1. Start young
To get your dog used to taking a bath, it is important to get him used to it as young as possible. This advice is also valid for the bath as for the other care that you can give him such as brushing his teeth for example.
All the experiences that are lived by the dog in its first year of life (and a fortiori in its first 3 months) will be integrated and adopted for all its future life, if the experience has not not been too unpleasant or too traumatic. So, if you get your puppy used to taking his bath very early and if you take the trouble to make this moment pleasant for your puppy using the following advice, it will then be won for the rest of his life!
2. Turn bath time into playtime
Making bath time fun is essential to make your dog appreciate it, whatever his age. Play with him in the bathroom, and bring him his favorite toys before you even put him in the tub and at times other than bath time. In a nutshell, teach him that the bathroom is not a scary place and is just another room in the house.
Once in the tub, you can also place his toys in the tub. Toys in which you can hide food can also perfectly divert your dog's attention while you soap him!
3. Adjust the water temperature
Dogs can be very sensitive to hot and cold.
When bathing, make sure that the temperature of the water with which you are going to wet your pet's coat is lukewarm, neither too hot nor too cold.A temperature of 35 to 36°C is ideal. Water at the wrong temperature could indeed be a shock for an animal and give it a very bad memory of its experience in the bathtub. So be extremely careful!
4. Prevent slips
The smooth surface of the bathtub, water, a bit of shampoo and crap, it's guaranteed to slide! This is enough to traumatize your little animal in a lasting way, which will only keep this bad memory of its stay in the bathtub or the shower.
To prevent your dog from slipping and hurting himself during his bath, consider lining the bottom of your bathtub or shower tray with a non-slip mat. If you don't have a mat, a towel placed in the bottom of your tub will do just fine!
5. Reward, praise
During, before, and especially after the bath, congratulate your dog with a lot of his favorite treats! It's essential to make him love bath time which he will associate with his favorite cookies.
Also remember to praise your dog verbally and talk to him in a sweet and playful way for as long as his toilet lasts. Be careful never to shout or raise your voice if your dog is particularly agitated. It would only add to his stress. Always be patient and kind!
6. Forget the hair dryer
More than the toilet itself, it's often the noise of the hair dryer that comes after the bath that scares our pets. If necessary, the drying session can be very traumatic.
If your dog seems afraid of the hair dryer, don't insist and just wipe his coat with a thick absorbent towel. Then leave your dog in a well-heated place while he dries naturally! In winter, do not hesitate to temporarily increase your heating by a few degrees or offer a blanket under which your dog can slip.
