How to Help Your Dog Enjoy Bath Time

A few years ago my husband begged me to get a German Shepherd dog. He wanted one so badly, so for his birthday, he was the proud new owner of a cute and fuzzy German Shepherd puppy. She was the friendliest and most lovable puppy, and we enjoyed her immensely until it came time for a bath. A smart dog, she knew what bath time was. She recognized the sound of the water and always disappeared somewhere when it came on. When we found her, just taking her from her hiding place to the bathtub was a chore, and took two grown adults for one little dog. It was as if she suddenly grew opposable thumbs. She latched on to every piece of furniture, left claw marks on the door frames, and the sound... the screams that emanated from this fuzzy creature were enough to curdle the blood.

Once we actually got her into the bathroom, it was an entirely different matter. Her first bath required my husband holding her down while I poured cups of warm water over her. Once she was wet, the real theatrics began. A slick and determined puppy can escape from the hands of even a adult man. The bathroom was always covered in water, the towels dripping, puddles of water on the floor. My husband and I looked like we had just gone swimming. It was a horrible situation, and we would have bypassed the baths altogether but our sweet little puppy was an indoor/outdoor dog, and she loved rolling in the mud... and other things. Baths were not options.

After one such bath time interlude, after moving all the furniture back to its place and getting things cleaned back up, my husband and I sat down to try to figure out how to help our dog like her bath. We came up with an idea, and it worked! It took some time, but it did work.

Before bath time we would take Otka, our puppy, for a long walk, and get her tired out. This helped our high energy dog from going totally berserk when the water started running. We got wise and had the dog in the bathroom before we started running the water. While the water was running, we pet our Otka and gave her a lot of special attention, and doggie treats. Once we had her in the water, one of us would massage her while the other fed her dog snacks, a special and favorite dog snack that we started only giving her at bath time. She was especially afraid of having the water poured over her, so we washed her head with a wet washcloth only, and reinforced a sense of calm by continually massaging and scratching her in her favorite places. Once the bath was over, we got out a new toy and one of us played with her while the other toweled her off.

It took several baths (about 10) to get her to a point where she didn't go into panic mode at any point during the bath, but eventually she began to sit in the tub without trying to escape. She soon learned that good behavior meant special treats, massages, and tummy rubs. Once we were able to reduce her panic, it started getting a lot easier, and before we knew it only one person was able to bathe her from start to finish.

Now, three years later, our Otka loves her bath time. She views it, as far as we know, as a special treat, and not a punishment.

To recap:

Don't pour water over your dog's head. Use a wet wash cloth instead.

Use doggie treats that your dog likes, a special kind that she only gets at bath time.

Massage and scratch those special places especially during the most traumatic times.

Be calm. Your dog can sense your energy.

Most importantly be consistent. Don't give up.