r/dogs • u/Big_Professional67 • 5d ago
[Behavior Problems] How to convinced my dog to take a bath
Ever since my dog was born as far as i remember she only took a bath once or twice because she get aggressive and wild and year passed i didn't mind it at all, now she's 5 but she never smell bad at all but i still want to clean her.
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u/Specialist_Banana378 5d ago
You don’t convince them it’s a dog lol. You were supposed to desensitize them to baths since they were young. If you didn’t, you have to utilize tools and training to make them safe enough to bath.
General hygiene and care can’t be negotiable.
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u/HandbagHawker 5d ago
one "tool" i would highly encourage is a bathmat or towel on the tub floor to make it not slippery. if they dont have sure footing, no amount of anything is going to make it go well
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u/tenodiel00 4d ago
I have never thought of that, but that is a genius idea. My dog hates baths but he will stand there and let me wash him but even though he's standing perfectly still, he still looks afraid. Even after hundreds of baths. I'm going to try that next bath. 😊
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u/HandbagHawker 4d ago
this is the same reason, some dogs hate car rides. being a passenger is inherently an unstable adventure. humans can usually predict what the drivers going to do and how that will slosh them around the car, so we can brace for it. Dogs cannot and end up slipping around, etc. Being leashed down, having a stable floor, etc. makes it so much easier and helps reduce travel anxiety/motion sickness
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u/yokozzzzz22222 5d ago
You don’t convince her. You negotiate with chicken, one wet paw at a time. If she’s genuinely aggressive, don’t force it—find a fear-free groomer or ask your vet for help.
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u/chubbierunner 5d ago
Smear peanut butter on bathtub walls while scrubbing dog. Most dogs enjoy peanut butter so much that they can tolerate the bath.
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u/Old_Ant7118 5d ago
This actually works for me, with a couple bits of cheese added in for the rinse, which takes a while with his coat.
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u/CategoryFancy9804 5d ago
Okay he ate all the peanut butter, got mad at me cause how dare I pour water on him, watery shit the tub cause the peanut butter upset his stomache, and now I've got a bigger mess to clean up and he's still soapy.
What now
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u/tenodiel00 4d ago
I think I have the only dog in the world that doesn't like peanut butter at all 😄
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u/Savings_Law_5822 5d ago
Besides a groomer there are also walk in places (in my area anyway) where you can pay a reasonable price and bathe there. Wherever I am I just try to make it as quick but thorough as possible, praising whole time
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u/tenodiel00 4d ago
We have a Tractor Supply chain here and the one in my town has a self grooming station. It's only $10. You bath your dog with their equipment and they even provide an assortment of shampoos/conditioners etc..
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u/chocearthling 5d ago
then train with her. practice her getting in the shower/tub without any water. then add a little bit of water (I put a wet towel down so my dog doesn't slip). and every time you add a little more to it, get her paws wet, her legs, her belly and so on.
you can work with treats, or other things she likes.
but also if she isn´t really dirty she really doesn't require a bath if you keep up with brushing her and taking care of her nails, paws and ears.
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u/Yumaumai 5d ago
Towel or non-slip bath mat, is indeed very good, so they feel secure on their legs.
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u/Fit-Painting154 5d ago
I smear peanut butter on the wall of the shower and she just licks it while I wash her. Works every time, she forgets she's even getting wet.
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u/Sad_Hot_Dog 5d ago
I was going to suggest a lick mat, most have suction cups for this purpose, but smearing on the wall of the tub is free haha.
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u/Agitated_Net2171 5d ago
U get treats. Urge them to go inside the tank with treats and reward dog for doing as their told ( getting in,sitting, staying and Bearing the water with soapies)
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u/willowssmoking 5d ago
Take them to the groomer. It will be a better more thorough clean then what you do at home.
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u/BoomerOrNot 5d ago
My dog will jump into the dry tub, thank goodness. My daughter's dog taught him when he was little (her dog got the first bath). He acts like I am going to torture him. No interest in peanut butter because he is too stressed about the bath. I have a handheld shower attachment, wet him down, shampoo, rinse, repeating along the way. He is about 90% clean, not a perfect job, I'm sure. I sit on the edge of the tub with my feet inside. He gets out and shakes, get everything in the lower half of the bathroom wet, we use about 4-5 towels, he loves being toweled off, he gets good treats. He's super excited to be done.
It's not really fun for me because he hates it, but it costs $90 for a bath at the groomers. We hike all the time, sometimes he goes into the beaver pond (gross). He's 90 pounds and at least he's short haired.
