Does anyone have any tips for bathing an abused Golden Retriever?

Question

We recently adopted a golden retriever that was severly abused. Goldens usually love the water, but he does not due to the way his abusive parents bathed him. So far he is very friendly when he is sitting down and is accepting to petting and touch. However, when he is standing, he will scurry from you if you get too close. We have only had him for a week so we expect him to be scared of us, but does anyone have any tips for bathing and also any on how to break that fear barrier that causes him to scurry from us? Thanks

Answer 1

There is an excellent new book out on that: HELP FOR YOUR FEARFUL DOG: A STEP-BY-STEP GUIDE TO HELPING YOUR DOG CONQUER HIS FEARS by Nicole Wilde

Use lots of treats and maybe he isn't ready for a full bath, yet? There are some dog wipes you can buy to clean him up if he smells, but let him get used to you before you give him a bath.

For an abused dog who has just been adopted, it can take 6 months to a year before he will learn to trust again. It will happen, but it takes awhile.

I had one, and it took him 7 months before he trusted us, and realized we were his "forever" home.

Good luck with him.

Answer 2

I have a coon hound that has the same trust issues. From my experience, it is not going to be an easy or quick fix. It will take a lot of patience on your part. My hound is great with my wife and kids and we have had her now for about almost a year. It has taken a long time for her to gain even slightest trust for me. It goes without saying that she was obviously abused by an older male. All I have to do is raise my voice to anyone and she is cowering in the corner or trying to scramble to get outside. Everything has to come in baby steps. But is may be something that she never completely overcomes.
As for bathing, again baby steps.
First try wiping him down with a damp wash cloth in the place where he will be eventually getting the bath. For instance the bathtub. You can do this 1 to 2 or even three times a day. Just don't expect to get him "broke" in one day. Then when he gets comfortable and seems to be getting more relaxed try doing the same thing with the the faucet running. When he gets comfortable and more trusting with this move to maybe seeing if he will get in the tub. I think you can understand where this is going. Always baby steps.
While you do this it is important to ALWAYS be calm and contantly praising him. And i mean constantly. The more it becomes "habit", the more comfotable he will eventually become.

Answer 3

Hey there, we have had this problem before. The way that we did it was. We started out with a warm wet towel and just rubbed them all over like we were petting them. And then we would use a bounch dry sheet to help them smell better.
Each time you do this the towel is soaked with more water. after a waile the dog gets used to being in the water again and starts to trust that your not going to hurt them.
But this is the way we did this and it took us about 4 to 6 weeks of doing this before we were able to give a full on water in the tub bath. Hope this helps. best of luck

Answer 4

Lots of consistency and positive experience with you. find a positive reinforcement trainer in your area: www.ccpdt.org
and teach your dog. It will help your dog when he understands the rules you have, and when everyone who lives with him uses the came commands for the same actions.

Also remember, his trust was abused, too. It will take him a long time to learn to trust again. If you behave in a trustworthy fashion to him, he will learn to trust you. It can take several months to help him.

There are several good books on fear at www.dogwise.com. Just plug "fear" into the search engine.

And like Renodogmom said, hold off on the bath for now, if possible. Try some of the dry baths, or disposable bath wipes until he is less frightened.

Answer 5

Congrats to you for adopting him. It's going to just take time for him to get used to people again. In his mind, because of the abuse, people are not trustworthy. Keep petting and speaking friendly to him while he is sitting. If he moves from you...don't chase him...let him come to you but keep reassuring him that everything is alright. It may take a while but eventually he will understand that you are nice people and aren't going to hurt him. Maybe give just sponge baths for now. While he is sitting and you are petting him, take a sponge with just a little water in it and rub it across his back or down his legs, all the while talking to him gently. Also, be sure and put a leash on him and take him out for walks and play. He has to know he can trust you. good luck.

Answer 6

Use a reward-based training system to help your dog. Pressuring this dog to do anything will backfire - instead, reward him for just hanging out with you. Here's a website to help you 'read' your dog's body language:
http://www.canis.no/rugaas/
Knowing when your dog is telling you to "please back off" will help your relationship a lot.
And as for as the bathtub - don't try to give him a bath now. Instead, put really great treats on the tub, and let him find them. Do this for a while. Continue to work on her being relaxed around the tub - feed her next to it, and always let her make the choice to get her treats from the edge of the tub. Repeat this when she's relaxed with the water running. Again - be patient, as he may freak out. The key is to not force him to be near the tub, or running water. You want to get him to trust you, and that doesn't mean forcing him to have a bath.

Answer 7

Well i'm galded you adopted a dog, there are so many out there that need our help...But one thing you can do is buy a toy and throw it around he might not play with it at 1st but keep trying and he'll catch on, then when he gets to like it put the toy in the water your going to bath him in...He'll want to get in the bath then.

Answer 8

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Answer 9

If it is the first time you are bathing him, I would suggest taking him to your Vet. (most of them have a groomer, who know what they are doing). The Vet will also give him some meds. if needed that will calm him. This may be a good idea, since he is so scared. It does not cost as much as people think !!!!!!!!!!! Good Luck !!!! And thanks for being kind to an animal, who needed you.

Answer 10

first thing is to put a leash on him and leave it when you are working with him. that is so he can not get away from you. as to bathing him try using a sponge and a little water on a small part of him. also use baby powered on him. he does not need a bath more than every 6 to 8 weeks. find a good dog trainer in your area and tell him you problems with the dog and why he has them.