How to Make Bath Time Easier For Your Dog
Does your dog hate the bath? If so you’re certainly not alone. My dog loves swimming and playing with the hose, but when it comes to getting her in the bathtub? The struggle is real.
Many dogs find bathing scary, but there are some things you can do to make the process less stressful for you and your dog.
How to Make Bath Time Easier For Your Dog
Before we get into the tips I want to make one thing clear — fear is tough to manage. I’m not going to lie and guarantee that these tips will immediately have your dog jumping for joy every time bath rime rolls around. Nothing’s quite that simple, and much of it depends on how fearful your dog is of the bath to begin with.
An older dog whose been afraid of bathing for years will be tougher to keep calm than a young pup who doesn’t have years worth of anxiety to overcome.
But the one thing they do have in common is that these tips will make bath time less stressful for your dog, and over time you’ll start to see a difference in the way your dog reacts to the bath. Here’s how to make bath time easier for your dog.
Prepare Your Supplies Beforehand
When it comes to making bath time easier on your dog one the most important things to remember is to be prepared. That includes having your shampoo, towels, a cup for rinsing and any toys or treats you might use ready to go beforehand.
If your dog’s already nervous in the tub they’re going to get even more stressed out if you leave them alone in that scary place while you go to grab those towels you forgot.
Fill The Tub Before Your Dog Gets In
Another way to make things a little less stressful for your dog is by filling up the tub with warm water before they get in. The sound of running water might sound mundane to us, but for dogs who hate the bath time that noise (and all splashing water) causes a lot of extra stress.
Make Sure Your Tub is Nonslip
Does your dog slip and slide around when they’re in the tub? If so you’re going to want to make sure you create a nonslip surface for them. It’s scary losing your footing in the tub, and that fear is the same for dogs. So before you give your dog a bath make sure the bottom of your tub is nonslip.
If you don’t have a mat (or any nonslip materials on your tub floor) that prevent slipping you can lay out a thick towel for your dog to stand on.
Use a Cup For Rinsing (If Your Dog is Afraid of the Faucet)
If your dog isn’t a fan of the bath chances are they’re not going to like being rinsed off with the faucet or shower head either. They’re rather noisy, and the addition of all that extra water splashing around can make dogs nervous.
I prefer using a cup to do the rinsing since it’s quiet and less imposing. A cup also gives you better control when it comes to preventing water from getting into your dogs eyes and ears.
Be Gentle When Washing Your Dog’s Face
When it comes to making your dog comfortable in the tub remember to be keep their eyes, nose and ears protected. If your dog is already stressed out getting water in their eyes or ears is just going to stress them out even more. Using a washcloth will give you better control and make it easier to prevent water from splashing into their eyes, nose and ears.
Use Toys or Treats in the Tub
One of my favorite tricks for making bath time less stressful for my dog is by using toys and/or treats. Depending on how fearful your dog is you might need to use high value treats to keep them distracted.
My favorite distraction technique is the peanut butter trick, but if you don’t want to smear peanut butter in the tub (completely understandable) you can simply hand out regular dog treats throughout bath time or use a toy that floats like the Max Glow Ball (Laika’s personal favorite).
Exercise Your Dog Beforehand
If your dog hates bath time one way you can help is by exercising them beforehand. Exercise alone won’t make your dog suddenly love the bath, but it can be calming. And any exercise, whether it’s mental or physical, can help them burn off some extra energy.
Will it burn off enough energy to prevent them from going crazy and getting to zoomies after a bath? Probably not — I’m not sure that reaction ever goes away. But giving your dog a nice workout before bath time can make things easier for the both of you.
Get In The Bath With Your Dog If They’re Really Nervous
If your dog is terrified of the bath you can help ease their stress by getting in there with them. When Laika was younger she was absolutely terrified of the bath, and the one thing that helped the most was getting in the tub with her. I’d put on a bathing suit and just sit down next to her during the entire process.
