Generally dogs like water, however, not all of them enjoy bathing as we understand it: with shower, gel, rinse and dry. It may happen that we find ourselves before a dog that is afraid of water and, then, these essential baths become torture for him and for us, his caregivers. But then, how do you bathe a dog if he won't let you?
In this article on our site, in collaboration with I Love Dog Wash, we are going to explain How to bathe a dog with fear of waterIf this is your problem, keep reading because we are going to offer you the keys to facilitate the management of this complicated moment so that we manage to turn it into a trance, but pleasant, at least quiet for everyone. We start with the bathroom!
How to prevent a dog from being afraid of water?
Before explaining how to bathe a dog with fear of water, we will give some advice, as preventive measures, to start, from the first moment, agood relationship of our dog with water theseRecommendations, which are used for both puppies and adult dogs, are the following are the following:
- Never force the dog to get into the water.
- Do not punish it under any circumstance and in any way.
- Do not bathe it in excess, since it is counterproductive for your he alth. Let us follow the recommendations of our veterinarian, since the frequency of bathrooms will depend on multiple factors such as the type of mantle or way of life.
- Do not use water as a method of punishment ever.
- Always keep calm, since it is the only way to convey tranquility to the dog. If we are nervous, you better leave the bath for another day.!
- Use only specific dog products. To use others not indicated we can run the risk of provoking dermatological problems, which can increase the rejection of the dog to the bathroom.
- Have everything you need at hand to perform the task quickly and effectively, without leaving the dog only. rope
- Start with a simple washing, with just a shampoo application.
- Control the water temperature. The recommendations talk about bathing with water at about 39 ºC, but it is always better to adjust it to the dog's taste, leaving it at the temperature at which we see it more comfortable.
- Lather and pour the water in areas that are not very involved, such as the legs, although it will depend on the dog, it is something that we will have to observe, to get closer to the face, which is usually the part in which there is more rejection.
Water fear signs in a dog
In this section we will expose behaviors that will indicate that our dog is afraid of water. Some will be evident, but others may not be so. It is very important to know canine language in order to be able to evaluate the dog's emotions at all times and know if we are acting appropriately or if, on the contrary, we are provoking A very stressful situation for the animal.
If our goal is to get the dog to associate bathing in a positive way, be attentive to the symptoms of fear in dogs. We highlight the following:
- Ears back, body shrunken, pupils dilated and tail between legs.
- The animal tries to run away, becomes paralyzed or shows aggressive behavior.
- Shows many calming signals, such as smacking, yawning, or panting.
- Sits up and refuses to get into the tub.
- If we wear it with a collar and leash it will try to break free.
- When we get him in, he tries to get out again and again.
- In his attempt to flee, he throws anything around him and even climbs on top of us if we are holding him.
- Sometimes it is the noise of the water coming out of the tap that triggers the dog's fear.
- Some moan and even howl.
If you recognize one or more of these behaviors, it is that you are probably facing a case of fear of water and you could even find yourself facing a phobia We are going to explain below how to bathe a dog that is afraid of water, applying techniques based on positive reinforcement and in accordance with a dog that shows fear.
How to bathe a dog that doesn't like water?
Finally, in addition to the tips that we have already explained to establish a good relationship between our dog and water, we are going to focus on those animals that show fear every time we try to give them a bath. The steps to follow to improve the experience are as follows:
- The first thing we have to work on is our attitude. We must treat our dog firmly and safely and be very clear that firmness does not imply, in any case, violence or shouting. Handling him knowing what we're doing and in a calm manner is what he's going to achieve transmit securityand this will make him better accept a situation that he doesn't like.
- On the floor of the bathtub we have to put a mat or any other non-slip material. This is another factor that will give the dog peace of mind, since without this precaution it would slip, increasing its discomfort. If we do not have a mat, a large folded towel can fulfill the same function, so that it is difficult for the dog to remove it with its paws.
- Before starting the bath we must be able to keep the dog calm inside the bathtub. For this we can help ourselves with caresses, affectionate words or your favorite prize. We must praise our dog when he is sitting or standing still. And in this we have to be precise because, if the dog receives the reward from him when he is, for example, trying to get out of the bathtub, he can understand that we praise his escape attempts. Achieving this point can be difficult if the dog has a badly associated bathtub. It may be interesting to perform several sessions of tolerance in the bathtub before taking a real bath.
- Once we have achieved the previous step, we are going to start turning on the water. Some dogs will become restless at this point from the loud sound. To avoid this we can put the tap to the minimum, and not the shower. It is convenient to have a large glass or a pitcher nearby to be able to wet and rinse. If this is the case, we will calm the dog again and only then can we begin to wet it. Depending on how it evolves, we will see if it is possible to increase the flow of water and/or even open the shower.
- It is important to clear the bathtub of boats or any other element likely to fall outside or inside it while we perform any of these movements. Therefore, it is better that we have the shampoo next to us on the floor or leave it on the floor of the bathtub. If something falls and hits the dog or the noise just scares him, we can throw away all the work we've done.
- We begin to wet our dog by the legs and ascend through the chest. There are dogs with fear that, calmly and with the relaxing effect of hot water, end up accepting the bath quite well from this moment on. Let's never forget to reward when he's still or sitting. On the other hand, if he gets restless again, we will have to start from scratch, trying to get him to be still again before continuing to wet him. From the chest we now move on to the back and the tail. The last thing will be the belly and the head. It is not necessary that we wash his face, because he can get scared and it is something we can do at the end, passing him a wet towel.
- If the dog wants to stay seated, Let's respect him, even if that means the wash isn't perfect. When he doesn't show fear we'll have time to get him to bathe standing up.
- Once wet, although at first it is not a perfect soak (we must remember that we are learning and now it is more important that you lose your fear before washing perfection), we turn off the water and proceed to soaping, which is usually a better accepted step. We always remain calm and repeat the pattern at all times: if the dog gets nervous, we stop, calm down and, once achieved, reward
- Once the shampoo has been applied (we can follow the body order given at the beginning to wet the dog), we turn on the water again and rinse following the steps we have already taken to soak the dog.
- Although baths usually require the shampoo to be applied twice, as it is a dog with fear we can stay, as long as it does not lose it, with a single application, thus ending the bath.
- Drying will be done with towels, removing as much moisture as possible. The dryer can be used if the dog tolerates it. If not, we can follow the same model that we have used for the bathroom, that is, reassuring the dog to keep him still, rewarding him when he succeeds and stopping when he gets nervous.
With these tips on how to bathe a dog that is afraid of water, we should begin to see an improvement in our dog's acceptance of bathing. If this is not the case and we believe that the problem is that our dog associates the bathtub or shower at home with something negative, we can try going to a dog car wash service, such as I Love Dog Wash, where they also have in some of their facilities dog trainers who will help us treat our furry's fear of water. However, if despite everything we do not get any progress or, even, if our dog gets worse, we should seek professional advice from a veterinarian, ethologist or dog trainer.
