[Ambesi]

If they do, how did you get them to enjoy it?

I would love for Winchester to not hate his baths. I'm not asking for exuberance by any means, but it would be nice if I could get him to put up with it so he's not trying to jump out of the tub while I'm washing him.

 

[Nicole74]

Bailey doesn't hate them. She stands there and really doesn't move. I don't fill the bathtub with water and always rinse her with fresh water. Bailey loves to drink from the running faucet. I do give Bailey a bath every week. She jumps in on her own and jumps out when I tell her.

I don't know how you make them like baths. I've never had a problem ever from day one.

 

[Augustus McCrae's Mom]

Maybe bring him a couple of toys in there? I don't know what we did, but Gus is a water monster! Usually he is the one that suggests we give him a bath--when he comes in from a really intense round of fetching, he runs straight upstairs and hops in the tub hoping we'll turn it on to cool him off.

Also, maybe you can try just putting him in there and giving him treats, but not actually turning on the water. Then he'll get used to it and start to associate it to good things.

 

[LuckyPup]

I just gave Lucky his first at home bath yesterday! I guess since I figured he is a Golden and they like water this would be easy!

Well it pretty much went exactly like you Nicole said with Bailey.

I ran very little water. Called him in. He put his foot in, looked at it weird. He got all the way in on his own and just stood there. I ran the water to rinse and he drank it the whole time.

I was worried that he would be more reluctant the next time. But sure enough this morning he was standing in the tub. I ran some water and he just stood there....no bath that early in the AM though!

I think bringing toys or treats in there may help. Or have him go in with no water and just get used to the tub. Luck has been going in the tub with no water (by his own choice) every morning for about a week.

 

[Florabora22]

Flora just stands there and takes it, although I can tell she doesn't like it. What helps to keep her standing in once place and makes her feel a little better (maybe) is to give her little treats during the course of the bath. If she's good while I rub in the soap, then she gets a cookie. When I'm rinsing her I like to scratch her chest and coo and tell her what a good girl she is, and give her a cookie.

Sometimes I actually get in our walk-in shower and bathe her in there, which is a LOT easier, but I get much more wet.

 

[Ambesi]

I have a shower nozzle that I use. Maybe I should put a little water in the bath first? I usually just use the nozzle.

 

[Adriennelane]

Maybe bring him a couple of toys in there? I don't know what we did, but Gus is a water monster! Usually he is the one that suggests we give him a bath--when he comes in from a really intense round of fetching, he runs straight upstairs and hops in the tub hoping we'll turn it on to cool him off.

Also, maybe you can try just putting him in there and giving him treats, but not actually turning on the water. Then he'll get used to it and start to associate it to good things.

Lucy does that. More than once she's talked us into letting her cool off in the tub, and she'll splash worse than a toddler, she's having so much fun.

Also, we most of the time we just have to tell her "Let's go take a bath!" and she'll run to the bath tub. We also have to remind her to go to the upstairs bathroom, because I prefer to use the handheld showerhead to clean her. Of course, she doesn't really care for the rinsing off part, and we have to keep her in the tub for that. I think she likes to be clean though. She knows that clean doggies get to sleep in the bed and watch tv on the couch.

 

[Noey]

mine LOVE the TUB. LOVE the Tub with water. Love the tub with water and if your in the tub thats even better.

HATE the bath. As soon as cleaning and soap are involved they want to run. I don't get it.

My husband noted maybe it's the weight of the water and the feathers...I don't know.

 

[cubbysan]

Brady hates taking a bath by himself.

He will always jump into a bath or shower when somebody else is in there. One time I did put on my bathing suit and hopped in to bathe him. He did enjoy that.

 

[Karen2]

Sierra just barely stays in the tub. When I ask her to step in she does so like it's a death sentence.
She keeps leaning towards the side of the tub so she can jump out as soon as she's given the ok to do so.
I haven't ran any water in the tub before for playtime, maybe I'll try that this next time..

