RedStafford Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) Hi Guys, This has probably been asked before but none of my searches turned up the answer... I just gave Cayenne her first bath since we got her (Cayenne is a 10wk old staffy)... unfortunatly she really really didn't like it... I filled the bath to have about 1 inch of water in it, put her in and after about 5 seconds she was doing all should could to get out... We struggled through the bath (i would have canned it if it wasn't for the fact that she had been standing in wee and had muck on her tummy...) she didn't like any stage of the process that involved water... How can I get her used to getting wet...? eventually I had visions of taking her to beaches and throwing sticks in the drink for her etc etc... this wasn't a good start to water for her... interestingly she did walk in the shower one day which was still wet after being used and didn't mind it one bit... Any help, suggestions and guidence welcome! Thank you... Edited February 10, 2007 by RedStafford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shoemonster Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 I wouldn't worry about it too much, my two love to swim, in any dam, swimming pool, river, creek, puddle, etc, but they both despise being bathed I do it in the shower with the door shut as it's easier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tonymc Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Red,your Top Dog or should be so assert yourself with the Pup.You want to wash the pup, so go ahead and wash it. I would put the amount of water in the Bath you want.Put a Leash and Collar on the Pup.Have some Treats handy the Pup likes.Put the Pup in the Bath.If she scrambles and carrys on, just make sure she stays in the Bath.Just quitely and firmly hold the Pup in the Bath if she is objecting.The Moment,the Pup stands Quitely without objecting praise Her and give her a Treat.You are rewarding her for the Behaviour you want.Keep this Procedure up and she will soon come to like being washed. Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Miranda Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 You may find it easier (at this age) to wash her in the laundry trough, you will have more control over her and she'll be at a more convenient height. If you want to continue to use the bath buy a shampoo attachment for the taps, it's much easier. Always use warm water, a lot of dogs are put off bathing at an early age because they're bathed under the hose in cold water. As she gets older bathing will become easier and in the end she will just accept it as routine although she will probably never actually like it. However just because she dislikes being bathed doesn't mean that she'll automatically avoid all forms of water, chasing sticks into the sea is a totally different proposition Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R00 Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) EFS Edited March 28, 2009 by Roo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dog_Horse_Girl Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 IMO it's not OK to bath a dog with the hose; for one thing the water is just too cold. Another is that it's more difficult to control the water pressure and another is the dog may develop a phobia about hoses. I always bath a new arrival ASAP. Small dogs get done in the laundry tub, big dogs in the bath. I use a shower hose attached to the tap. Warm water. Good quality shampoo. Introduce the dog to the water slowly. Make it positive by giving treats and telling the dog that it's a good dog! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dogsfevr Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 In a nutshell the dog will be bathed BUT make sure there is a non slip mat,a slipping dog will panic more than getting bathed,be organized have everything ready. Sometimes with babies using a cheap harness for extra control can be useful. The laundry tub is a great place,less roaming area & you can attach a cheap hose extension for easier washing If you cant do a full bath you can also use a warm bucket with shampoo & sponge the dog but bathing is part of life & just stick with it,be firm,patient & with time it will tolerate /enjoy.Often those washed in cold water have a hissy fit at first because its such a shock the same as us hopping striaght into a cold shower Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RedStafford Posted February 10, 2007 Author Share Posted February 10, 2007 (edited) Thanks for all the responses... good to hear its not an uncommon thing... There were a couple of suggestions made that I will try next time, like using a collar and leash, i took her collar off this time. Unfortunatly though our laundry tub isn't an option due to the stoopid tap it has. The non slip matt also sounds like a good idea... Tony, I'm onto the top dog thing... it would have been easy to back out of giving her the bath today and just wipe the muck off her tummy... but she got bathed, and she got rewarded at the first signs of her settling down... I can't wait to take her to the beach and let her run around, i took her last weekend but obiously she had to be carried due to not being fully vac'd... Thanks again. EFS Edited February 10, 2007 by RedStafford Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doghouse Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 Go the hand shower head/hose. Myf hates the bath with still water but tolerates the warm shower hand holdie thing. She still sulks though. Lola loves it.. sits and waits for her turn... Mind you neither have a problem getting into the fish ponds.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flying Penguin Posted February 10, 2007 Share Posted February 10, 2007 This may seem silly but what if you had her on the lawn and put water on a flannel and washed her that way so she would get used to it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ReXy Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 my stafford doesnt really like a bath either, but hey if i need to bath him then he will have a bath.. make sure ther is a non slip mat in the bath ( if they slip all over the place they tend to freak out a bit) use treats nice calm voice and i use a hose with shower head on it nice arm water, and he has no choice but to stay there till ive finished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kavik Posted February 11, 2007 Share Posted February 11, 2007 I've been lucky with Kaos. He can be a silly bugger and its taken a while to get him to let me do his nails. I thought he would be tough in the bath, but he stayed quiet and didn't jump around. He didn't really enjoy it, but he didn't cause a problem. I put a slip lead on them, the blue and white ones they use at the vet, as they don't get gross when wet. He also loves the water generally, will splash around when I fill their pool, and when we went to the beach. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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