Guest Anonymous Posted June 8, 2003 Posted June 8, 2003 Hi! I'm new here... I have a Golden Retriver/Springer/Setter mix, who used to love water. I tryed giving him a bath last summer, and he freaked out! :o Squirming away... etc. Really mad and freaked out! :-? I was wondering if anyone has any suggestions how to bathe him or get him to like water again? Quote
imported_Cassie Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 Many dogs which love swimming in water do not enjoy having it sprayed on them...I'm just unsure what you meant by your dog used to love water...did your dog enjoy being bathed until this one time??? I bath dogs every day most which hate being bathed (thats one of my jobs :) ) we have a hose with a nozel which does not make any noise...if you used a hose or any thing that was really high pressure and makes a hissing noise, some dogs will freak out....we have a noose in our bath tub so the dogs cannot jump out etc. I usually run the water first and hold it so they can see the nozel with the water running, then bring it up slowly around the chest and back area..lather up really good then give a good massage that they will enjoy...keep talking to them the whole time and don't become stressed your self...the calmer you are the calmer the dog will be...keep talking to them...after the bath make sure you reward and praise for being such a good dog. Not alot of dogs ever enjoy a bath and some can be down right nasty about the whole thing... One other thing I have done is scratch the dogs chest the whole time its in the tub...this works for some...not alot! we also bath alot of Siberian Husky's...and I havent met one Husky which enjoyed a bath. Good Luck Quote
imported_Cassie Posted June 9, 2003 Posted June 9, 2003 I meant to mention also...if you have some one who can hold your dog while bathing this will be very helpful. Have that person also talk to your dog...I find the attitude you take with the dog before bath time can also be important...if you are happy about it and make it sound fun and like a game then your dog will be more apt to enjoy the experience...dogs pick up on your body language very easily... Quote
Guest Anonymous Posted June 10, 2003 Posted June 10, 2003 Thank you Cassie! I use a hose nozzle with lots of different settings, I used a mist one that barely made any sound most of the time. What I meant was, he used to love playing around in puddles all the time, he still plays in the swamps around our property, but not in too much water, he never gets totally submerged, I don't think. When he comes home, his chest and legs are all muddy, but usually never his back, etc. We have another dog, Gunther. He's a Basset hound/Beagle mix. He lets me bathe him, he doesn't like it, but he's too gentle too resist. :angel: Cuurently he's smelling pretty sour, time for another bath! :wink: Quote
JackieMaya Posted June 11, 2003 Posted June 11, 2003 My two girls LOVE the water but they both HATE being sprayed with the hose. Maya, my yellow girl, is really afraid of the hose, and I think that maybe she had some bad experiences with a hose before I got her. This picture shows how much Jackie likes the water. This is how she cools off when I have her out at the stable. Quote
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