# Tips on first bath?



## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

I have decided to give Daja a bath this weekend and will be doing it in the bathroom (all rugs will be taken up, I will be ready for a soaking and will have plenty of towels handy). I have no idea how she feels about water (Butch and Roxxy think it's for drinking). I bought shampoo at PetsMart (recommended by the Manager who I got to know through an injury to Butch...long story) with oatmeal. I have the ZoomGroom to brush her while wet.

Any tips? Thanks to all!


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## AkiraleShiba (Dec 9, 2007)

Maybe put her in the bath a couple of times before with her toys and treats. Then on the first bath just don't put too much water in, avoid pouring water in her ears or eyes


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

What I usually do is use my shower head sprayer as opposed to actually putting water in the tub. Would it be "more better" to give her a bath rather than a shower? That may be where my problem has been with all my dogs.


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## AkiraleShiba (Dec 9, 2007)

I guess it depends on your dog, maybe there is less noise than with the shower spray. Then again maybe your new dog would rather like the shower spray.


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## Kathyy (Jun 15, 2008)

Any updates? Have you recovered yet?

I always put a towel on the bottom of the tub.
I don't wash the head.
I have loads of treats I can handle with wet hands.
I am fortunate to have a sliding glass tub door I can hide behind when the dogs shake. I think even a towel between you and the wet beast will help.
The door also helps keep the dog in the tub.
I put a cloth leash and collar on the dog while bathing.
Put something on the drain so all the hair doesn't go down the drain.
Keep the bathroom door shut.


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## rosemaryninja (Sep 28, 2007)

Oh, and don't make it a big deal...if you make it a big deal, so will she.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Never did give her the bath. It was raining off and all weekend so I put it off until later. I never thought of putting a towel in the bottom of the tub. Makes sense. Should prove to be interesting. Oh, and the door will be closed and I will be dressed for a drenching...if you catch my drift


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## Lonewolfblue (Oct 28, 2007)

When I gave Nell her first bath, I just lifted her into the tub. She was a little afraid at first, but got used to it pretty fast. I just turn the water on and use a large cup to get her wet. About halfway through she was loving it. Just don't make a big deal out of it. The hardest part for me is getting all the shampoo out afterwards, doing it with a cup is kind of hard. Just takes a while. Then I start drying her with the towel in the tub, then will take her out and set her on a towel and finish rubbing her down. She loved that the most, lol. As for Betty, she's always in the tub before I can turn the water on, she just loves baths, and loves the rub downs afterwards.


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## Kity (Aug 8, 2008)

I remember the first bath of my dos. She loved it so much. And I don`t even have any problem while I clean her. I believe it depends on if she likes water or not... Good luck


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## ara28 (Feb 18, 2008)

My dog doesn't like baths, but he doesn't protest them either. I put him in the tub and he stays there until we're done. Since he's more then half my weight I have to lift his front end in first and then his back end. I usually put on a swimmin suit and get in the tub with him and close the shower curtain. It's a little unnecessary but it minimizes the amount of water OUTSIDE the tub. I also have this attachment thing that I attach to my shower head and it's a sprayer that only lets water come out when you push the button that way water isn't running the whole time. I scrub his whole body with the zoom groom and puppy shampoo because it's tearless. and I do his head last because he HATES water in his face. The he gets out of the tub and I towel him off and then let him out of the bathroom, throw a towel over him and let him run around with the towel and roll around in the towel to dry himself off. Oh and I give him lots of yummy treats when he gets out of the tub.
This was probably more info than you were lookin for but oh well. Hope the dog washing goes well!


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## CinnamintStick (Jul 25, 2008)

My puppy goes in the shower with me before his puppy class. He knows he gets to do something fun after the shower so he has learned to look forward to getting in the shower with me. He tends to roll in horse or goat poo before class. I don't like to dry the skin out with shampoo to often and I just need him rinsed off before class. Sometimes I just rub him down with conditioner after I rinse him good. Everyone thinks he smells good and is always shinny. What they don't know is he really did not get a bath.


