Easy ways to bathe a dog when he is clearly scared of the bath?

Question

Our dog who we had for 14 years passed away a couple of years ago, my mum went two years without a dog, but after an attempted break in my sister and I bought another dog for our mum. However, after two months, he is so scared of the bath, he wont go anywhere near the bathroom, and I think that something nasty happened to him previously. Does anyone have any fun ways to try to get him into the bath, or any other suggestions to clean him? hes a border collie and very attentive and friendly. Thanks

Answer 1

Ah bless him..
Ok the first step is to not push the subject.. Don’t force him to get into it or bath him as this will only reinforce his hatred of it.. I would try to encourage him one step at a time to go into the bathroom first and then to stand near it then when this is more acceptable try to get him to take food of the edge of it. Eg a biscuit.. then maybe run the tap while asking him to take a biscuit of the edge. Praise is a far stronger incentive than aggression is. Always tell him its ok and praise him for being brave.. Once you have got to this stage.. try sitting in the bath and getting him to get in.. It might be that he slips on the surface and does not like it try a rubber bath mat in the bath and hang another over the edge where he gets his front paws up onto it.. Silly as it sounds what you are doing is slowly braking the association which whatever it is he found scary.. One you can both sit in the bath together you will be half way there. don’t be tempted to rush this. If you do all this hard work will be for nothing..
In the mean time when not getting him used to the bath you can buy a dry foam from the pet shop that comes in a small can like a shaving foam that can do a wonder to clean him.. Brushing him well is also a good thing as grooming will strengthen the bond between you making him trust you more.. Baby wipes are also a great thing.. You can use them on all the delicate areas like the ears and face and bottom etc. Also you can use them to wipe the coat to add shine or to remove dirty feet too..
Ok then back to the bath. I would also suggest that you purchase a herbal based product that calms it is herbal based so will do no harm and also adds vitamins to his diet. You give them usually before fireworks night or a scary situation.. There is no point just coming at this from one angle. Once it has been done once without to much fear and nastiness he will learn its not that bad..

Boarder collies are naturally very cleaver and want to please so you have a lot easier task than some other breeds.

I know it is hard but it will be worth it in the end to build that bond of trust with your friend and also get him in the bath..:-)
If he like fetch maybe you could put his toy on the edge of the bath with a biscuit . Shutting the bathroom door with him in there while you take a bath to get him used to the noise is another idea.. Stroking him with wet hands when ever possible is good too..
I hope this has been some help to you. Michelle from Northamptonshire. England.

Answer 2

Border Collies are extremely intelligent and sensitive. One bad experience can be remembered for a long time. You have to wipe it out with hundreds of positive experiences.

The way to overcome our fears is to just do it as often as you can - do this at least once a day and three times is better. First, take him out for a good long run or play ball for half an hour to take the edge off. Then take him into the bathroom, just to sit on the floor and pet him. Give him a long massage and don't leave the bathroom until he's completely relaxed. Feed him in there, give him all of his treats in there. When he is doing well (after at least a month), try nonchalantly flushing the toilet. If he can handle that, then try running a little water in the tub. Each week you add something more. When he's doing all that well, put him in the tub and sit in it with him for treats and petting - no baths! When he can handle that, run a gentle spray of warm water over him and rub him dry with a towel. Stay in the bathroom for more petting and treats until he forgets that he even got wet.

Answer 3

I would strongly recommend not caging him or spraying him. This will only serve in increasing the fear. It's probably going to be a gradual process of making him feel safe again. Firstly, you need to make him feel more comfortable with the area that you are going to bathe him. You can do this by placing treats and his favorite toys right outside the door and each day, moving it further in the room. If you see him in the bathroom(or wherever you're bathing him), take a handful of treats and sit in the empty bath and see if you can coax him into the empty bath with you. Turn on the water slowly. If he runs away, turn the water off and wait until he returns to the room. Repeat until he is ok with leaving the water on while he is in the room. Lots of praise and treats will make things go smoother. When he's comfortable with that, try placing the treats closer to the water. When he'll go close to the water, cup your hand and catch some water and while he is eating a treat or someone else is playing with him and a favorite toy, gently pour the water on his back. Again, take it slow. If at any time, he freaks out, just start over when he's calmed down. Add a bit more water each time and eventually, he'll be ok with bathing!

Answer 4

I'm sorry for the loss of your mum's dog, how very sad.

I have a border collie as well, wonderful dogs. I feel that if he doesn't like bathing, you need to be really gentle with him, as forcing the issue will only make him more afraid. I would work really slowly with him and use a lot of food treats. Gradually get him ok with sitting outside the bathroom door, then when he's fine with that, have him sit inside the bathroom, then closer to the bath, then have water running in the bath etc etc. Slowly and gently is the way, with LOTS of praise and treats, and no punishment.

