Bathing a 90 Lb dog who hates water

[christingeorge84]

Hello. I have a 90 lb Artesian Ridgeback mix, Duke. He is just over a yr old. He is completely terrified of water. Bathing him is extremely difficult & stressful for him. We have tried bathing him outside with his harness on & holding him but he is strong & always manages to excape. Last night I tried bathing Duke in the tub but I couldn't finish washing him due to the number of times he got out & how scared he was. When my fiancee & I try to lift Duke up & place him in the tub he extends all legs out & flails around to excape. Duke is so strong, we can't place him that gently in the tub. I'm really worried he will get hurt doing this. We try to not to get fustrated with Duke, its not his fault. He is just afraid. But we can't bathe him as often as we should & rarely bathe him as well as I'd like.

Do you have any advice? I'd really appreciate it.

~ Christin

[Leigha]

Would it make you feel better if I told you that I don't bathe my dogs? Like, at all. Many members on here don't bathe their dogs-they're not bad owners, dogs just really don't need it as often as you think they do. If they get in something yucky, wipe them off with a wet rag. If they get muddy, let it dry then brush them out. I don't know what your dog's coat is like, but all of mine are short haired, smooth coats and they really don't need to be bathed at all.

However, if you feel better giving your dog a bath I would start by getting him used to a barely damp cloth with dog standing next to a water tub (not in it) treating a whole lot.

[Mattie]

The more you bath your dog the more they smell, in the days when I used to bath them my dogs soon started to smell again, since I stopped bathing them they no longer smell. I do take the dead hairs out then brush them before wiping a baby wipe over them to finish the grooming off. My dogs all have short coats thank goodness, dogs with longer coats need more brushing.

I wouldn't bother bathing him, he doesn't really need it, instead I would groom him daily, teach him to accept it by clicker training.

[Wicket]

Couldn't desensitization techniques work here too, guys?

[Leigha]

That's why I suggested starting with the wet cloth first next to the water tub.

[emmabeth]

You can counter condition/desensitize him to bathing, sure...

But why are you bathing him so regularly anyway - if he really stinks then bathing isnt giong to fix that, as Mattie says it could well be making it worse.

Change the feeding is the first key to smelly dogs - often complete commercial dog foods will result in a stiiiiiiiiinky dog (some fed on some very cheap budget brands of dog food I can smell a mile off!) - in comparison those fed on cereal free diets and especially those fed on a raw diet have a much reduced smell - of all the things my small house smells of, it aint 'dog' and thats not just by using my own nose... anti-dog people who have been here have expressed great surprise that my house does not smell of dog! (To put this into perspective, it is a VERY small two bedroom house... and i have five dogs, two small, two medium and one giant, and all medium/long coated as well!).

If he is already eating a cereal free diet and still smells... it could be some part of his diet isnt agreeing with him, so try excluding things from his diet for six weeks to see if that has a positive effect on things.

[christingeorge84]

Thanks guys! I'll try getting him used to the idea of being wet slowly. I think that will work!

No, my dogs are on an excellent diet. Well, a pretty good one anyway. We have tried changing his food for other reasons & that's not it. He is a typical dog. Loves to dig, play in mud, run & lay in the dirt & chase anything that moves. So cute

I didn't mean they are smelly. Even when they are filthy they don't smell. I bathe my dogs once a month as much more is bad for their skin. My other dog loves it. Just getting Duke bathed is a stressful time for all because of his fear of water. Once he is washed tho, you can tell he needed it when his white areas are brown lol

[Mattie]

A good brushing is far better for a dog's skin than bathing even if it is only once a month, it massages the skin and encourages the waterproofing of the coat. It takes out all the dead hairs and keeps their coats shiny. Brushing also helps the bonding between you and your dog, dogs soon learn to enjoy it.

[Leigha]

Dixie-baby absolutely adores a good brushing. It really surprised me because I figured she'd be scared of it the first time we tried to do it. She sat there and took it, then went and sniffed and came back for more. When I stopped brushing she'd nose the hand with the brush in it.

[Horace's Mum]

I'm with the anti-washing brigade, I have a white dog who has a thick but short coat, and he is washed maybe 3 times a year - only because we live in a clay area and in the winter he gradually goes orange. I usually just wipe the mud off with a towel and let him dry, when he is moulting a lot then he gets a slicker brush. I am careful to make sure the weather is going to be dry for a few days after washing because it takes a while for the waterproofing to build up again.

[Appa_valley]

The more you bath your dog the more they smell, in the days when I used to bath them my dogs soon started to smell again, since I stopped bathing them they no longer smell.

Really?!!? Why does that happen?

[emmabeth]

Because you are stripping all the natural oils out of the coat.... so then the skin is dry and so the dog produces even more oils and excessive production of these will mean dirt sticks more, skin cells dont shed off properly, hair follicles can get blocked and infected much more easily..... etc etc.

[Appa_valley]

Ah, thank you for that.

[Circadian]

Bah! I cant find the link i was looking for! Victoria did a show where she showed owners how to overcome this with a larger dog! She had a walk in dog bath for outside and eased the dog into learning how to take a bath! Was a great show!

Here is one kinda like that but with a smaller dog.

Bath time is important! A short flat coat dog should be bathed ever 6-8 weeks (longer/thicker coated every 4-6)! It ensures a health coat and skin. Plus I feel its a bonding time between the owner and there pet. It allows you to run your hands all over the dogs body and feel bumps, lumps and other oddities so your aware of them! It also gets your dog USE to being bathed so that when you take him to a stranger to have the bath done.., your not having to pay MORE because your dog went insane in the bath .

During the bath process you can clean the ears and trim the nails. EVERYONE should bath there dogs. Its for the dogs health and your awarness as an owner!

The walk in bath episode was GREAT!!! Man I wish I could have found that link for you!
Good Luck!
And Bath your dog!

[LisaCNH]

I found some alternative flea/tick protection made of essential oils. I like the smell of it. I put drops on the brush and brushed it into our poodles coat. You could do the same with lavender essential oil. This consisted of tree oils, and I think rosemary oil which also smells nice.

I have heard conflicting advice on how often to bathe your dog. A well respected vet who answers questions on a television show suggests you only need to bathe your dog every 6 months, unless there are other issues. Has anyone else seen the show? I can't remember the name.

My dogs get dirty. My poodle in particular has a coat that requires more attention. So my thoughts are it depends on your lifestyle, your dog's cleanliness, etc. My GS/lab mix dog does not need baths as often. Her coat sheds a lot, so brushing often does the trick. The poodle's coat is so thick, and her paws are so hairy, that she needs baths more often, besides the fact you have to bathe poodles before grooming or you ruin your blades.

One thing I think is worth trying, I may have seen Victoria do this... is to put treats in the empty tub, and let the dog get used to being in the tub.

I give Bridget (the poodle) lots of love/hugs when she's in the tub, and treats. I use a shower wand, and only warm water.

I also made my own grooming table and a long ramp I have stationed out back. My husband fashioned a long hose from the garage sink all the way out to the grooming table. I can wash the dogs with warm water outside. One side of the table is against the fence. I stand at the opposite side. I treat constantly. I wash with dawn dish detergent, which has never irritated their skin, and rinse thoroughly. If they get too stressed out, I lead them safely down the ramp, and we play fetch for a while. Then I try again later. I have dog grooming clothes I wear and wash separately from my other clothes, stored with special large dog towels/blankets for after the bath.