Bad Reaction To Hydrobath

[JeffnCel]

Buffy had her first hydrobath experience today. I only wanted to see how to clip her dew claws as they were very sharp, and decided to get her bathed properly while I had time. Well, what a shamozzal it turned into. She jumped and scratched and pulled and whined. And she's not a little dog!! The girl said she'd never seen quite that bad of a reaction. She sort of settled down during the washing, but as soon as the rinsing started she was jumping around again trying DESPERATELY to get away.

She's been really whingey all afternoon, and I'm worried this bad experience may have a lasting impression.

For those groomers out there, are there ways of securing a dog a bit more than just by a short leash while they're being washed? I think if Buffy could have stayed still she may have gotten used to it, but because she could wriggle and climb, she thought she could escape which upset her more.

I don't know whether to try again, or just wash her at home in the bath from now on. She's just so big, and she's only going to get bigger, I need for her to be able to be hydrobathed. Poor little 30kg puppy.

[New Age Outlaw]

I have one like this too. He's a 30+kg greyhound, and when he came home (too slow to make a race dog) the trainer told me never to hydrobath him - they tried twice and poor Ziggy went ballistic - scratched the trainer and his wife to pieces and just about tipped the hydrobath over! ;) He is absolutely terrified (not of water, cos he will stand like a lamb for a bucket and hose bath) probably either of the vibration or the noise (or both). Maybe someday in the future I will work on his problem, but at present I am happy just to bath him with the bucket and hose.

[centitout]

desensitise her-take her a couple of times and just let her watch other dogs being bathed.or stand her in it without it being turned on a couple of times,praise and treats.everything should be gradual.

[JeffnCel]

Would just your regular hydrobather be willing to let me do this with her?? Or would it be easier at a groomers?

[wagsalot]

I've had a few dogs that have been like that the first time in the hydrobath. All of them except 1 dog got used to it and are now really good.

I wouldn't give up after just one bath, Id try again and see if she gets used to it and becomes more comfortable.

Edtied to add - is Buffy sensitvie to noise??? Some dogs I find are more scared of the noise than anything else. I turn the water pressure right down so it doesn't make much noise and start like that. Was the person washing her calm or were they getting frustrated? I think the way the washer handles it has a bit part in it too.

Edited October 7, 2007 by wagsalot

[sheree_e4]

just a question? where you watching while she was being bathed?

I am a vet nurse and we do hydrobathing and I have found through experience that if owners are around the dogs play up something shocking,However get the same dogs dropped off and owners go away (shopping etc) and pick them up later you would think that they had swapped dogs.

Maybe take her and drop her off and see if this makes a difference.

[dogcop]

I always make a point of starting at the feet first reassuring the dog all the time then work up the legs and do the body. If this doesn't work I like to get the owner of the dog to see if they can reassure them. Most times that I have had a dog that doesn't like the hydrobath is also the first time I have met the dog too. Strange person never had a hydrobath before can be very intimidating for some dogs.

[wagsalot]

just a question? where you watching while she was being bathed?

I am a vet nurse and we do hydrobathing and I have found through experience that if owners are around the dogs play up something shocking,However get the same dogs dropped off and owners go away (shopping etc) and pick them up later you would think that they had swapped dogs.

Maybe take her and drop her off and see if this makes a difference.

Really??

All my clients stand right next to the hydrobath while Im washing their dogs. They like to watch and I think the dog is comforted by it. Some sit on the seat about a 2 metre's away but most stand right there and pretty much all of my dogs but 1 or 2 are really well behaved.

Seems a good theory though, so could be worth a try jeffncel

[Dogsfevr]

Welcome to the world of thing groomers have to deal with.

I would most certainly do it again & it all comes done to the handling & not pandering to the dog.Being confidient,patient & in charge.

Some dogs are simply feral in the hydrobath & never accept it but will stand still & tolerate the few mins it takes

[sheree_e4]

Really??

All my clients stand right next to the hydrobath while Im washing their dogs. They like to watch and I think the dog is comforted by it. Some sit on the seat about a 2 metre's away but most stand right there and pretty much all of my dogs but 1 or 2 are really well behaved.

Seems a good theory though, so could be worth a try jeffncel

Yes,All the dogs that have played up have been with the owners present btw the majority of the dogs we see have owners who treat them like kids and the dogs have no respect for them,Take the owner out of the picture and have someone come in who won't put up with sillyness and they are totally different.

BTW I'm not implying that jeffncel does baby her dogs,but from experience dogs who misbehave with owners present usually behave fantastically without their owners.

I have even had a lady drop her dog off to me and warned me that he bites when he is being bathed HE WAS GREAT,no owner no problem,when he was picked up he started growling at everyone ;)

[GoldiesRgr8Poodles2]

just a question? where you watching while she was being bathed?

I am a vet nurse and we do hydrobathing and I have found through experience that if owners are around the dogs play up something shocking,However get the same dogs dropped off and owners go away (shopping etc) and pick them up later you would think that they had swapped dogs.

Maybe take her and drop her off and see if this makes a difference.

