bathing the dog?

Raphael:

Hi,

It can happen because of either fear or dominance problems.

In case of fear
You need to get him used to the bathroom and bathtub. Take him there every day or every few days, put him in the tub, but don't give him a bath. Let him calm down in there, then take him out, give him a treat and praise profusely. If he gets anxious as soon as he's in the bathroom (not bathtub), take it slowly and first get him used to the bathroom in the same way. He'll understand eventually that visiting a bathroom doesn't necessarily mean a bath, but it means lots of praise and some treats when he's calm. When he's comfortable visiting the bathroom, start putting him in the bathtub and follow the same approach. Don't give him treats when he growls or shows other signs of aggression or fear, you'll reinforce this behavior if you do this. It's also preferable that he himself enters the bathroom when you invite him to do so (if he doesn't know "come" command, you should teach him) instead of you taking him in the bathroom in hands. When you do the latter, you basically do it against his desire, and you leave him no chance to deal with his fear himself. When he follows you to the bathroom himself, he learns to obey and to trust you, he admits you to be a pack leader. This is especially good because when there's proper pack hierarchy, the dog feels protected, and there's little place for fear and misbehavior.

When he's fine with regular visits to the bathroom and bathtub, give him a bath. Use a large bowl to water him down. Using a shower can be very stressful for dogs. If he doesn't show any signs of fear or aggression, give him a treat. This will associate the process with positive experience. Praise him and give him a treat when a bath is over, too.

You should take these steps slowly and be very considerate about moving on to the next stage. Do it only when he's really ready to move on. Patience is your best friend.

In case of dog dominance
You should work on retaining your pack leader role in the first place. If he doesn't recognize you as a pack leader, he'll never stop growling and showing other signs of aggression whenever you do something that he doesn't like. This is absolutely unacceptable because a dog must never decide what you should and shouldn't do. It can result in more and more behavior problems.

Last but not least, try exercising him well before you take him to a bath. It should drain excessive energy and make him more relaxed and obedient.

R

Animal Lover664

bathing the dog?

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