I recently fostered at beautiful dog from Hong Kong Dog Rescue as they have had to move sites and simply did not have enough room for them all, she is perfect in every single way, apart from the fact that she hates water, this would not normally bother me but I really want to get that kennel smell off of her, there is a groomers just around the corner who are willing to groom her but now I have seen how she reacts to water I don't think I could put that much stress on her as she is really starting to come out of her shell.
Does anyone have any advice on getting her used to water/bath times without stressing her out too much?
Or is there another solution to getting rid of that kennel smell?
Help! My dog hates water!
Moderators: emmabeth, BoardHost
Re: Help! My dog hates water!
I think for now, I would start clicker training with her, (check out the clicker training thread in the Dog Training Articles section), and work on that. When she gets what that is all about, do some clicker in your bathroom (or wherever you intend to bath her) so that the room itself is not scary.
Away from that, I would use a damp cloth over her body and pair using this with lots of really yummy, tiny treats (little tiny bits of hot dog sausage or cheese, or whatever seh REALLY likes).
You should find you get a lot of the smell off her just using a damp cloth, unless she is long coated. Even then, brushing her properly (she may not like this either so again pair the introduction of the brush or comb with treats and only do a little bit at a time) the smell will start to fade.
I wouldnt attempt to give her a full bath right now - its a really stressful experience for a dog - my Tibetan Terrier is bathed every six weeks or so and he has had that since he was tiny, and its always been paired wit treats and i STILL would not say he LOVES it... he just tolerates it and doesnt find it scary. He still doesnt LIKE it much!
Later on, when shes more confident in herself and with you, you can gradually introduce her to the concept of being bathed, preferably with plenty of treats and the help of a friend (so one is bathing her and the other is feeding her treats).
Away from that, I would use a damp cloth over her body and pair using this with lots of really yummy, tiny treats (little tiny bits of hot dog sausage or cheese, or whatever seh REALLY likes).
You should find you get a lot of the smell off her just using a damp cloth, unless she is long coated. Even then, brushing her properly (she may not like this either so again pair the introduction of the brush or comb with treats and only do a little bit at a time) the smell will start to fade.
I wouldnt attempt to give her a full bath right now - its a really stressful experience for a dog - my Tibetan Terrier is bathed every six weeks or so and he has had that since he was tiny, and its always been paired wit treats and i STILL would not say he LOVES it... he just tolerates it and doesnt find it scary. He still doesnt LIKE it much!
Later on, when shes more confident in herself and with you, you can gradually introduce her to the concept of being bathed, preferably with plenty of treats and the help of a friend (so one is bathing her and the other is feeding her treats).
West Midlands based 1-2-1 Training & Behaviour Canine Consultant
