[mun0zrene]

Our 1.5 yr old cane corso does NOT want to shower. For the first nine months 10 months we own him he never had a problem with showering he would just not like it like every other dog and we just kind of sit there and wish she wasn’t there but he never did anything out of the extraordinary, b for the first nine months 10 months we own him he never had a problem with showering he would just not like it like every other dog and would just kind of sit there and wish she wasn’t there but he never did anything out of the extra ordinary, but one day he changed and all this started happening. I mean we’ve tried it all, feeding him in the tub, smearing peanut butter, making him do commands in the tub, letting him sit there for about 10 minutes. but the moment he hears the water he jolts out, and it’s not so easy trying to keep a 155lb dog inside. He’s pretty well trained, we hired a trainer when he was 7 weeks old and before the trainer he was a wreck honestly, but ever since he’s been more respectful, he knows the command “no” and stops whatever behavior he’s doing, he knows how to heel, down on command while regularly walking or playing, down with focus etc, pretty a little more than basic commands but not a prodigy sorta deal, but when he’s in the tub he becomes deaf and doesn’t listen. I know it’s fear because he’s not an aggressive dog, not territorial with his food, loves other dogs, i just avoid interacting with them because he’s too big and plays rough. With people, he’s perfectly fine, he’s just skittish for the first 15 seconds sniffing and reading my body language towards the stranger, but after he’s a sweetheart to them. But when he’s in the tub and the water goes on and we try to physically keep him in since he won’t stay or listen (by standing in front of him or holding him) he starts growling and does lunge to bite, he gets yanked and corrected with his prong collar and his face is beyond innocent, i know he’s trying to bite out of fear, not out of aggression. We’re getting to a point where we’re running out of options, we don’t know what to do. If anyone’s ever been in a “my dogs too big and has a bite force of 700 psi” scenarios please help out. I owned a 20lb bichon frise back home and honestly he was a way more disrespectful dog than our cane corso, but you can grab a bichon by the it’s snout and make sure he doesn’t bite you and hold him still, but this boy is something else, help please.

 

[AthenaLove]

Try counter conditioning your dog to the bath in gradual steps

My fearful Gracie was beyond terrified of baths or showers when I adopted her from the shelter at about age 4 years. Actually she was terrified of all forms of water.

When I gave her the first bath, she thrashed around so much I thought she would break a bone or worse. Or have a heart attack. Her teeth warned us how fearful she was. I've never seen a dog so fearful about a bath. We got the soap off of her and stopped asap.

But then I started counter conditioning her to getting a bath. No prong collars ever, as they can increase fear if they feel pain during the event.

She was attempting to jump out, she weighs about 45 lbs which is heavy to me, esp when it is 45 lbs of fear driving a dog. I had a leash on her, but I never want to restrain her or overwhelm her like this because this can backfire.

I prefer baby steps, gradual and gentle. Progressing with each step. Not everyone will agree, but it does work.

So I started, like usual, making fun games out of the bathtime. I would ask Gracie to follow me into the bathroom and then toss high value food treats into the tub. No water turned on at this point. I was merely teaching her that jumping into the tub was rewarding and fun. I put a non slip mat into the tub so she wouldn't slip and make her more weary.

Then when her mind changed into thinking the tub was cool and not scary, I progressed and put a tiny amount of water into the tub. But--- before I asked her to get in, I turned the water off. So she felt the sensation of the water, but was not hearing the sound which seemed scary to her. When she got in the tub with the tiny level of water, I then gave her the food bites.

No soap or shampoo at this stage.

Then I progressed to further steps. Got her in tub, deeper water. Then progressed to pouring water on her gently with a cup, not the shower sprayer thingie.

Then put soap on her, and gave nice massage like she is used to outside the tub.

Then combined the whole thing, where I was able to get her in tub with water, shampoo, massage, and rinsing with the hand held shower sprayer.

Sometimes I found gently singing to her helped to relax her. If I talked to her it was very quietly, or not at all. Certainly not excited.

All of this counter conditioning was done with super high value food bites, things she absolutely loved and didn't get to eat often which made them more special.

Basically I changed her mindset about the whole experience so that she wasn't fearful of baths anymore and hence the aggressive reactions stopped and we had nice relaxing bathtime.

Sometimes this whole process goes very quickly, sometimes it has to happen over time for best results. Depends on the severity of your dog's fear and other factors.

I don't mind spending time and having patience with my Gracie. She deserves it. And I enjoy working with her.

 

[AthenaLove]

Another counter conditioning plan that can be used for dog baths

Here is another example by someone else of how one may use counter conditioning and desensitization to help your dog be comfortable taking a bath or shower.

Baths. Part V. Counter Conditioning and Desensitization

Pet Education: Baths. Part V. Counter Conditioning and Desensitization

In our last post on baths, we talked about how we might make the process a bit less daunting for our pets. If after applying those remedies, your dog still hates baths, you might need to work on desensitization and counter conditioning.


Basically we want to start at a point where the dog is not apprehensive, reward heavily, and increase difficulty in teeny tiny increments. Each dog will be different.

Your process might look something like the steps listed below. Just like nail trims, don't make the process harder until you can see that the dog is happy about the previous step. And if at any point the dog becomes uncomfortable, back up a few steps

(note: this is assuming that the pet parent has a walk in shower)

Wipe pet with dry cloth, treat. Do this several times until pup is happy about the cloth
--If pup does not like the cloth, work with a skilled professional on handling. Do not proceed until that is accomplished.