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## mosbysmom (Mar 11, 2008)

Have a second set of hands to help hold her and keep her calm
Take care to not get soap in eyes or water in ears. I tend to avoid the head as much as possible.
My dog likes warmer water but every dog is a bit different
I like the tip from above to put a towel or something on the bottom of the tub so your dog doesn't slip 
If the weather permits, doing it in the yard with a hose can help avoid a messy bathroom

A lot of cities now have self-dog washes. The one by me has big tubs that are higher up so I don't have to bed down as much, temperature control on the water, and a way to secure them in so they don't jump out. They also provide a towel so I don't have anything to clean up after. It's definitely worth the money to not have to clean my bathroom after!


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## DogGoneGood (Jun 22, 2008)

I use to bathe my dogs in the tub with water in it and a cup to rinse. It never went over well. My back and knees were killing me by the end, my clothes were drenched, and Coal always freaked out. As soon as I moved downstairs and started using that bathroom all the time (which only has a shower stall - no tub) I had a go with giving Coal a SHOWER rather than a bath. I got my bathing suit on, taught him to go in the shower and be calm in it with me and the shower door closed weeks before the actual bath, and then tried the hose on him. It only took a few times for him to get used to it, and now he stands there very calmly, whereas he'd had several baths in the tub and always tried to escape and hated it.

I've been giving them "showers" this way as apposed to baths ever since. Linkin whines, but he whines no matter what's happening to him.

What I discovered was the shower was actually quieter than the bath. It was the sound of the water pooring off of Coal and into the water that was noisey and scaring him. The shower is a lot quieter and stress free. Plus now I don't really have to worry about my clothes getting soaked because I'm in there with my bathing suit on and getting a shower with him basically LOL

Not sure if that helps, but I found it did make a huge difference...


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## Dwayners (May 29, 2008)

one thing for after the bath, I wrap the towel around their head, over the ears and use it like I would a lead to walk the dogs out onto the balcony, do it slowly and gently so the towel doesn't come off. when their ears are covered, they don't seem to have that desire to shake off. once outside, remove the towel and they can shake all they want.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

This weekend is going to be it! I don't care if it's raining or not...she doesn't get that dirty anyway. I'm going to try the towel in the bottom and use my shower head (that comes off) w/out putting water in the tub. I don't have a walk in shower so I'm stuck doing it this way.

Wish me luck...it should be interesting (or not depending on if she doesn't mind water).


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## allison (Jun 26, 2008)

DogGoneGood said:


> Linkin whines, but he whines no matter what's happening to him.


This made me crack up lol 

Also, your dogs' names are great! 

Alpha, I'm glad you asked this question bc I am giving Ozzy a bath for the first time too! All of the advice sounded awesome. Let us know how yours went so I can get some tips from you too!


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Well, the bath went well but that's it. She stood in the tub and let me shampoo her, brush her with the ZoomGroom, rinse her off (with shower head) and stood there until I picked her up. Drying her was a challenge. I don't know what went on in her past life, but she is very touchy everywhere and anywhere but not all the time. She snapped at me quite a bit but would stand there if I told her no. I would for a few minutes, very lightly and maybe she would stand there, maybe she wouldn't. All in all, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. She could have fought me the whole way.

But to top it off, my drain release has decided not to work so I have a tub with soapy hairy water in it and I need to take a shower! It's not clogged (it has the strainer of the hole), the drain won't open. PIFFLE! I'm having to plunge it out!


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## DogGoneGood (Jun 22, 2008)

allison said:


> This made me crack up lol
> 
> Also, your dogs' names are great!
> 
> Alpha, I'm glad you asked this question bc I am giving Ozzy a bath for the first time too! All of the advice sounded awesome. Let us know how yours went so I can get some tips from you too!


