# Bathing and Drying



## DillonMaltese (Jun 19, 2009)

OK....well...we don't like leaving our lil baby home alone, but today we didn;t have much of a choice and had to leave him home alone for about 10 hrs...we left him in a gate area with piddle pads....we full on expected that when we got home, we'd have to bathe him as he stepped in his own poo and threw it around in his little area...

We have issues with bathing D...He really doesnt like it and every chance he gets, he tries to run away...we bathe him in the bath tub but am thinking that maybe we shold do it in the sink....regardless...the bath part aint the difficult part...its the drying...

We use a blow dryer to dry but he hates it...he just wont stay still and let us dry him off...Today...he tried to bite my wife and was growling like crazy...not sure if anyone has a secret to blow drying but if u do...I should would appreciate it...

Thanks


----------



## Hunter's Mom (Dec 8, 2008)

Our secret is that we rarely blow dry as it scares Hunter very much. I do desensitize him to the blower by having him in the room while it is on and every once in a while bringing it close to him but since he's not a show dog and I keep him in a puppy cut - I don't worry about the blowdry as much. When we do have to dry, I actually hold him close to my body and blow dry only one side of his body at a time; giving him a break in between. He dries his face on his own by rubbing it against a towl so we only blow his face for a few seconds at a time.

As far as the bath goes - we found that by filling up the tub and having one of us sit in the tub made Hunter more comfortable with the tub. I would let him sit on my legs above water and then slowly lower him into it with my hands holding him so he felt secure. I would start with just his feet for a few minutes, then his legs, up to his belly and that's it. We don't submerge him or anything like that . It took a while but now we can even put him in the swimming pool and he is comfortable. 

While I was doing this, my husband was outside the tub praising Hunter and treating him during each stage. The first couple of times we didn't even attempt soap - just getting wet. Then we progressed to soap and conditioner. We had a dirty dog for a while but it was well worth it to us. Now, I can bathe him alone in the tub if needed without treats!. He always gets a big treat as soon as he gets out of the tub while he air drys. When the treat is done, then we brush and comb, and dry if needed - I do this so that the treat is directly associated with the bath and not anything else.

This is just what I have done, Hunter is my first little dog and he was a rescue so I am sure that others might have better ideas for you working with a puppy. BEST OF LUCK


----------



## sophie (Jul 9, 2006)

One other thing you might want to try is what I do since mine are both in short cuts. Right out of the tub I wrap them in a nice warm towel and hold them on my lap for a while. The towel really soaks up a lot of the excess water. Mine don't mind the blow dryer, but this really cuts down on how much time I need to use the dryer. 

What kind of dryer are you trying to use? A blow dryer made for people can get very very hot. I do use one sometimes, but it has a cool button that I use.

Linda


----------



## Reenie (May 1, 2008)

We brought Chloe home at just under 3 months, and I started bathing her about a month later. I had the same problems you're having now. She hated getting wet and hated the drying even more.

We have a douoble-sided kitchen sink with a sprayer. I put the faucet running on the left side, test the water, then let it run on the left. I put Chloe in the right side and start rinsing her after I test the water from the sprayer. She likes to put her front legs on the seperation of the sinks in the middle, LOL! I always wash her face, head and ears first, then work on getting her to stand in the sink and work on the rest of her body because she was always trying to grab me or jump out of the sink. Then I would dry her as much as I could with a big towel. Then We would sit on the floor in the kitchen with a dryer that has a stand and you can move it to different positions so that I don't have to control her and hold a dryer. She HATED it, so I would have her sit inbetween my legs and keep drying one side while moving her hair up to dry nicely, then the other side.

After months and months, she has surrendered and bath time is no problem, and now she lets me dry her with little problems. 

I think it's consistency and making your dog feel safe, offer treats inbetween, give praise when they're behaving and definitely give good treats when it's all over :biggrin: 

I hope that helps. Be patient, and hopefully pup will get used to it. 

Happy bathing,
Reenie


----------



## DillonMaltese (Jun 19, 2009)

thanks for all the great replies...I am using a human blow dryer but use the cool button so it doesnt get too hot....Is there one specifically for puppies? If so whats the difference between the two? I'm in the middle of tying to find a groomer and am going to go get a puppy cut here soon as well...Thanks again


----------



## Ladysmom (Oct 19, 2004)

To be honest, if he is growling and trying to bite you when you dry him, you might want to use a little muzzle on him until he gets used to it. That's what a groomer will do.


----------



## jmm (Nov 23, 2004)

The dryer should be at leash 12 inches away. I personally like a smear of peanut butter for them to lick while you dry them. To get him use to the blow dryer, use it every days. Put him on the table, tiny bit of peanut butter, blow dry him for 20 seconds. The more you do it, the more boring it will become. Peanut butter or another tasty treat will help make the blow dryer association a positive one.


