Wow. Dallas was NOT happy with mommy this afternoon when I gave him his first bath! He had a funk smell from rolling in the grass so I gave him a bath & I ended up getting soaked from literally holding him for dear life in the sink! :eek: He is one strong puppy when he wants to be! I think I ended up getting more wet than he did!

Any pointers in case I have to bath him again?!?

Here's a pic of the crazy boy afterwards…

It took me several tries just to get that one since he was so angry with me! Haha. At least I made him a bit more happy by giving him a dental bone! :rolleyes:

Slow down the spray of the water. Most dogs freak out because the water is coming at them too hard.

We got a spray attachment for our shower and ours seem to kind of enjoy their baths now. I think the sound of the water coming from the bathtub faucet really freaked them out.

We use baby wipes on our dogs, they take off most smell, except for dead fish.
They like to roll in those when we are on the beach in Or.
Otherwise, a baby wipe will do the job.

Great idea, I never thought of that, I will try that sometime. Sahara tolerates her baths more since I remodeled the bathroom. I have a tile seat in there and a shower hand sprayer so I can give her a bath without to much trouble. She still hates to be wet but she knows a treat is coming when she gets a bath. I tell her, Good Girl, Mommy has a treat for you, good girl for getting a bath. It works, anything for food. haha!!!!!!

I can bath Mia no problem, I just make sure I have the bath already drawn, and everything ready, a cup to rinse her off with, towel unwrapped ready to go. The faster the better lol. The 1st day we had Nike he fell in the pool twice! thankfully it was heated to 90 degrees and they had the tarp over it, so it pretty much just looked like he could walk on water. But definitly having everything ready before I start I think makes it much easier.

I use a noose that attaches with a suction cup to the wall behind the tub. This keeps the dog from jumping out of the tub. I use a non-slip matt on the tub floor to help keep the dog from slipping. Basenjis hate to stand in water so I use the shower attachment, making sure that the water is the right temperature and not spraying too hard. Stay calm, no matter what the dog does. The more frazzled and frantic you get, the more frantic and frazzled the dog will get. Praise the dog every time it holds still and behaves. I sometimes give a tiny treat during the bath when behavior is very good. Don't let the dog jump out of the tub when you are done. Pick it up and remove it so it learns that you are the one who decides when it is time to exit, not the dog.

Louie used to HATE his baths. Now he is perfect in the tub. I use the hand sprayer and give lots of praise for good behavior. Now he just waits til its over because he knows he's getting a big treat in the end.
–Mike

I don't think you'll ever believe this but I'm going to let you know anyway. I just had someone comment on how good Mya smells today. The last time Mya got bathed it was in my shower about 2 weeks ago - yes - while I was trying to get my shower in too. I just don't have the energy it takes to watch her the entire 17 hours she's awake to try to keep her in the bath tub too! Yes, yes, I watched her ears to make sure water didn't get the best of them. But it worked! I think she likes the shower! I live in St. Louis, and if you've been watching the news it just won't stop raining (and Miss Prissy still smells good to strangers….fun!!). Mya Valentine does NOT like the rain, but I really think she tolerates the shower. Imagine that!!

When She-Ra gets what we call "Sourbutt" or "that Taco smell" we usually have no problem plopping her into the bathtub (provided the wife or I are in there with her). She sits patiently, lets us shampoo and rinse and dry her, then she's excited because a) she's naked (no collar) and b) it's time for the Basenji 500! She runs around like crazy while we clean ourselves up and then it's treat time!

Works like a charm.

Basenji 500! Love it!!!