Having a dog who enjoys bath time can make your life and
your groomer’s life a lot easier. Even if you plan on taking your dog to be professionally groomed, it is a fantastic idea to teach comfort with grooming at home. Here is a video showing the steps I took to help bath time be a success.
The first step is to build a positive association with the location where you will be doing the bathing. In my case I use the bathtub. Toy dogs may be easier to bathe in a basin or sink. I built this positive association by feeding kibble in the tub multiple times before any water was ever turned on.
It is then important to teach your dog to know how bath time is over and how you want the exit of washing location to be performed. Martok is slightly too short to easily step out of my tub safely especially when wet. First, I worked on reinforcing him for allowing me to help him out of a tub that is dry. In this way, I built the foundational skill of waiting for me to help him out of the tub. Having him wait is very important to me because it helps prevent slipping and a potentially scary or dangerous experience.
Once I have a positive association with the tub and a good exit strategy, I can start to introduce water. It is important to be aware of your dog’s previous experiences. Dogs who already are fearful of baths or have a history of anxiety should be introduced more slowly into a new positive bath time routine. Dogs who like water may be able to stand in the tub while the water runs as a first introduction to bath time water. Dogs who are fearful often benefit from the first introduction to the water running occurring while they are standing outside of the tub. That way they have the opportunity to observe and will not feel trapped. I often like to use a long lasting reinforcer like a lick mat to help maintain a more stationary position and continue building a positive association with the grooming process.
After my dog is comfortable with water running, I start simulating the motions of bath time with minimal water contact. For example, I will run damp hands over and through his coat but not pour water on him. If he at any point stops partaking of the lick mat, I know I have accidentally taken too large of a step in training and will return to some easier handling.
It is an extremely good idea to plan for a number of rinse or partial bath practices prior to trying a full bath. Here are a few ways you can do a partial bath for practice:
Remember that soap will rinse off from head to tail and back to feet. When starting to practice with soap, it is easier to finish rinsing soap off if you only do the legs or hind end first. Once you have had success more than once, you can move to a full bath.
For the first full bath, it is a good idea to have extra good treats on standby or a second prepped lick mat in case your dog eats faster than you expect.
Please be sure you are using a pet safe shampoo. Many human products contain things like tea tree oil that are harmful to pets. If you are having difficulty, please reach out for some one on one help.