It happens every time. These two little words - BATH TIME - strike fear in the hearts of "Micky" and "Buffy" and (literally) sends them scurrying for the hills! Try coaxing a shivering 20kg bundle of Blue Heeler out from under the bed and then carrying it (dead weight) to the waiting bucket and hose in the backyard. It is no easy feat. Multiply it by 2 and you can understand why Bath Time in the Valley takes on epic proportions. How is it that dogs HATE having a bath and yet - take them to the river or the beach and you have to DRAG them out of the water? I cannot understand the canine psyche. You would think they would love nothing better than a cool, refreshing douse of water on a hot day and then a gentle, calming massage with ti-tree shampoo. Sounds good to me. But not these two!
So in my search to find a practical solution to our "Bath Time" woes - I stumbled across this helpful little doggie tip :
Make bathing a positive experience!
"Talk to your dog while you are bathing her! Provide treats for her when she is sitting calmly and doing what you would like her to do. Sing to your dogs while bathing them! You want to associate cleanliness with fun times and great rewards! Even if you are soaking wet by the end of the process, the whole ordeal shouldn’t be a stressful one for you or your dog."
Ah.....it's all clear to me now. All I need to do is come up with a good song.... a few treats and hey presto!:
Can't wait to give it a go this weekend!!
He He He, I think that my dog would be happy with a soak in the tub like the one in your pic, thats so cute!!!
ReplyDeleteWe had a blue heeler for 14 years and he was exactly the same, we could never ever bath him. Now we have a wire haired jack russell and he loves a bath. Unfortunately he's in the vets at the moment recovering from a tick. I'm glad I have inspired you this morning with my post. thanks for stopping by Sharyne. Have a lovely day. Leahx
ReplyDeleteHaaaaaaha! Great post. My dogs feel the same way about a bath and I can never figure out their canine psyche or doggy logic either. But, I'll tell ya what. If you are ever looking for a human to bathe, I'm coming over. The whole, gentle, calming massage with ti-tree shampoo sounds great to me. And, well, if you're gonna sing and give me a treat I'm so there.
ReplyDeleteOur blue heeler is the same when it comes to bath time but as you said perfectly, a visit to the river sees her make a bee line for the water :) Maybe I should try some doggy treats like you've suggested.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by my blog - I think your idea of green jelly for a Christmas looking dessert sounds very festive!! Enjoy the rest of the weekend x
ReplyDeleteMy dogs don't mind a bath too much, thankfully! We have a Border Collie and an English Shepherd with one on the way...we're picking up our new ES puppy next week! Blue Heelers are such great dogs!
ReplyDeleteI love that last photo!
Kat :)