Brindy terrified of bath

[Brindydobe]

Hey there,

I have taken Brindy, my 16 month old dobie rescue to the tubs at pet valu at least 25 times over the two months we have had her. We have done treats and she has been a slow process but will get in the tub and stay reluctantly. Adding water or even touching the hose throws her into a blind panic. She has overcome an equally powerful terror of her crate and can spend good amounts of time in the crate calmly.

We are not winning with bath… suggestions? She is starting to smell pretty funky. Anyone tried the waterless shampoo?

 

[jazzies mum]

Will she tolerate being wiped down with a wet cloth? If she can handle that you could give her a wet down and towel dry in your yard to get her smelling nicer and get her used to the water. Maybe she will end up being willing to have water from a jug to rinse her off in which case you could wet her down and then shampoo and rinse without a hose near her. Good luck!

 

[Ravenbird]

Start with what @jazzies mum said. Sounds like Brindy has confidence issues, so building her self-confidence and confidence in you with things at home will eventually help her outside the home. Is she food motivated? Hide a couple of treats in your kitchen, out of sight but within reach and encourage her to find them. When that's easy and fun move to another room and do hides there. When she's super confident and excited to go find hidden treats, move toward your bathroom, putting one by the door and move in to on the edge of tub or shower area, The coldness of tile and tubs and slick floors can be an issue and if she's thinking about something else she may temporarily forget about her fear/discomfort in that area. Don't force or overdo it, make sure she's excited to play this game in all the other areas first.

 

[LifeofRubie]

agree with the above.

My dogs get maybe one actual bath a year. A brush (we use a zoom groom for our Dobe), spray, and wipe down should be maintenance enough unless she's rolling in mud or something. Even my Dobe gets a splatter of mud, it's easy enough to brush out or wipe off when it's mostly dry. Perks of short hair!

If she smells bad, there may be some underlying health issue like a yeast infection. My dogs just smell like dogs but not 'funky.' Too much washing, just like human hair, can dry out skin and may be more detrimental than helpful, overall, I think.

 

[Two Dobes]

Agreed....I don't bath our two very often....we do walk in warm down pours, so that soaks them to the skin, and when I dry them off; they are nice an shiney . Dry skin and dandruff can be an issue with dobes, so I usually just use baby wipes before a dog show. The kind without alcohol are the best....just a thought!

 

[Doberman Gang]

Too much bathing is bad for dobermans, it will dry out the natural oil in their skin. Baths should be only given a few times a year. Best to wipe them down with a wet whip every couple of weeks or when they get dirty

 

[Rits]

Too much bathing is bad for dobermans

Don't tell that to dobes that show. They must not read the fine print lol Ripley gets bathed about once a month, 2 days before a show... haven't had any skin issues. I think the key is to use proper shampoo and conditioner, and water temp, when bathing. Some shampoos aren't suited well for dogs, even the stuff marketed for pets. Too harsh!

I agree a warm wash cloth would be the way I would go if my dog were scared of the bath. And in the mean time, work on positive association with the bathroom and work your way to positively associating the tub and noise of the water. Don't even make her get in, just work with her as close as she will work near the sound of the water, and praise. Work her brain too on things that she does know, like some heeling, sit, down, or any other tricks to keep her success high. Waterless shampoo can work for a quick fix but I would want to work on the long term goal, being able to properly bathe her without her stressed. You can do it, just break it down in small steps where shes comfortable and work on a little every day.

 

[Oh Little Oji]

I have read that dogs don't need baths unless they get into something dirty or smelly. Bathing too often can strip the coat of important oils and such. This is the way I have done things will all my Dobes. Does my wife complain that he smells? Yes. Do I notice much smell? No, and I have a sensitive sniffer.

Here's an idea: Plan ahead and be ready when it rains. Take your Dobe for a walk in the rain, and apply a small amount of shampoo during the walk and give some rubs. Maybe at home you can have some warm water in a pitcher waiting for you, and can use that to get the rest of the shampoo out.

Another suggestion: Bathe her at home in your bathtub, or even better in warm weather out in your yard. No need to add the stress of being out in a public place. They make simple little plastic strainers to go over your bathtub drain if you are concerned about hair clogging the drain.

 

[jazzies mum]

Jazz gets a proper shampoo and bath once in a while, usually before we go on a road trip. Usually she is such a water hound that just playing and swimming in the water keeps her sweet. BUT, she does like a nice roll in something smelly! Depending on the degree of stink a scented pet wipe is sometimes enough but usually it is a shampoo job!

I haven't ever had any skin issues with her just getting wet multiple times a day and it really does keep her clean so I think you would be fairly safe to give Brindy a wet down with a cloth often. It is your winter so nice warm water is the go. In summer she will probably love the cool down!

 

[Doberman Gang]

Don't tell that to dobes that show. They must not read the fine print lol Ripley gets bathed about once a month, 2 days before a show... haven't had any skin issues. I think the key is to use proper shampoo and conditioner, and water temp, when bathing. Some shampoos aren't suited well for dogs, even the stuff marketed for pets. Too harsh!

