We have only tried to bath Max once. He didn't find it a very pleasant experience.

Has anyone got any tips/advice on what we should do (maybe introduce treats) or suggest any do's and don't's?

This may seem like a silly question.

Ashleigh

Gus wont go near the bath :rolleyes:
Now we bathe him outside with a bucket but we need two of us to keep him in the one place :)

If you don't already, then use one of those rubber shower mat thingys... it helps the dogs grip and stops them sliding around making them feel more steady.

I'm lucky, my Lab loves the bath (or any kind of water come to think of it!).

just bathed 3 out of 4 of mine.......they love it when they were pups i used to get one of the kids at the head end to entertain them whilst i scrubbed LOL now they just Q up

I reckon we will end up outside to wash him!

When we pick him up to put him in the bath he won't touch the bottom!!

Thanks for the posts

Ashleigh

Try letting go then :-D

lol. ok. cheers
must try that! LOL

(you know what I mean though) lol

Ashleigh

I know, Millie hates baths!  She never goes downstairs by herself (why walk when you can be carried) but I took her in the bathroom last Wednesday and as soon as she saw me turn the taps on, she was gone, out of the room and down the stairs into the kitchen like a shot :-D

Her groomers told me just to give her lots of praise the whole time.  I find she plays up continously if me and OH bath her together (she could jump out of the bath by about 5 months old) and is much better if I bath her alone.  I talk to her the whole time in 'the silly voice' which seems to placate her.

We are currently using a shampoo on Millie that needs to stand for 10 minutes before rinsing, and seeing the look of horror on my face when the vet told me that, she suggested feeding her dinner to her while we wait, each piece individually if necessary.  I don't know if that will help as you won't be waiting around, but getting on with the job of bathing, but maybe if one of you baths him while the other one just concentrates on sitting there feeding him individual pieces of food, one by one, he might be less bothered about whats going on to the rest of him as long as there's food going into his mouth.

I am having so much trouble with my puppy and baths right now.  When she was eight weeks I had to wash her feet a couple times cuz she stepped in her own poop! and she really didn't seem to mind standing in a little water to get her feet wet etc so I thought we would be ok...Then she would push into the bathroom if my partner or I were having a bath and literally try to jump right in so I thought great I've got a puppy who won't mind being washed...BUT oh was I wrong...It seems my puppy loves water on her own terms...she will jump in and out of the bath with no water in quite freely and she still tries to get her paws in the tub when someone is in it...but I'll be darned if she doesn't act like she is going to be killed if it is actually her turn for a bath...she is just about ok standing in some water and getting lathered up but the minuet you try to pour the water on to rinse she gets so upset...bathing her the last time nearly brought me to tears, it was a frustrating experiance...she jumped out twice which bothered me cuz it isn't good for her legs to do that when they knock on the tub...I got completly drenched from head to toe, the bathroom floor was as though we had a flood and the time that she did manage to stay in she spent the whole time trying to climb out so badly that I had to hold her by her scruff a little to keep her still and I just had to get on with it to get it over and done with because no amount of soft talk was working and it just prolonged her trying to climb out backwards and hitting herself on the side...I had a bath mat in and everything but she still slipped around alot and it upset me because I didn't want it to be bad like that :(  I didn't shout at all and i stayed as calm as the situation allowed but it was very stressfull.

It is so weird though because she loves the rain and getting in mucky water etc she just doesn't want to get clean and yet if there is no water in the tub she wants to play in it and will drink from the taps etc.  Just the other day she jumped in some really nasty mud and came home with 'clay boots' on..lol...so although I didn't bath her all over or use shampoo I just filled up the tub enough to cover her legs and washed her with plan water and because I didn't have to rinse her she was ok.  I put all her rubber toys in that time too....It is just the rinsing she can't stand and I have tried pouring water on her from a jug and using the shower spray which she hates equally, I have tried pouring the water real slow too or having the spray on just a little and she still acts like it is torture and I checked it was nowhere even too warm also so I can't think why she hates it all so much?

I really can handle all the getting soaked and all that I don't care about but I hate seeing her trying to fight her way out so much because it isn't the best for her when she has one paw on one side of the tub and the other on the other side and she is crashing about, I even had my partner get in the tub to hold her to make her feel more secure but she was still just as bad...Now it seems I just will have to get the job over and done with as quick and calm as posible.

I have tried hosing her in the yard and she hates that just as much and because she will not stand still while you try to wash her there is no kind way to restrain her without tying her up and she gets straight back in to the mud as quickly as it is washed off anyway. *sigh*!

If she just didn't love getting so damn mucky she wouldn't have to ever be bathed I keep telling her that but do you think she will listen?!

I love my pup too bits but I have to admit that every puppy trouble that could be possible we have had...severe travell sickness, sensitive tummy, diorreah, trouble with bathing etc etc, but we are trying to eliminate each one bit by bit and slowly but surely we will get there with alot of kindness and gentle persuasion!   

Alfie didn't like baths at all at first but he's not too bad now, so keep going.  I put down a non-slip mat in the bath, make sure the water is nice and warm and talk to him the whole time.  When we're done, I'll towel dry him and give him a treat.  When I open the bathroom door he goes nuts and tears up and down the landing, it's so funny.  Depending on the weather I'll then give him a blow dry as I do hate to see him shiver.  (Yes, he's very spoilt!)

My westie bailey doesn't like the bath but is quite happy to stand in the shower (strange) so now he gets a quick shower but if I try to put the plug in he jumps out yet if we go near the burn or the sea he doesn't think twice about paddling and swimming.