Bath time blues to Spa Day fun
feeling a bit stressed?
Don’t worry! Here you’ll be able to learn tips and tricks on how to bathe your fur baby calmly, and even turn the whole experience into a fun SPA DATE!
Those days where the thought of bathing Koda gave me anxiety and panic have long gone since implementing the tips you’ll learn today. Koda hated the experience and I dreaded the amount of time it took because of his thick coat; not to mention the clean up from battling him back into the tub.
I had no idea that with a few simple adjustments and a couple of tricks, it would be possible to turn bath time into a spa date for all of us. Yes, you can achieve this too!
I certainly can’t wait for you to join all of the happy dog parents who no longer dread bath day!
Gather your supplies its PREP TIME
Bellow is a general list of items you will want to gather and place in the bathroom before you begin working with your fur baby on their bath time. I have also included links to the products I use on Koda!
- Towels ( I typically gather 2 of Koda’s towels and one of my own for him to stand on)
- Shampoo, Conditioner, and leave in conditioner
- Wet brush and dry brush
- Lick Matt with suction cups
- Treats
Supplies used for Koda’s Spa Day
exercise Exercise EXERCISE
Exercise and Enrichment need to be your BEST FRIENDS when it comes to your fur baby. Often times I see pet owners trying to wash their fur babies at maximum energy capacity. This ultimately leads to energetic dogs jumping from the tub and creating havoc throughout your home. Always walk, run or play with your fur baby for at least 30 minutes to an hour before they are given a bath.
Koda’s Spa day begins with breakfast inside using two of his enrichment tools. I use a Snuffle Matt first to get him excited for breakfast, then I break out his Food Dispenser and work through his touch command to not only engage with him physically but mentally. After he’s had breakfast we go on our walk around the block for 30 minutes allowing him to smell what he wants for as long as he wants. The reason I let him hang around and sniff what he wants for as long as he wants is so that he remains relaxed and comfortable within himself. Once back to the house we break out his favorite Squeaker Balls and Tug Rope for 30 minutes of play. this really seals the deal and gets him ready for the bath.
The Pre-bath lovins
Now that bath time approaches make sure high value treats are on hand! With Koda leashed up, I like to start out by utilizing his heel command (I use “with me” as his command). With high value treats in my palm, I walk/lead Koda to the bathroom where the water torture device is located. For most dogs, upon reaching the bathroom there will be some hesitation. THIS IS OK! Just find your place of patience and remain outside the bathroom for a little while treating your dog and letting them know it’s ok. If resistance is bad enough for them to be aggressively pulling against the leash hold your ground and remain with tension on the leash. As soon as your dog removes some of the tension itself, loosen tension on your end and treat with praise.
After your dog is comfortable outside of the bathroom, try tossing treats into the bathroom to begin the transition into the bathroom. Treat tossing works wonders when trying to get your dog to make the decision themselves to walk into the bathroom. When both you and your dog have made it into the bathroom treat, praise and slowly close the door. Hang out in the bathroom for a little while giving lots of love treats and praise. Always remember patience, this can be very scary for some dogs and if rushed into it they could form a rooted fear that is harder to overcome.
I have included some images bellow to visually demonstrate the palm treating method and how its paired with the heel and lead method I mentioned earlier.
Its Bath time Baby!
Great job on making it this far!! Now that you and your fur baby are gathered in the bathroom having a blast giving love and treats, it’s time to actually get into the bathtub. I like to start by tossing treats into the tub to see if Koda has gained enough comfortability to get in by himself (he normally does). If your fur baby needs help getting into the tub then make sure to treat extra and take it slow. If you haven’t already suction cupped your lick mat to the bath, then do so now. Your fur baby should begin licking the goodies off the mat and you are now ready to begin bathing. Start the water around their toes and move to their booty, working your way to their head.
Every dog is different based on their fur/coat type. Koda, being part husky, requires a dry brushing before his bath, a wet brush during his bath while he’s soaped up and a dry brush after the bath. Whatever routine you want to set in place, do so. The key things you want to do now that your dog is in the tub is just like what you would for yourself; shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse in that order. Be careful around the head so that the soap or water doesn’t go in your dogs ears.
Just a tip here: Keep the curtain to the shower closed to where the gap is only dig enough for you to lean in. This saves your bathroom from the water and soap your dog is bound to shake off.
Dry me off human
Now that the soap has been fully rinsed out of your dogs hair; either close the curtain and allow your dog to shake off some water or utilize the hand squeegee method to “wring” out some water. LOOK AT YOU GO! Almost done, now you can begin the drying process. This is the most fun for the both of you. Koda gets dried off with his first towel, then gets wrapped in his second towel to go outside for the last step in his drying process. then goes outside to get blow out with a high powered blower.
Once dry apply leave in conditioner if needed and then you’re done!! TREAT YOUR BABY one last time then let them loose to run around and flop around releasing any bath time nerves.
