I have an 8 year old Skye Terrier which I have had for 9 days now.
I posted earlier on this forum about the fact that she cries throughout the night, but yesterday we had another problem.
We tried to bathe her for the first time yesterday, but when we tried to pick her up she went crazy - barking, baring her teeth and generally being very agressive towards us. This came as a complete shock as she has been nothing, but loving towards us since we got her, apart from a couple of instances when we've tried to brush or move her and she's growled slightly. It would seem that she has a very good nature, until we try and do something that she doesnt like.
After this incident we walked off and she hid under the bed for a while sulking.
The dog previously lived with another Skye Terrier and had been in
kennels with other dogs for the past 6 weeks.
Has anybody got any ideas as to how we can bathe her? Do you think she will trust us more in time?
Many thanks!

I would leave bathing for a little while, unless she smells. You can try some of the dry shampoos if she has picked up a kennel odor.

In terms of growling, ignore it. If you want her off the sofa and she growls, move her anyway. If you want to brush her and she growls, brush her anyway. If she tries to bite, tell her "no" and if need gently hold her mouth closed so she gets the message. When she is quiet, tell her she is a good dog. When she accepts grooming I would then try to bath her -- and be prepared for her to put on a huge show again. However, by then she should understand that as much as she protests she is still going to get a bath.

Lots of dogs hate grooming and especially baths, her terror/terrier tactics may have worked with her previous owners and she's hoping they do with you as well. Trust really has nothing to with it. Other than that you can trust that she will keep it up until you convince her resistance is futile - and good behaviour is rewarded with sweet talk and a treat or two.

Stacey

Hiya,

Im sure u will get lots of varying advice on this one, an i am not about to ram my own down your throat, however, i will tell you what i would do if it was MY dog.

Any dog that is growling is doing so for a reason. Tempting though it can be to think that the dog is being bloody minded, this is not the case. A growl is clearly a dogs way of saying 'back off, i am not comfortable with this situation'.

If you where to push this growly dog, my guess would be that she would rapidly turn to her other options, these are run away, freeze, and bite. If the dog is one who will freeze, u might be ok.
If not, and it runs away, or it bites you, that relationship you are trying to form is going to be seriously set back.

The chances are, if she does bite you, no matter how strong you think you are, it will be a big shock, and you will in all likely hood back off from her. This has happened to me, with a dog i knew very very well, and it was very scary.
If that happens and you back off from her, avoid pushing her, she will know she has a very useful tool to make you leave her alone. Then, you will have an incredibly difficult job getting her to trust you, and face up to her fears.

So, leave her alone for now, dont bath her, just put up with the smell, and work on getting her to trust you. Play lots of games, lots of training, but dont go mad, give her time to settle in. Try not to make exceptions, but also try not to confront her.

If you get into a physical battle with her, it will be a long time before she forgets it, and if she bites you the chances are, she will win.

At the end of the day, what do you want more, a happy trusting friend with a bit of a pong, or a clean and shiny dog that bites you?

Em

I agree with Em on this. You have a fairly mature girl, at 8 years of age, new to you and your home. She needs a significant amount of time to settle in, to get to know and trust you and for you to get to know her. Observe what she's telling you.

I'm not condoning bolshy behaviour - just that you give her more time - just as you would a new puppy, to get used to her surroundings.

If she get's whiffy:D try using some damp towels with some nicely fragranced water on her. Get her used to that. Try a paddling pool in the garden - see if she likes playing in water - if so use that as an opportunity to give her a gentle wash. You don't have to use warm soapy water - cold clean water with some shampoo in it will help.

hth

Pam n the boys

This is worth a thought

You have a particularly long bodied terrier there, if she reacted like that when you attempted to pick her up it may well be that she has an underlying back problem(i.e. disc problems) and reacted in that way because she is in pain. That would explain her hiding away afterwards, she was not sulking she was probably hurting.

As you have only had her for 9 days she is 8 years old I would be getting her checked out by the vet. If her coat is in good condition and not matted then I would say she has been groomed and bathed regularly in the past, so at her age should be very used to it.

If she is found to be fit and healthy then I would say that she is well and truly testing you and my advice would be to get a very good groomer to bath and groom her the first time, explaining to them the situation.

With a Skye Terrier you must at least groom her regularly as her coat will get into an almighty tangle otherwise. Was she a rescue or could you ask the people you got her from about her history with bathing and grooming?

Ooooh yes, forgot to mention that possibility Lady Dazzle, that will teach me to reply to posts and have conversations on messenger at the same time!!!!!!!!

Still, i multi task better n windows, cant complain too much!

Em

Hi Lady Dazzle
that possibility is certainly worth thinking about and I think we will get her checked out.
Will also give the kennel a ring and see how they coped with bathing her as I know she was there for 6 weeks.
Thanks for your help.

Ok, will take the bull by the horns here...1stly did this skye originate from Devon....it makes a big difference if it did!
Without a doubt if it were me I would get a Baskeville type muzzle, put 8" of warm water in the bath & put it straight in, no nonsense. I have had a lot of dealings with aggressive skyes....a LOT...and if they sense a weakness they will go for it. Chances are it will bite you, so put on the muzzle & do not be afraid. After a few baths like this its most likely to give in and let you bath it without too much trouble but you must get over this the 1st time & the only way to do it safely for you is a muzzle.

Hi
The lady at the kennel did say she thought she originated from Devon! Why is this an issue and should we be worried?
Many Thanks

OK, well if it originated from devon then there is a HUGE chance its from the big skye puppy farm that we have here :( Now I work very closely with vets/groomers and can tell you that within a 40 mile radius of said PF not onr will touch skyes.....even the vets are wary!!! The reputation is APPALLING. Its sad because I see other skyes all over the UK & temps seem great, but this particular line is quite lethal :( I have met, at a guess, about 15-20 & only one has had a safe temperament.
If yours doed originate from these kennels then my earlier advice on how to bath it still stands.

Sam,
I'm pretty sure I've heard of that 'breeder'.
Says something when news of a place like that travels to the opposite end of the country. :(

Jo

The poor things - I don't know how these people live with themselves.:angry: :(

Pammy...apparently quite easily whan you have, in your time, been the doyenne of the breed, bred some of the top dogs in your breed [$ probably forgotten more than you know. unfortunately you can lose sight of things as time takes its toll and you become a little introverted in your ways. sad]but not done with any bad intentions :(

Sam,

Sad situation.

Years ago I bought a GSD from a breeder recommended by a judge. Got the judge's name through my vet and spoke to her over the phone, never met her. Long story short, at 18 months it was clear that this GSD was truly fear-aggressive and unreliable. By that time I had met the judge several times and even chauffered her to a couple of local shows. I mentioned the problem with my GSD to her and her answer was, "oh yes, Ruth (breeder) is known for producing fear aggressive dogs." I could have decked her. It angered me beyond belief that someone who knew dogs well recommended a breeder known for problem dogs. The breeder had a long long of champions, member of the GSD specialty clubs, been breeding for 20 years, etc. But ... any problem with a dog she bred always seemed to be the fault of the owners. Kennel blind and breeding too many litters.

Temperament is too easy to forget when breeding.

Stacey