White dog that hates baths -Oh the joys!!

Louby is all white, apart from a patch on her eye - She has a friend, Bella who is just as excitable as Louby, and they jump all over eachother and roll around in the ground. We take them to a river where they will get their paws wet (Bella nearly drowned yesterday, but thats a whole new show!!), Louby wont go far in at all. But then they stand in all the mud & sand and Bella jumps all over Louby again.

So you can imagine Louby gets very mucky, but she will not let us bath her, it is such an ordeal. My brother even had a go at bathing her, as he didnt believe how bad she was. He was shocked by how much she thrashed about. We have tried it with a bit of water in the bottom of the bath, and just pouring water over her with a jug, we have tried the shower attachment. We avoid her eyes and face. My brother says that it like she is scared to death, and wonders of she was just blasted with a hosepipe in her previous 'home'...

Any ideas how we can get her to calm down? Will she just 'get used to it'? She is looking so grubby at the moment.

I don't have this problem because Loki isn't scared of baths, but mostly because he's a wimp and he hates the mud...he leaps over patches of mud . Is it the bath she hates, or the water running over her? You could try just getting a cup of warm water and slowly pouring it over her in the yard when the weather's OK (if you have a yard?) while maybe giving her a treat or something? I don't think it's something she'll just get used to, but I think with the right approach and gentle reassurance, she'll associate it with something positive, and might get better with it. That's the only suggestion I can think of though, sorry.

Thank you. I'm not sure what it is, if its the water or the bath? But that's a good idea with pouring a bit of water on her in the garden.
I was thinking of getting her a paddling pool, see if that's works if I put her ball & toys in x

I dont have this issue either as Shéara LOVES his baths. Id suggest cleaning him with a warm damp towel first and build it up to pouring water over his paws, legs, then back then neck kinda thing. Just build it up over time.

You could also try a bucket and a damp cloth and see how that goes

Aww poor lobby, darcy doesn't really like the bath but not as bad a lousy sounds try the damp cloth & bucket, I got darcy a paddling pool & put all her toys in & she wasn't interested hope you manage to sort something out soon.

thank you - yes i shall try the damp cloth idea and get it wetter and wetter as time goes on..

This might sound ridiculous, but with my wee man I have the same problem, he is proper scared of the bath and jumps and backs off, I got so frightened he would hurt himself but he looks terrified ... but 1 night I was in the bath and he jumped in and sat down, neck deep!!

So now when he is having a bath, I just put on some shorts and sit down in the bath and shower him and he sits there licking my face, it’s so peaceful and he is 1000* happier and will actually allow me to shower him.

If you would feel comfortable doing that I would say try it, I dont think it would be for everyone but I dont mind doing it. xx

Logan hates it, I do it very rarely these days but I just put him in the shower and close the door. Normally a very messy task

I love my baths, and Louby comes in and stands with her front paws on the side of the bath and licks my face (its the only time she is allowed to lick my face so i can wash it off straightaway). Im really not sure she would get in with me, but i certainly wouldnt mind...i may give it a try.

It wouldnt be so bad if she had dark fur, cos that hides the muck, but she has at the moment a lovely tide mark round her neck under her collar.

My Frank is Black and white, and the mud shows just as bad against his black furry bits as it does on this white and pinky bits lol.

My Tara will happily jump in the bath and then will sit very nicely while i dry her and brush her hair but Franks a stress head! lol they really are funny little dogs!! haha

x

Dempsey has a terrible phobia of water as well, though it's improved recently. His turning point was on a really hot day last summer. He was enjoying a walk by the river, so he was quite happy. He wandered into the water by accident at first and then realised it was cool, so he stuck around in it. Soon he was splashing about all over the place.

Good associations are often the best ways to get rid of phobias like this. It will probably take time and patience, but it usually helps to desensitise them to stressors. It might be best to introduce the water in a different place as well, to avoid already-present negative associations with the bath tub.

I could even try to get her to sit in the bath with me, with no water in, just have cuddles, and gradually introduce a wee bit of water?