I have the same experience with dogs that react like this. They are worse with their owners there. It cant hurt to try and see what happens... I dont think your hydrobather is going to lie and tell you she was an angel if she does it again. The other thing I try If hand washing with a hose in the hydrobath. We have a hose that is just a wall hose like in the shower that we use for the really scared ones and slowly they get use to it then we half and half using the hydrobath and then eventually get to the hydrobath fully. Can take up to 6 months for some pets getting regular washes. But thats my suggestion.

[JeffnCel]

I had read threads that spoke about what to do when you take your dog to a hydrobath, and I specifically asked the girl if I should stay or wait outside. She insisted I stay even though I said I had heard it was better not to be there.

We are doing IPO with our dog, so by no means is she treated like a baby. The girl was cooing over her sooooooo much and all I wanted to do was tell Buffy to "sit" but the girl just took over. I was furious, because Buffy then realised she could get away with mis-behaving. I don't want to sound mean, and I am definately worried that this bad experience is going to damage her, I just felt like the girl doing it spent more time comforting her, when she could have got the job done and Buffy would have realised it was ok.

I don't think she is sound sensitive, but then again the water pressure made me jump a little. I just think that maybe we should go to a professional groomer. Somewhere we can take our time. Buffy is a short coated doberman so she doesn't need extensive clipping or anything, but she still needs to behave when it comes to bath time.

Thanks so much for the advice.

[wagsalot]

My dog's must all be angels as they're perfectly behaved even with their owners standing right there Lucky me!

[sandgrubber]

Your question about leads is a good one. I began with a single adjustable strap anchored to the wall in my hydrobath (boarding kennel . . . so owners are almost never present). I eventually added a strap from another angle so that the dog is triangulated to the wall, so to speak. I haven't had a real struggle since I added the second strap. I don't think dogs like to struggle against something that gives them few degrees of freedom and doesn't yield at all to their jerking around. Anything that allows them to get feet above the rim of the bath is asking for trouble. I am not a proper groomer, and for most dogs, I consider it good enough to wash them with their ordinary collar on . . . but never a choker.

[curlygirl]

With my dads pup she was fairly feral the first time in the hydrobath. The second time I let her watch the 4 other family dogs get washed, then I put her in with dads old labrador. The lab is so calm and still in the bath that the pup soon realised it wasn't so bad. The pup has got better and better each time I wash her.

[JeffnCel]

Your question about leads is a good one. I began with a single adjustable strap anchored to the wall in my hydrobath (boarding kennel . . . so owners are almost never present). I eventually added a strap from another angle so that the dog is triangulated to the wall, so to speak. I haven't had a real struggle since I added the second strap. I don't think dogs like to struggle against something that gives them few degrees of freedom and doesn't yield at all to their jerking around. Anything that allows them to get feet above the rim of the bath is asking for trouble. I am not a proper groomer, and for most dogs, I consider it good enough to wash them with their ordinary collar on . . . but never a choker.

That's it, I really think the fact that she could wriggle, and she's big so she almost jumped out of the hydrobath at one stage, I think that was the issue. If she had been strapped in a bit tighter, I think she would have tolerated it better.

Ok so how do I find groomers/hydrobathers that have this system? Should I just call around?

[JeffnCel]

And of course what does any dog do after they've had a bath and smell so lovely?? They go and lie in the mud *sigh*

[gillbear]

Are you doing drive training with Buffy?

Practice on her focus with a tug or toy, then take it along for her next bath.

[Rantino]

I have 5 German Shepherds and I am fortunate enough to own my own hydobath and my dogs actually push one another out of the way to be first in. I don't know if this is unusual or not but I think they have just learnt from one another that to be in the bath is to get all the attention, so bath time here is not a chore at all.

[BC]

Yep, fun isn't it !!!

Try getting "Bruce" the 50+kg Alaskan Malamute in the bath without him eating your face off, let alone bathing him. (One of my regualr dogs that will never ever like it, apparently due to the previous groomer to me )

I have had a bull terrier rip my hose off, and 2 dogs that continously attacked the hose and my hands, and one massive dog that was trying so hard to get out he cracked my hydrobath door.

All dogs like this are tetherd on a short lead.

Luckily, most of the dogs I do are regulars and dont need to be restrained in the bath at all. Its a matter of them getting used to it.

I find that the first time they're scared and dont know whats going on. They do jump and pull and have a bit of a teary, but I dont react. I do not react at all to silliness. If you try and calm them etc they get worse and worse and think there is something to worry about.

I also prefer owners not to be there, but if they want to stay and watch fine. However, if they're yelling and screaming at their dog to sit down etc, I will ask them to walk away. The dog is usually much better when left with a groomer who has a more controlling manner.

I find after the next couple of hydros, they are OK, maybe not completely enjoying it, but know whats going on and just deal with it in a calmer manner.

In saying all of that, if I find the dog is working its way into an absolute frenzy that it could be of a danger to itself, I will stop bathing and speak to the owner to woerk out a different solution.

Edited October 7, 2007 by BC