 

[Farbauti]

Loki loves baths too. If he sees me with a towel in my hand he runs for the bathroom and waits for me to open the shower door. He even tries to get in when I am taking a shower but luckily he can't get the door open hahaha

I started putting him in the tub every week even if he wasn't getting a bath. I would just put some water in there and let him play with it so he would be used to the tub. Leaving the water running just a little when I soap him up helps keep him from moving around because he is too busy trying to drink it.

 

[docdoo475]

Scooby hates baths. I have to lure him in with treats usually. The first few minutes are quite eventful and he is constantly trying to jump out or escape, but after i get some soap on him, he just sits there and takes it.

 

[shortcake23]

Mia HATED taking baths and always wanted to jump out... until we stopped filling the tub with water and instead we use the shower head to get her wet and then rinse her off. She doesn't LOVE baths, but at least she doesn't seem to hate them anymore.

 

[Penny & Maggie's Mom]

The girls LOVE their baths. If they see me get the stack of their towels, Penny runs and jumps in the tub. Maggie waits in the hall until Penny gets out and then hops in. We started as tiny pups bathing them in the kitchen sink. Always made it a happy time with some treats. As they got bigger, we transitioned to the bathtub and nixed the treats, but still made it happy time. Also, we bathe weekly so it was a frequent routine.

 

[Karen2]

Well, I thought why not try some water(3 inches) in the tub and a toy...
Sierra step front feet in and no more...no matter how I played with the squeaky toy. She was all perky ears but won't go. Even tried stand in the water myself.
I let out the water and told her to get in and she did, but got the...OK I'LL TAKE MY BEATING" look.
No way could I get a picture, so here are a couple afterbath shots...
The look... "ok, happy now"

Then the "I guess I still love you" look

Then the "I guess I better mop things up here"...

Now she's enjoying a rawhide for her "suffering"...
"Boy glad that's over!"

 

[Cam's Mom]

Our guys love the bath. Like Penny and Maggie's mom, if they see a pile of towels they head to the bathroom. Cam our old RB guy hoped in the bath-tub with one of our kids his first night with us..and so it continued. Of course the kids thought it was great...and involved vast quantities of shampoo.

If I'm cleaning the bath Odin will come to see if he should get in!

A non slip mat helps too.

If you get in the bath or shower with them make sure the nails are trim and smooth if you value your skin!

 

[Mssjnnfer]

I get into the tub with them. It's a lot easier on my back and my incision, which would always burn after bending for so long. Plus I find it's also easier to get all the shampoo out. Mojo really enjoys his baths, I think... he'll splash around in the water, trying to get the suds.

Max, on the other hand, DOESN'T like the bath. She does stand there and takes it, though, which is good... but like someone else said, you can just tell she doesn't like it. LOL.

 

[chrispassmore]

luke-warm (literally)

Sammie enjoys his outdoor hose baths up to the point when the water becomes icy cold. I would recommend installing a warm water outdoor water hose for baths. I always think that I would HATE to be under the ice cold well water-- even if it is the middle of summer.

 

[Bock]

tysen has just recently started putting up with them

 

[Maya's Mom]

Maya LOVES her baths. I had a lab who hated them before her, so I was determined to do whatever I could to make baths better for Maya. When I introduced her to the tub, I first had her in the dry tub and gave her treats. I did that every few days for a week or so. A few days later, I put 1-2 inches of water in and had her watch me put little pieces of cut up apple and hot dog in the tub. She of course begged me to let her in the tub (she was too little to jump in then), which I did. I gave her several minutes to play in the water and search for wonderful treats. I think I did that 3 times before I gave her the first real bath. During that whole introduction time, she would try to get in the bath as much as possible. Once we started bathing her, we used small pieces of cut up hot dogs as bath treats, so it would be something really special. We still use some treats now, but not hot dogs and not nearly as many. We can't shower while she is around because she will jump in the tub with us every time, so I have to crate her to shower. She jumps in the empty tub all the time, just hoping we'll give her a bath. That is not to say she loves every moment of the bath though, but she does jump right back in after it's over!