It didn’t make her start jumping for joy every time bath rime rolled around, but it did make a noticeable difference when it came to her nervousness. She stopped trying to escape, she stopped whining, and after each bath she began to relax more and more.
Get a Helper If You’re Stressed Out
If bathing your dog stresses you out chances are your stress will rub off on your dog. You can make things easier on yourself (and your dog) by asking a friend or family member for help. They can work on keeping your calm while you work on the bathing part, or vice versa.
Resources & Recommended Reading
How to Make Bath Time Easier For Puppies
7 Tips to Make Your Dog Stop Hating Bath Time
5 Tips For Reducing Your Dog’s Grooming Anxiety
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Great tips! And I’ve been a serious user of the peanut butter trick.
Now that we’re on the boat, “baths” are done with a hose on a dock. Just getting away from the slippery porcelain surface (because the nonstick surface always moves on us) has made Honey much more comfortable with bathing.
Of course, it’s tough to do in December.
Going to give Skynyrd my Coonhound his bath today. (He doesn’t know it yet..shhh!) I have to keep supplies handy otherwise he is gone like a shot. I have tried treats for him in stressful situations, but he just won’t eat them. He would rather just power through.
Thanks for the tip about using a washcloth for the face. Always worried about getting that area. I will give it a go today.
I have to get in with my dog, so I always end up taking a shower along with her. Recently she’ll get in on her own as long as I’m already in the shower, so that’s good. I find it odd, though, that she otherwise loves water.
Up untill they are 8 weeks old, dogs will pretty much be curious about everything. In these crucial weeks they will decide what their opinion is on everything and anything they meet.
After that point, the average dog will treat anything they dont know with caution. Some may still show some curiosity and some will refuse to interact with anything new.
If a dog never got wet in their 8 weeks, which is likely in places with warm dry climate, or maybe they were even caught out in a storm, getting cold, which is likely in wet climates, odds are theyre not going to like water much. Its just a very different feeling. It changes your weight, your balance, your touch… its understandable a dog would fear it.
I wish I had known about some of these tricks earlier! My dog loves peanut butter! If I had known about that trick, bath time could’ve been so much easier so much sooner!
I wish I had read this article sooner — like, 6 months earlier! When Charlie (my pet Corgi) was still a puppy, I always struggled to bathe him. Taking him to the bath was never easy and I always end up soaking wet and a bit irritated for not being able to accomplish it the right way. Good thing, a friend of mine taught me how to make bath time a bit easier and we used a toy stuffed with banana and peanut butter — it worked! The next time I get a puppy, surely, I’ll take note of these tips you mentioned. Keep posting! Cheers!
My dog Bo hates baths or showers. He would rather be dirty..lol. So I tie him like a horse snap leads to his collar & tie them on opposing objects. Then sit my shampoo, buckets & brush & water nearby. Then sit on an upside-down bucket & pet him & talk to him. When he calms down & quits trembling, then I start washing. All the while, I am talking softly & telling him what a good dog he is. At 9 years old, He still does not like bath time but we dont have as much struggle anymore. https://esacare.com/adopting-emotional-support-animal-guide/
Really appreciate the post and also helpful for the dog owners who find difficulties during the bath time. Keep writing such posts.
I Have a 3-year-old dog, whenever I say him to take bath he runaway to my bedroom. Btw great post thanks.
My dog Bo hates baths or showers. He would rather be dirty..lol. So I tie him like a horse snap leads to his collar & tie them on opposing objects. Then sit my shampoo, buckets & brush & water nearby
i really appreciate that you shared this one since I am still having a hard to handling my dog during her bath time. these tips here can really be helpful to my dog who’s name is “Chico” that is not still getting used to being showered.
i really appreciate that you shared this one since I am still having a hard to handling my dog during her bath time. these tips here can really be helpful to my dog whose name is “Chico” that is not still getting used to being showered.
Thanks to your article, it helpful for the dog owners who find difficulties during the bath time