I agree a warm wash cloth would be the way I would go if my dog were scared of the bath. And in the mean time, work on positive association with the bathroom and work your way to positively associating the tub and noise of the water. Don't even make her get in, just work with her as close as she will work near the sound of the water, and praise. Work her brain too on things that she does know, like some heeling, sit, down, or any other tricks to keep her success high. Waterless shampoo can work for a quick fix but I would want to work on the long term goal, being able to properly bathe her without her stressed. You can do it, just break it down in small steps where shes comfortable and work on a little every day.

She said 25 times in 2 months, that might be excessive

 

[Rits]

She said 25 times in 2 months, that might be excessive

Oh, I took that as she's been there 25x to attempt to get her used to the bath but maybe not fully bathed. Yes 25x would be excessive.

 

[Brindydobe]

She said 25 times in 2 months, that might be excessive

We visited the tubs that often with treats, training, etc.to try to desensitize her. She’s up for all of it until I touch the hose or turn on the water or move the hose. I’d be happy with a bath every few months

 

[Kaiser2016]

We visited the tubs that often with treats, training, etc.to try to desensitize her. She’s up for all of it until I touch the hose or turn on the water or move the hose. I’d be happy with a bath every few months

What about sensitizing her to the hose at home first, just have it lay there so she can nose poke it. Then move the hose and put it down again. Then move to the house tub - maybe feed her in there. Then let her see the house shower running. Like just turning faucets on and off so they realize that the sound of the shower isn't the end of world lol. Obviously nothing is better than exposing a young puppy to all these things, but Dobes are so smart, they can catch on to anything if you make it seem like it was their idea lol. I used eye drops on Kaiser and I just let him watch me put in my own drops first, then, really casually I reached for his face, held it steady and used the drops on him! He didn't mind it at all. Key is to stay very calm so they don't pick up your energy. Another option is to bathe her at home before transitioning to the tubs outside. I find with such an alert breed, they are more reactive to things outside the home, so it's best to give them some exposure from their home turf first.

 

[jazzies mum]

I wonder if somewhere, sometime before you adopted Brindy, a hose was used on her as a punishment. Or even just used without considering her comfort levels. A traumatic experience is much harder to overcome than one that she just isn't familiar with. If that is the case then you will a lot more work to gain her confidence and might even have to settle for bathing her without using a hose.

 

[Brindydobe]

I wonder if somewhere, sometime before you adopted Brindy, a hose was used on her as a punishment. Or even just used without considering her comfort levels. A traumatic experience is much harder to overcome than one that she just isn't familiar with. If that is the case then you will a lot more work to gain her confidence and might even have to settle for bathing her without using a hose.

I think either in the overcrowded shelter or the horrible transport (dogs were rank with feces and urine smell and terribly thirsty when they arrived) that they were hosed down while crated. I don’t know for sure but this would explain her joint terror of both these things. We have mastered crate… hers looks like a spa lol… towel, soft bath mat, human pillow (she loves to snuggle on a human pillow ), peanut butter filled Kong and away we go. That took a couple months! Took advantage of rain yesterday… we’s smelling a bit fresher today! Thanks for the ideas… she now has a tub full of bath toys she can only access if we go in the bathroom. Fav game now is jump in the tub get a toy, run and hide it somewhere in the house and come back for another. Loves peanut butter on the side of the tub. I can pet her with a dry cloth with no fear reaction

 

[Rits]

Fav game now is jump in the tub get a toy, run and hide it somewhere in the house and come back for another. Loves peanut butter on the side of the tub. I can pet her with a dry cloth with no fear reaction

Thats awesome to hear!!! Great job working on baby steps making the bathroom, tub and soon water a positive experience. Yay, very promising!

 

[Rnrgyrl]

Hey there,

I have taken Brindy, my 16 month old dobie rescue to the tubs at pet valu at least 25 times over the two months we have had her. We have done treats and she has been a slow process but will get in the tub and stay reluctantly. Adding water or even touching the hose throws her into a blind panic. She has overcome an equally powerful terror of her crate and can spend good amounts of time in the crate calmly.

We are not winning with bath… suggestions? She is starting to smell pretty funky. Anyone tried the waterless shampoo?

My 2 yr old Dobe has always hated the water. As soon as he hears me even turning on the hose to water the plants Or fill the water bowl outside he is gone! I have prob only bathed him 5 x since I got him at 8 wks. He smells pretty good without. Some dogs are just scared of the water. He wont come near the waterhose in the yard or the hot tub. I took him to a commercial place gor baths bc I knew it was going to be a struggle. He would wreck my bathroom if we tried this at home! He is better at baths by no. 5 but prefers not to!

 

[Ravenbird]

Then there's Asha at 8 months. Although this was fun at the time, I wouldn't encourage this as it's too much like a laser pointer - she bites it but she can't grasp it.. She's insane to this day when I pick up the hose to water the yard or have to clean the chickens water. She also learned to come up the water to get it at the source where it comes out the hose & she bit my finger while aiming at the water, leaving a permanent puppy tattoo. I don't hold that against her, but I stopped letting her play with the water because it was too escalating and no real release for her. Anyway, just saying once more there are all kinds of personalities in our beloved Doberman breed. Also to say she tolerates a bath but doesn't like it.