----------



## fredsmama (Apr 21, 2009)

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 9 2009, 11:16 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=815566


> The dryer should be at leash 12 inches away. I personally like a smear of peanut butter for them to lick while you dry them. To get him use to the blow dryer, use it every days. Put him on the table, tiny bit of peanut butter, blow dry him for 20 seconds. The more you do it, the more boring it will become. Peanut butter or another tasty treat will help make the blow dryer association a positive one.[/B]



After reading all of the above--I bathed Fred this morning--from the first toe in the sink to the final drying was over an hour! I use my laundry sink, put about 5 inches of warm water with the sprayer going with a gentle ,warm spray. I plug the sink so I get water about half way up his body.I wet him all over and use a little food tub to pour water gently on his face. I soap his body first and sorta massage him--he does not try to jump out. Then I work on his face and rinse as gently as I can. I know that previous posts as well as the instructions on the bottle suggest leaving the conditioner on for 5-10 minutes, but I am afraid to get him chilled. I tried holding him wrapped in a big towel and then rinsing the conditioner off, but he thought he was through and did not like going back into be rinsed. After I have rinsed him, I wrap him in a big towel and gently towel dry--a good towel will absorb a lot of water. Then I stand him on my bathroom counter and dry him with my own hand dryer on low speed. He is so good--as I had posted earlier. After he was all dried and mostly brushed out, I also sprayed a little "It's a 10 miracle leave-in product" (a people product) because he still had a few mats. Jackie, I tried the peanut butter, but in a second he licked the table clean and wiggled for more!! And was totally distracted! So, I just praise and sweet talk him as I am bathing and brushing. The products I use are Nature's Specialities Plum Silky shampoo+conditioner , their RE-Moisturizer with aloe, and Spa Lavish for his face. After reading all the posts about matting, grooming, I realized that his hair was really dry and that is why he had mats. I thought bathing him every three weeks was enough and would dry out his skin and hair--but now found out it is not so. probably, I may not have to use so much conditioner when he gets in better shape. I thought that I was doing such a good grooming job,too--thanks to this forum-I found out otherwise. I have also ordered a Madan brush as well as the combs that were suggested.


----------



## mamapajamas (Apr 12, 2009)

QUOTE (JMM @ Aug 9 2009, 12:16 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=815566


> The dryer should be at leash 12 inches away. I personally like a smear of peanut butter for them to lick while you dry them. To get him use to the blow dryer, use it every days. Put him on the table, tiny bit of peanut butter, blow dry him for 20 seconds. The more you do it, the more boring it will become. Peanut butter or another tasty treat will help make the blow dryer association a positive one.[/B]


I really like this peanut butter idea. It's something I'd never thought of.

"Dillon Maltese"... what I do is have a wash tub that belongs to Button. It is just a plastic dish pan with a square of rubber K-Mart shower mat that I cut to size and pressed into the bottom to keep her from slipping and sliding around. Since that pan is a part of "her" territory, she feels a bit more comfortable in it than, say, putting her directly into the sink, which is "mommy" territory.

Also, when drying, I use a dryer designed for pets (the air stream is at the right temperature) that has a stand. You can get one of these at most pet marts for around $30. Button hates the dryer, too, but I don't give her a choice about the matter. I towel her as dry as I can, then wrap the towel around her front half, hold her rear up in the dryer's air stream, and brush, brush, brush. The towel keeps her warm during cold weather, AND keeps her from scratching me. Usually, by the time her back half is dry, she's given up the fight and lets me dry her head and chest without too much fuss. I play the "mean mommy" role on this, but she forgives me.  

Back about 30 years ago, I was an NDGAA certified groomer, and learned that you can save yourself a host of future problems by not tolerating nonsense from the dogs when you're bathing/grooming them. Even if they're frightened, they eventually realize that they aren't being hurt. They may not like it, but they get over it. Sort of like getting a shot. I was out of the field for a long time, but when I got Button, the first time I tried to bathe her, "groomer mode" kicked in on autopilot. I've never had a problem bathing her-- because I don't allow her to give me a problem.


----------



## coco (Sep 20, 2006)

I ordered a dryer from Pet Edge. It is on a stand. Unfortunately, the stand is broken, so I now just use my dryer on the low setting. I do as someone else suggested and hold Coco wrapped in a towel for a while, as it does help save on blow dryer time. We also have a mat for the bottom of the sink so that she doesn't slip around. The slipping in the sink tends to make her more afraid than the bath. Oh, and we do bath once a week. It really seems to cut down on the matting problem. Good luck!!


----------



## 9maltesemom11 (Jan 26, 2009)

QUOTE (DillonMaltese @ Aug 8 2009, 11:17 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=815409


> OK....well...we don't like leaving our lil baby home alone, but today we didn;t have much of a choice and had to leave him home alone for about 10 hrs...we left him in a gate area with piddle pads....we full on expected that when we got home, we'd have to bathe him as he stepped in his own poo and threw it around in his little area...
> 
> We have issues with bathing D...He really doesnt like it and every chance he gets, he tries to run away...we bathe him in the bath tub but am thinking that maybe we shold do it in the sink....regardless...the bath part aint the difficult part...its the drying...
> 
> ...


Clicker training works very well for me. Plus lots and lots of treats. Clicker training works like magic.


----------

