# paddington's first bath at home...



## ajaeee (Feb 24, 2012)

i apologize in advance, i wasn't able to take any photos of it because my hands were full!!! :brick: i know, i know...

baby boy has had at least 2 baths before, at his breeder's, but oh boy...bath time was no fun for him. even though i was as gentle as possible, he freaaaaaaaaaaaked out. i expected that. did my best though! i ended up soaked and paddy was not pleased with being a soaking wet doggy. afterwards, i toweled him off and cuddled him in the towel...and then set to drying him with a hair dryer ( i know, i know, but i tested it on the cold setting to ensure it's warm, not hot... ), wherein he attempted escape and then set to snapping at the air coming from the thing.

afterwards, i sprayed some conditioner/water on my hands, ran it over him lightly, and then used my boar hair brush to distribute it. he fidgeted, but was actually pretty good with that. i keep telling myself that persistence, patience and a soaking wet t-shirt (i would have worn a garbage bag vest but...i ran out of them. go figure it happens on bath day.) will be worth it for the fluffy GOOD SMELLING teddy pup i get at the end of it.

can anyone suggest a way to get him to at least tolerate being bathed? he stinks up so quickly and i'm thinking a bath every 10 or so days might be necessary, with the way he frolicks in the grass and the way his pee gets on his belly fur (i wipe him down with puppy wipes, but it doesn't always do the trick...). i've only got my pair of hands to bathe him, since nobody else wants to help and there's so limited space...soo...i dunno what to do.


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## Suzi (Oct 27, 2010)

I had seen an even better video awhile back but this one is good. The puppy actually is being very good but notice how she is holding him . That puppy is probley smaller than a Havanese and I wouldn't pick up my puppy like that. But she had her hand holding him during most of the bath. Happy bathing


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## motherslittlehelper (Mar 18, 2010)

You have my sympathy. Augie hated it at first too. But it had to be done and I don't know when it happened, but he now tolerates it pretty well. I won't say he loves it, because it is obvious he doesn't, but at least I can bathe him without getting soaked and he will let me dry him without a struggle. He is now 3. But.....we had major freakout with him in the beginning too. Haven't gotten there with Finn (age 1) yet. I usually change clothes after he gets out of the tub because I am drenched, and I don't remember to try the garbage bag trick until after I have bathed him. The last couple of times, I haven't gotten quite as wet and he is tolerating drying much better than in the beginning. So I have high hopes, possibly silly of me, that we will get there with Finn as well. Finn has require more baths than Augie did as he always seemed to smell like pee too. I don't know when that stopped - I don't notice him smelling like that for a few months? now. His hair gets dirtier feeling faster, so he gets a bath every 10 days to two weeks, where Augie can go around 4 weeks. I just try to keep talking to him and singing to him. Maybe someone will have a useful suggestion. I have a portable laundry tub set up in an unused bathtub, with a handheld shower head - that has been a major improvement over trying to bathe in the whole bathtub - keeps them better corralled, although Finn is still climbing up the side and wants to lean into me.


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## misstray (Feb 6, 2011)

I just bathed Brody tonight. He's a year. The last 3 baths he hasn't tried to jump out of the tub and has been really good about the bathing process. He used to try to get away. He hates bath time so this is definite progress. 

He does the snapping at the hair dryer thing too and it's the only time I see his lips curl back (although I'm never quite sure if it's him doing it or the air from the hair dryer), because of that I've mainly let him air dry because it is such a fight. Tonight was the first time I forced the hair dryer on him in a long while. I probably really should have been keeping up with it all along, but it just wasn't a battle I was up for. This time I brought him into the bedroom and we did the hair drying on the bed with the bedroom door closed. When he tried to run away I'd keep blowing it on him. He only hid under the bed once and did come out when I called him. I do think he's fluffier when he's been blow-dried though. I didn't completely dry him, I did it for about 5 minutes then figured that was enough for this time...after all, there was still the whole combing out thing to come!

I don't know how people manage multiple havs!


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## nlb (Feb 26, 2012)

Cass is very good about being bathed. Now when I dry her, she doesn't like it, but I give her a treat before and after drying. She just rolls around on the floor and bites at the dryer, but I don't let her get too close. I hold the dryer far away at warmer setting to get her dry faster, and when she is 90% dry, then I lower the setting and start comb/brushing until dry. Once I lower the setting, she settles down and lets me finish up.


I get her face wet first and wash it before I get the reat of her wet. The helps so she doesn't get too cold. Tomorrow is bath day! I can hardly make it a whole week without washing her. lol


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## krandall (Jun 11, 2009)

ajaeee said:


> can anyone suggest a way to get him to at least tolerate being bathed? he stinks up so quickly and i'm thinking a bath every 10 or so days might be necessary, with the way he frolicks in the grass and the way his pee gets on his belly fur (i wipe him down with puppy wipes, but it doesn't always do the trick...). i've only got my pair of hands to bathe him, since nobody else wants to help and there's so limited space...soo...i dunno what to do.


Just keep doing what you are doing... Bathe him regularly, being gentle but firm and matter-of-fact. He will eventually get used to the idea that it is going to happen whether he wants it or not. Few get to love baths, but most learn to submit to the necessity with good grace.:biggrin1:


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## jabojenny (Sep 18, 2011)

ajaeee said:


> can anyone suggest a way to get him to at least tolerate being bathed? he stinks up so quickly and i'm thinking a bath every 10 or so days might be necessary, with the way he frolicks in the grass and the way his pee gets on his belly fur (i wipe him down with puppy wipes, but it doesn't always do the trick...). i've only got my pair of hands to bathe him, since nobody else wants to help and there's so limited space...soo...i dunno what to do.


If it makes you feel any better Timmy is about 5 months old and I bath him once a week, he still doesn't like his bath, but I'm with you it has to be done. He's getting better though so I guess Paddington will get used to things eventually too.



Suzi said:


> The puppy actually is being very good but notice how she is holding him . That puppy is probley smaller than a Havanese and I wouldn't pick up my puppy like that. But she had her hand holding him during most of the bath.


That puppy was AMAZING compared to Timmy. I laughed when she let him put his feet up on the edge, Timmy would have jumped out of the sink so fast, I have to hold him the whole time.



motherslittlehelper said:


> I usually change clothes after he gets out of the tub because I am drenched, and I don't remember to try the garbage bag trick until after I have bathed him.


I love my garbage bag, and usually still have to change after bath time.



misstray said:


> He does the snapping at the hair dryer thing too and it's the only time I see his lips curl back (although I'm never quite sure if it's him doing it or the air from the hair dryer), because of that I've mainly let him air dry because it is such a fight.


I blow dry Timmy too. He kind of snaps but I think it's more of a play thing. He goes crazy when my kids blow in his face so I think it's an "air" thing.



misstray said:


> I don't know how people manage multiple havs!


I hear you!!! I'd be a mess.



nlb said:


> I get her face wet first and wash it before I get the reat of her wet. The helps so she doesn't get too cold. Tomorrow is bath day! I can hardly make it a whole week without washing her. lol


I'm going to try washing Timmy's face first, seems like I always leave it for last and he's just about had it with me, so it's no fun. Good luck with bath day, I usually do Sunday.



krandall said:


> Just keep doing what you are doing... Bathe him regularly, being gentle but firm and matter-of-fact. He will eventually get used to the idea that it is going to happen whether he wants it or not. Few get to love baths, but most learn to submit to the necessity with good grace.:biggrin1:


I agree Karen, and I think that's why Timmy is getting better, not great, but definitely better!


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