My dog is terrified of baths. How do I help his bath time anxiety?

You dog may just be anxious/nervous about the new experience. Make sure he is nice and dry so he is not too cold. You may also want to try and distract him with a walk or a game with his favorite toy to help him stop thinking about it. If he is not eating or seems painful you should probably take him in to your veterinarian to be checked out. I hope this helps. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach. Best of luck!

Baths can be fun or really scary. I would work in desensitizing your pup about baths. You c am do this by making the bath a positive experience. I would work with really yummy treats and putting them in the tub. No bath. Just getting used to getting in the tub and having a treat. You could even start putting his food in there (as long as she can reach). Keep working on this until she goes in and out easily on her own without much coaxing. Then next time I would have treats in one hand and turn the water on and off. Keep offering lots of treats and praise. Still no bath. Do this daily until she’s no longer worried about the water. Then you can start to work on getting her wet and progress until she’s comfortable with that too. Secret trick is smearing peanut butter (all natural of course!! Make sure it has no sweaters and NOT XYLITOL, it’s highly toxic). It usually keeps them busy working on that while you bath.

You can try an over the counter calming supplement such as zylkene or composure in combination with offering rewards during the bath such as treats. It will work best if you have two people, one to bathe the dog and one to feed treats while the bath is going on. You can even take a long wooden spoon and put peanut butter on the end so they can hold it in front of her face and she can lick the spoon while being bathed.

Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! It sounds like Bear is just a little on edge from his itchy skin, unusual bath, and (I’m guessing) recent vet visit. I wouldn’t worry too much about it. Keep doing your daily walks and training reinforcement and give him a few days. Even if this anxiety persists, it can often be managed with extra exercise and training in dogs of this age and breed. Best wishes to you and Bear!

The trick that worked best for my dog, which was absolutely terrified of the tub to the point where he would dig his claws into my arm and try to climb over me, was to smear peanut butter all over the sides of the tub. It worked like a charm for him and I've recommended this trick to several other owners of dogs that do the same thing and they all seemed to have nothing but positive results. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! This us unfortunate! I would first watch out for your safety, I do not want you to get bit. I would try wiping peanut butter on the tile or the bath tub and see if turning the water on and spraying around him (not one him at first) eliminates the growling. Gradually over time, if this works, try wetting him then bathing him. If this doesn't work I would ask your Vet for a short acting sedative like Trazadone to give 2 hours before the bath to help calm him some. Then last option is to muzzle him so you can bath him safely. I wish you the best! https://www.simplemost.com/peanut-butter-on-wall-makes-dog-sit-still-bath/

Some dogs really hate having a bath, and Kiba sounds like he really hates it if he won't even take treats. I typically recommend treats and soothing voices to help calm a dog down. Be sure to stay calm, and as less stressed as possible. Try giving him treats he doesn't normally get like chicken or pig ears. If it really is too difficult for you to bath him, I would take Kiba to a groomers for it. That takes the stress off of you, and groomers are well trained at dealing with dogs who baths :-)