LOL Thank you!
Linkin IS a real whiney dog; though not as bad as he use to be... I think he's SLOWLY growing out of it. When I was in school and we did the long stays he'd whine the whole 3 or 5 minutes and all the other dogs would inch away from him and give him funny looks LOL

Alpha - I'm glad the bath went alright, though that is odd she doesn't like a rub down with the towel. I've found that's the favorite part of most dogs! My dogs LOVE being towel dried because it's like getting a full body scratch and massage! I wonder if that's something you could work on every day for just a couple of minutes to get her use to it?


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

I'm going to consult a behaviorist because she has some issues with being petted but not all the time. It's hard to pinpoint what area she doesn't like. She loves, I mean absolutely loves to have her tummy rubbed. Sometimes touching her hips/hind end will result in a snap other times not. I was a little surprised about the toweling as well. Something to work on.


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## allison (Jun 26, 2008)

doggonegood- that's funny lol! Ozzy will whine whenever the leash comes out. He knows we're going for a walk or in the car, both he loves. He will continue to nose whistle until we either get out of the gate or actually in the car. What a goof! 

Alpha- I haven't given Ozzy a bath yet... I ended up getting the all natural wipes. I'm a chicken! lol


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

I gotta tell ya, there was enough hair in the tub to make a pillow. But she feels so good and I think it's going to help with the shedding. I may take her to a groomer next time...she'll only charge be $15 and do the nails as well.

Oh, and Allison...brawk brawk brawk...you ARE a chicken!


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## DogGoneGood (Jun 22, 2008)

alphadoginthehouse said:


> I'm going to consult a behaviorist because she has some issues with being petted but not all the time. It's hard to pinpoint what area she doesn't like. She loves, I mean absolutely loves to have her tummy rubbed. Sometimes touching her hips/hind end will result in a snap other times not. I was a little surprised about the toweling as well. Something to work on.


Have you had her looked over by a vet? When Coal started reacting oddly to having his hips and shoulders touched I brought him into the vet where he was diagnosed with early signs of arthritis. If she hasn't had a check up done recently, I think that's where I'd take her before a behaviorist to rule out any medical problems.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

I got her from my vet and the tech who had her took very good care of her during her pregnancy, etc. So I'm good with her being healthy. 

For all I know, she was abused, but we don't know. She is sweet and I am becoming very fond of her...not quite in love with her yet but we're getting there. 

And on 9/6 she goes in for her follow up HW blood work and I'll say something then. I really don't think she is having any physical issues (she's a dadgum pogo stick like Butch) but it's something to talk to the vet about.


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## DogGoneGood (Jun 22, 2008)

Yeah, it could have been abuse. I guess only the dog knows. I just mentioned having an exam done to rule out any physical problems first. I think with most behavioral problems that come up in dogs and the owner wants to consult a behaviorist - the dog should be looked at by a vet first just to rule that out.

If you watched Coal chase after toys and such you'd think he's in the prime of his life. But some days he has a lot of trouble and he really hurts when you touch his hips. Dogs are very good at hiding things.

But if she was seen by a vet recently I'd say that's probably not it.

Good luck though! I hope whatever the cause is that you can help her out!


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## Noel (May 24, 2008)

I would lure the dog into the bathtub with treats that she likes, and then take up all the rugs, and make sure you have plenty of towels. Gently massage the shampoo into her coat when you start giving her that bath. Make sure to hold her so she doesn't jump out of the tub.


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## alphadoginthehouse (Jun 7, 2008)

Noel said:


> I would lure the dog into the bathtub with treats that she likes, and then take up all the rugs, and make sure you have plenty of towels. Gently massage the shampoo into her coat when you start giving her that bath. Make sure to hold her so she doesn't jump out of the tub.


Noel, she was perfect in the tub...just stood there and I used the ZoomGroom. It was the drying off that was difficult. And I had all the rugs up and lots of towels handy.


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