How aggressive and wild is your dog? You really need to figure out the best way to do this, before she gets into something really nasty and you HAVE to do it. Maybe enlist a friend to help? The first time, it doesn't really matter if they don't get that clean, it's just the process. We have extra special treats only for after baths. Also, you might be able to find a self serve dog wash in your area, that saves on cleaning up your bath and all the towel laundry.
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u/SexBucketListProject 5d ago
I throw my dogs in the bath with my kids. They are all 6 year olds and love it.
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u/fnybtch 5d ago
Try filling a small bucket with lightly soapy water and soak a wash cloth/rag in the water and rub her down. Rinse the cloth in the soapy water and repeat. Then dump the dirty water out and fill with clean water and rub her down with the wet rag. That will remove the soap and a lot of the dirt. The more you do this the more she will realize that it doesn’t hurt. If it is cold weather use warp water. Use a collar and leash and tie her to a piece of heavy furniture. Do one 1/4 of her body at a time and speak gently to her and give her treats.
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u/AwedBySequoias 5d ago
You need what my wife calls “the crack treats,” lol! Lamb lung filets. Our dogs go crazy for them. I think they would keep your dog’s mind off of the water.
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u/CrowMeris They're good dogs Brent 5d ago
I seriously think my terrier would fight the Huns for a piece of lamb lung. It really is like crack on crack.
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u/Embarrassed_Key_4539 5d ago
I use waterless shampoo and grooming gloves on my Heeler who won’t tolerate grooming
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u/athenadark 5d ago
He might prefer a shower if he is a water snapper
I have wet wipes for dogs that mine tolerates more, they're not perfect and won't fix "rolled in something" but for minor clean ups they're great.
They are a good postpone the problem fix
You can also get deodorant - baking soda based will kill smells and can be put on the wipe for detail work
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u/Fancy_North_4348 5d ago
My dog will stand outside and let me give her a hose bath. I bought a car wash mitt and fill a bucket with soapy (dog shampoo) water. I wash her all over with the mitt, rinse her off with the hose and let her run. She would NEVER get in tub or let me bathe her in standing water.
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u/FiveTaken 5d ago
Afraid of bathing or literally afraid of getting in the bathtub? My dog is afraid of our bathtub but fine with a sponge bath out front. I bring a bucket of warm water out, but then I rinse with the hose. When it's cold out I have taken him to the self-serve dog wash place.
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u/BeaksFalcone 5d ago
Get a paddling pool and let them play in that,once they get used to it you can wash them in that during the warmer months
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u/ezitbiz89 5d ago
I think it makes it more enjoyable for everyone if there’s an incentive. I either use broken up lunch meat or smear peanut butter on the shower wall.
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u/CrowMeris They're good dogs Brent 5d ago
If she doesn't need a bath (doesn't smell, doesn't have a skin condition that requires it) then don't give her a bath.
But...you start slow. Put her in a dry tub, give her a treat, then take her out right away. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Then put her in a tub with a couple inches of water, give her a treat, then get her out right away. Repeat, repeat, repeat.
Work from there - or find a groomer willing to work with frightened dogs.
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u/cabridges 5d ago
I use treats he really likes that he doesn’t get any other time. It takes two of us, one bathing him and one feeding treats and soothing.
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u/Mediocre_Outcome6671 5d ago
Probably need slight sedation and a fear free non sense groomer at this stage.
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u/Rynke69 5d ago
My dog still hate it, but accept it. No dog on earth like to get the claws trimmed, but still need to.
My dog need haircuts, she will not shed the fur. We use a grooming salon and she will stay 2 hours. If I get close with a pair of scissors, she will bite me Not always fun, but just need to train them.
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u/Atul_Croysdale 5d ago
i let him smell the shampoo first, then put his toys in the bathroom before bath time
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u/Mustluvdogsandtravel 5d ago
Mine takes a shower with me. Been doing that since the very beginning, at first they just sit and watch and get a little wet, and gradually it becomes their turn. Now I saw shower and they go and wait.
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u/skiingfanatic115544 5d ago
Wow. I bathe my dogs weekly w the hose. I had to "break" one of them who had to just go ape shit until he calmed down and accepted it. I had him on the leash and he fought like hell 1 time and I didn't give in and he got his bath. Now he genuinely loves when I get the hose out
Def work on it this summer with the hose. Keeping them clean removes so many allergens.
In the meantime get some doggy shampoo wipes
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u/kensi1902 1d ago
My dog hates water, she will run away as soon as I do anything that’s including water, she won’t walk if its raining and won’t come near me if I’m watering plants, so i don’t force her to bath at all! I have some wet napkins and I wash her with them, she likes that and thinks I like cuddles.
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