You could try that, yes!

Have just sat in bath, fully clothed, no water and put Lou in with me. I cuddled her a bit but she ended up just jumping out. We shall do it again tomorrow!! X

I guess avoiding the mud in the first place is out of the question ?? Rocky just has a good rinse down with the shower head while standing in the bathroom, thankfully it is tiled completely

Lola looks grubby all the time. I would have to bath her every day to keep her ship shape! I have given up now as she has a really sensitive skin and I prefer not to wash her. When I take them out Lily is all blue and shiny and Lola always looks like she needs a bath!

Our lot aren't too fond of baths although they happily jump into their paddling pool and any river or lake or the sea

I have found they are a bit happier if there is something in the bottom of the bath so that their paws don't slide about, I have got a rubber bath mat and I put an old towel over that and they are happier and don't struggle at all, Polly even sits down and lets me wash her paws properly

I have been known to wash them in their paddling pool if the weather is hot, but then I have to change the water to stop them drinking shampoo

Pixee did hate having bath showers, but we talked to her in whilst very slowing wetting her and being very gentle with her. Now whilst she will stay in the bath, its getting her in there, theres a war dance in the bathroom going on with door closed, its very funny really, then she finally knows shes not getting out of it, in she goes and once done, the lovely wet shake I get, then once rubbed down, and let out of bathroom, its crazy hour, whilst she runs up and down the stairs and into every room

Good luck with it,

You need to desensitise her to the bath and water. Start by doing some training with her (use yummy tidbits) and walking her to heel around the house. Go to the room where the bath is, (she will probably stop) encourage her to walk straight in and straight out again, repeat this a couple of times. End the training session.

Next day do the same again, this time include a sit in the bathroom and treat and praise her, then leave again immediately. Repeat. End training session.

Next day ask her to sit then leave the bathroom with her and walk her back in again. Another sit. This time stay in the bathroom for a little longer. Leave the bathroom. Loop round the house with her walking to heel. Back into the bathroom. By treating her every time she sits nicely in the bathroom without trying to dart out she is building a positive association with the bathroom.

Keep doing this every day making the sits slightly longer each time and then treating her. Simultaneously you can begin desensitising her to water. Outside have a washing up tub or similar with water in it (by having it outside you break the association of bathroom and being washed). use the same method again, first walking around the basin and not making her stop so she doesn't panic. As she gets used to doing this you can begin asking her to sit (at first a meter or two away from basin). Reward her handsomely with treats and praise though don't make too big a deal out of it. Again build this up until she is sitting nicely by the basin.

Next step is to begin getting her used to moving water as opposed to still water. Keeping her on the lead, circle the water basin from about 1.5 metres away. Stop but don't ask her to sit, circle again getting closer to the basin. Stop. Put your hand in and splash the water (she will probably freak out and pull at the lead). When she relaxes treat her and move away away. Repeat this and eventually ask her to sit when she reaches the water. Build up to splashing the water then using the same hand to touch her.

When she is unreactive to this you can start to put the two together (bathroom and water!). Get someone else to turn the shower on so it is running in the bath and then repeat step one (walking into a sitting/staying in bathroom) with the added distraction of the water. Keeping building on this. then place the treat on the edge of the bath while the water is running and encourage her to take it from there. After that build up getting her into the bath, make it her decision by encouraging her to first put her paws on the bath. If she freaks out at any time go back a step and make sure you have that 100% with no stress or anxiety first. You can build up to her standing on against the bath with water running and then getting her in the bath with no water. It is going to take you a while but you will be nearly there when she will stand in the bath and let you run the shower at the same time.

The key is baby steps and not making her do anything she is uncomfortable with. It is going to be a long hall, dogs which are scared of water can be difficult to change their minds! You will get there Please let me know if you need more hep or have any questions. I know the post is long and a bit ranbling and I can sometimes confuse people!!!

My 2 hate being bathed so I don't bother. They don't smell and mud seems to drop off (eventually!!)

my two love baths so i have no problems