Wipe pet with slightly damp cloth, treat
Wipe pet with more damp cloth, treat
And so on until the cloth is very wet

Then start working on teaching your dog to enjoy different surfaces
Then have your dog walk on a dry towel or cloth, treat
Dog walks on sightly damper towel, treat
And so on

Next ask your dog to walk in a very shallow dry pan, treat
Then a pan with just a tad of water
Then a little bit more water
Make sure the pan is not slippery

Next pour a tiny bit of water on your dog, treat
And so on. Increase in teeny tiny increments.

Then start acclimating your dog to the bathroom
Feed your dog near the door for a couple of seconds. Treat. Leave and go do something fun
Feed your dog right inside the door for a couple of seconds. Treat. Leave and go do something fun
Eventually work your way up to being all the way inside the bathroom

Then start the process over again near the shower
Then just turn on the shower with your dog in the bathroom but not in the shower, treat, leave

Later, let dog stand in shower while you turn it on, but don't spray the dog directly
Next spray the dog directly but only for a second

Finally, just spray your dog with the shower head but no sudsing. If at any point the dog becomes uncomfortable, back up to an easier step. If the dog does fine with the rinse, then you can try a shampoo (if you choose to use one)

Reward your dog heavily when bath time is over.

 

[Frank_Further]

How many showers/ baths does a dog need in a year and a half?
My first dog, Shadow... he got one bath in his entire life. Haha. And that was only because he made the mistake... I warned him... not a good idea... to chase a skunk.

It wasn't even really a bath that I gave him. More of a head and shoulders spa treatment with salsa. ( La Preferida--Medium) I didn't have any tomato juice. It worked fine.
Yeah, for a month or so he had a "hint o skunk" when he got damp. He still slept in bed with me. We lived on a horse farm. He got dirty. I got dirty. He swam in the stream, rolled in the grass... dirt comes off. Me too. Nothing like an alfresco rinse in a trout stream after morning chores, a couple beers in the sun and a nap with insects buzzing. I can still hear the redwinged black birds. Krownnk-ker-ree!

I miss that dog. We had some good times.

 

[mun0zrene]

Here is another example by someone else of how one may use counter conditioning and desensitization to help your dog be comfortable taking a bath or shower.

Baths. Part V. Counter Conditioning and Desensitization

Pet Education: Baths. Part V. Counter Conditioning and Desensitization

In our last post on baths, we talked about how we might make the process a bit less daunting for our pets. If after applying those remedies, your dog still hates baths, you might need to work on desensitization and counter conditioning.


Basically we want to start at a point where the dog is not apprehensive, reward heavily, and increase difficulty in teeny tiny increments. Each dog will be different.

Your process might look something like the steps listed below. Just like nail trims, don't make the process harder until you can see that the dog is happy about the previous step. And if at any point the dog becomes uncomfortable, back up a few steps

(note: this is assuming that the pet parent has a walk in shower)

Wipe pet with dry cloth, treat. Do this several times until pup is happy about the cloth
--If pup does not like the cloth, work with a skilled professional on handling. Do not proceed until that is accomplished.

Wipe pet with slightly damp cloth, treat
Wipe pet with more damp cloth, treat
And so on until the cloth is very wet

Then start working on teaching your dog to enjoy different surfaces
Then have your dog walk on a dry towel or cloth, treat
Dog walks on sightly damper towel, treat
And so on

Next ask your dog to walk in a very shallow dry pan, treat
Then a pan with just a tad of water
Then a little bit more water
Make sure the pan is not slippery

Next pour a tiny bit of water on your dog, treat
And so on. Increase in teeny tiny increments.

Then start acclimating your dog to the bathroom
Feed your dog near the door for a couple of seconds. Treat. Leave and go do something fun
Feed your dog right inside the door for a couple of seconds. Treat. Leave and go do something fun
Eventually work your way up to being all the way inside the bathroom

Then start the process over again near the shower
Then just turn on the shower with your dog in the bathroom but not in the shower, treat, leave

Later, let dog stand in shower while you turn it on, but don't spray the dog directly
Next spray the dog directly but only for a second

Finally, just spray your dog with the shower head but no sudsing. If at any point the dog becomes uncomfortable, back up to an easier step. If the dog does fine with the rinse, then you can try a shampoo (if you choose to use one)

Reward your dog heavily when bath time is over.

Thank you so much for your useful information! i’ll defi give it a try

 

[justincooper]

my boy Bronx didnt like the showers either but making him stand still and watch other dogs have fun in their mini pool helped, from staying a couple feet away from the pool to his right paw in the pool and in less than 2months the pool at the backyard became his favourite recreation.

 

[mun0zrene]

my boy Bronx didnt like the showers either but making him stand still and watch other dogs have fun in their mini pool helped, from staying a couple feet away from the pool to his right paw in the pool and in less than 2months the pool at the backyard became his favourite recreation.

Thanks for the input, that's a nice dog btw, what breed is he?

 

[lynsey]

Hi Justincooper - what is that dog? Apart from the coloring, he looks just like my Karakachan, Mecho (bear), sadly no longer with us.

Lynsey