Okay,need some help....

[pittiegurl]

Okay,Osh is TERRIFIED of water...You can't spray her w/ water to bathe her.When you do spray her,she starts freakin g out & jumping up on her hind legs & acting crazy....Do any of you have a suggestion on how I can get her used to water??? I put a pinch collar on her when we went to bathe,her & I stood behind her so that she couldn't jump up...She was okay,but she still freaked out...

Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!!


*;o)~Pitti ©-Jessi 2004

[southern_girl09]

My pittie hates it too. We just Hold him still and spray. Sorry no advice on this one!

[erdog3]

Too funny, my labs hate being bathed too, but take them for a swim..no worries. You should see Sophie, only gotta get a towel and the shampoo and she's off hiding. When you get hold of her she does a dance similar to the hightland fling.. I often wonder who's getting washed here, me or her, Wally just puts his feet to the ground like a stubborn mule, and almost as hard to pull or push to the tub.


My reply, some never get used to it..do what I do, waterproof clothes and gumboots in the winter, bathers in the summer and physical strength. LOL.
I have a lead near the tub, attached to the wall, I get Sophie first, put her on the lead, then get the stuff ready now...hee hee...I learnt pretty quicky hey,
once she's dragged into the tub, she can't get out cause of the lead...no excess to move. haa haa.
She then just gives in and stands there, that look on her face, ok, you got me this time, but next time.....

[Lessica Jake]

What about using a pitcher to pour water on her rather than spraying her? Should work just as well, but it's not scary.

[Moo]

Maybe it's just the speed of the water coming at her. Try a plastic kiddy pool... fill it with water (don't let her see you fill it) and then let her venture in by herself.... Mine doesn't like hoses, because my brothers used to terrify him with water guns, but I never use the hose on him anyways, the tub, kiddie pool or sink works fine (of course mine is smaller though...).

[pittiegurl]

If she sees the hose or if she hears us turning the faucet or hears the water running,she freaks out!!!! LOL Kirby is MUCH smaller...

How much does Kirby weigh?? Osh weighs about 70-80# LOL

[lotzoflove]

introduce her to a kiddie pool like moo said it cant hurt and of she doesnt like that maybe take her out in the rain a few times to git her used to water first then try pouring pitchers full to bathe just take it slow

[Dax]

First get her comfortable getting in the tub. You can leave the faucet running quite slowly. Don't try to bath her - just give lots of praise in the bathtub, kiddie pool or whatever you choose. The next day do the same - as long as he's calm praise lots. If he takes a drink from faucet - great. Continue this way - add a little extra every couple of days. Like running a towel over him - drying his feet Don't rush this - if it takes 2 months until you can give a full bath - it won't kill him to smell a little. He might never like it - but he shouldn't fight you.

Ariel was in the groomers at least 3 times before I even put her in a tub. She watched Dax get bathed. Trust comes with time and good experiences. I would never be able to force her if she really didn't want to go.

If you are going to do this outside with the hose, use a car brush (softest one) and leave it on the ground and let her sniff it.

[Moo]

20 lbs, but who's counting. LOL (He's over 25% larger than the largest coton should be, taller too though.)

But that's why I said, don't let her hear/see you fill it up. Alot of dogs don't like it coming down, but they'll happily go swimming in the beach. Fill up the pool, and then let her out of the house. You might want to sit in the pool yourself with some toys to lure her in.

[Rip's Girl]

I noticed that you put her pinch collar on while you were bathing her.. If I were you, for an experience like a bath, I wouldn't give her corrections until she knows what's GOOD. (Standing still and tolerating it) Ripley HATED (still does) baths, so I just trained him what I expected of him when he was getting a bath. He doesn't appreciate it, but he's manageable now. (If anyone wanted to see 5 pounds of flying fury, you should have watched Ripley when he was younger, during a bath)

I'd give Osha the things she likes while she gets her bath. She'll probably be too stressed out to notice them at first, though, and she might not notice at all.

For now, if she needs a bath, and if you wash her in the tub (I wash Buster in the lake and with the garden hose) I'd get one of the mega-suction cups that groomers use. (I bet they sell them on PDGS)