I find one of those metal rake combs is great for removing all the lose hair.

Answer 5

I have had experience with this. My brother's dog is the friendliest, nicest dog but he does NOT like taking baths, even though he loves to jump in the creek! Most dogs aren't scared of water itself, they just don't like baths.

There are a couple of tips I can give you. First off, most likely you are going to be taking a bath with your dog. So dress in something you don't mind getting soaked, because I can guarantee you that you will be drenched. This is a good thing though because your dog will be less scared with you in the shower with him. You can also try sitting on the side of the tub and letting him lean against you while you bathe him. Just speak calmly and soothingly to him, and let him know through your voice and actions that there is nothing to be afraid of. You should note that it will be easier for both of you if you give him a shower rather than a bath. You will have a tough time getting all the soap out of his fur with a bath. One thing dogs hate about bathing is that their claws scrabble around on the porcelain and they can't get a good grip. You might want to put down a rubber bath mat in there so that he can stand up properly. It really freaks them out when they can't get a grip on what they're standing on. You could also put down a towel or something to make it less slippery in the bath.

Here's a site that has some more great bathing tips for dogs.

http://www.gooddogz.org/grooming/bathing.htm

Good luck!

Answer 6

Hosing is very stressful for a dog, don't do it. He'll end up as scared of the hose as the bath.
Get a childrens paddling pool and put a bit of water in it on a hot day, make it fun. Most dogs love water in hot weather. Have it out a few times, then use it to bath him.
Or pay a groomer to do it.
Bathing is no substitute for a good daily groom, comb him through then finish off with a rubber mitt or a damp cloth.

Answer 7

the main reason why dogs don't like having baths is beacuse they cannot get purchase on the floor of the bath when it is wet and they do not like this.

try placing a towel at the bottom of the bath and filling it only with a few inches of water so he ralises he can stay safe in the bath. then gently introduce him to higher levels of water till he seems calm in the bath.

some dogs also don't like the noise of a shower spray so i would suggest using a jug to pour the water over him and keep your hands on him at all times so he knows he is safe and that you are there with him.

the best thing about baths for dogs is having a massage while being shampoo as they love this kind of attention. THe best way to was a dog is this.

1) wet the dog from the back of the neck to its tail DO NOT PUT WATER ON HIS HEAD YET AS THIS WILL CAUSE HIM TO SHAKE
2) massage the shampoo on to you dog again following down from the back of the neck to the tail and down his legs
3) once you have covere the body in shampoo THEN put the water on his face make sure you only do the ears and down the side of his neck NOT HIS MUZZLE OR EYES as they don't like this
4) use tha shampoo on the face area
5) clean off his face with fresh water first then start at the back of the neck and wash away the shampoo towards his tail.

hopefully this will help making bathing a pleasent experience for your dog and a drier one for you!

Answer 8

Ask your vet for some pills that will help mellow the dog out. Don't take a dog to a groomer if they are terrified of bathing. The groomer will most likely get hurt and they won't want you to come back. We had a yorkie that was deathly afraid of the bath. I know...a little dog but she was ferocious when she was scared. I got some pills from the vet and would give her one an hour before grooming. She was ok with it and didn't bite anyone. It wore off in a couple of hours. Don't use human pills to calm them. It needs to be done based on their age/weight. Good luck. Poor doggy!

Answer 9

We have a dog whose fear of the bath can cause pandemonium, but has still not stopped her from rolling in anything disgusting she finds in the park (the worst being heron poo. Bad fish. Yuk!). What we do is fill a watering can with warm water and tie her lead to the gate as we return from the walk. She kicks up a bit of a fuss, but nothing like as bad as the bath and she really enjoys being dried outside. The added advantage is that we don't have the bathroom swamped every other day.

Answer 10

My doberman is terrified of bathing and though she will now go into the bathroom, she fleas at the merest suggestion of water running there. However, she isn't scared of the kitchen sink and, after a lot of perseverance on my part, if I fill the basin beforehand and then pop her up on the cupboard she will let me gently scoop water over her, shampoo and the rinse her the same way. It is all a matter of acting calmly and gently and making sure that every step of the procedure is rewarded with LOTS of fuss and treats.

Assuming he is small enough to do this, You must start doing the first step, getting him up on the cupboard every day. Once he is fine with that add water into the equation but in as non threatening way as possible and don't pour it on him until he is happy with it and the vessel that you are using.

It is going to take daily perseverance but if you take your time then you will get there!