Grace both prefer a light and soft spray from the shower head.  so a not so stinky stream of water setting is ok. 
I take a treat and throw it in the tub and they jump right in...or if the bar of soap is in sight Grace will pounce it and I trap her in the tub.

[Saintly Girl]

Here's a few ideas I saw on a tv show.  Put a towel on the bottom of the tub so the dog can grip it better and not slide around as much.    Use a shower head that hooks up to your fawcett so you have more control.  I saw one at the Walmart pet section for really cheap.  (7 dollars I think)  Hose him down from the neck down and just use a facecloth for his face as most dogs don't like to be hosed in the face.  If there are two of you one can get in with him and the other guard the exit.  I have a 4 foot closed in shower with a seat so I can close the doors and lock Max in with me.  He's getting huge and there's not much room anymore but we manage.  We get a little up close and personal but what the heck.  Give him lots of treats when in the tub and never fill the tub before putting him in.  Fill the tub afterwards.  Maxwell is really good in the tub and loves getting hosed down outside so he hasn't been much of a problem.  It is a two person job though.  Try to get some help with him.  Max doesn't get very dirty and doesn't seem to get too stinky.  Brush against the grain and the dirt usually just comes off.  I wouldn't bathe my dog more than once every two months.  You don't want to strip his natural oils away.

[Tippy]

We went ahead and bought one of those training arms from PetEdge and a blow dryer there also.

The training arm is a lifesaver - we just hook it to a big outdoor table and Katie stands there with her head through the loop.  We have access to warm water, although on hot days she far prefers cool, and we use a sprayer.

It is a back saver, for sure!  I know what you mean about winter, however, even with warm water - none of us will want to be out bathing the dog. 

The grooming loop around the neck controls the dog - and the elevated table makes them be still, also.  Although Katie doesn't fight her baths anymore - the water makes her a little frisky and when I am lathering her up her head comes just to my chest-level and if I don't watch it - she tries to bite my boobs, just playfully, not mean - but I am glad I wear a padded bra. 

With the sprayer - I am able to get all the soap off.  And due to a skin condition - we have to be very careful to do just that.