Bath Acclimation help

[Krista, Angel, and Toby]

Hi! Angel NEEDS a bath. She stinks. But last time I gave her a bath it was not a pleasant experience for her. She was absolutely shaking by the time we were done. I want her to enjoy them, as it seems like she'll need them frequently. Any suggestions for positively acclimating my little puppy (8 weeks-old) to bath time so that it's not a horrible experience?

Oh, and are there any products that will deodorize a puppy without a bath? Thanks!

[Adina P]

YES...there are products to deodorize without a bath! Of course one of the products we are giving away in the contest is a food grade, pet safe deodorizer =) (So if you haven't yet entered to win the grooming goodies...do! do! DO!)

But also this stuff I got a while back: http://www.doodlekisses.com/forum2/topics/2065244:Topic:21244

[Kyoko]

I used to wash Charlie in the sink with just a little bit of nice warm water filled may be about a inch or two in depth. So that she would not feel like she is getting baptized. =0)
I also made it short and sweet.
I did not pour water on her head or anything, you know, bathed her like bathing a new born baby.
Picked her up in a warmed towel ( She was born on 12/16) and dry, while talking to her through out....

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

Talking and working calmly both help, but food for puppies is a sure fire winner for helping them through new experiences.Puppies can be bathed in the sink, bathtub, or shower. Use luke warm water and avoid her head with the water. When you are all finished, use a washcloth to clean up her face. The trick is to bathe her before breakfast or dinner for a few times and feed her the meal a bit at a time during the bath. It is really more meal than bath, but it only takes a few times for her to get the idea. You can just have a little water in the bottom of the tub or the shower running sometimes. If you do this a few days in a row and then twice a week, then you can bathe her with just a few treats and it will be a bath and not a meal. This seems like an awful bother as I write it and probably worse when you read it. But actually it is not that much trouble and soooo worth it to have a dog that is easy to bathe or hose down.

[Ali]

Okay, so when bath time comes around for Lola she is more than happy to jump in and out of the tub on her own. She LOVES it! But it took a lot of time to get this way. She is in the bath tub at least once a week. I do not wash her every time, I only actually bathe her once a month with her shampoo. Once a week when she gets back from the dog park I just start filling up the bath tub, put some toys in for her to play with and let the bath fill up. She will be in their for 30 minutes splashing around, playing with the water and her toys. It is her favorite indoor activity. Of course I am sitting in the same room every now and then to encourage her to play but she is pretty good at that on her own.

To get her this way I made sure to give her lots of positive experiences in the bath tub. Making the bath tub fuller every time she gets in. You could do this twice a week. I would sit on the side of the bath tub with my feet in trying to play with her. Eventually she just started to love it. The important thing is to make sure the bath tub is a good experience by not always washing her with shampoo, that way they don't know if it is time for a real bath or just play time to get dirt off of her.

It is worth the time you put into it come bath time.

[K9 Colleague]

I agree with Ali and MaryAnn. If you want more fun in the bath go in there and play, eat, and just hang out. Mojo Loves to hang out in the tub, the other day i couldnt find him and i finally heard him playing in the tub...it was empty but he was laying in there pawing at the handle to make the water come on.

I started by hand feeding him in the tub...no water or wash, just easting. Then after a few days we turned on the water just a little bit. and let him spash in it and drink until he was bored. THen put him in some towels and palyed with him while turning on the hari dryer. No actual drying just the sound and him running past the breeze. By the end of the week we took a real bath with lite soap, rinse, soap, rinse and dry. A few hours later he was back in the tub wanting to do it again. I use alot fo treats ( hotdogs) but he also like to play with toys in the tub. now he goes and gets a rubber duck and brings it to me to let me know he wants to take a bath.
Try it and have fun...if its fun for you it will be fun for him if not stop and go do something else.