Puppy Training: Introduction to the Bath

Many puppies do not like bath time. I figured this out when I had to bathe two litters of puppies in one day; I think it was about fourteen puppies! Needless to say, I was soaked by the end of it. The funny thing was that the puppies who had been introduced to water the way I am about to tell you about did not have nearly as much trouble with the bath. When I washed those puppies, I could wash them all without getting much more than my arms wet. So, let’s take a quick look at what you can do to help make bath time easier in this quick introduction to bath time!

Steps to Introducing Bath Time

First, introduce your puppy to the bathtub without giving it a bath. Make sure a non-skid bathmat is in your bathtub, then put some fun treats in there. Add your puppy and let it find the yummy treats. Do this once daily for the first three days you have your puppy home.

On the fourth day, turn on the faucet before you put your puppy in the bathtub. Start out with the water just barely on. If your puppy doesn’t seem to mind, place it in the tub and feed it treats. When you are finished, take it back out and wipe off its paws, give it a couple more treats, then set it free and play with it for a bit. Do this for three days in a row or until you can turn on the water all the way on while your puppy remains calm and happy.

At the end of the first week, let your puppy have some fun in the bathtub without soap. But make sure things stay calm. Sometimes what I like to do is train while the puppy is in the bathtub. Click and treat it for sitting and looking at you and for standing still. Then, take it out and dry it off and set it free. Do this about three days in a row; then, you can add the shampoo and conditioner to the process.

Change it Up

Once your puppy is comfortable with the process, you can slowly change things up so that your puppy learns that some baths will be fun, some will be fast, and some will be just normal. This way, your puppy will know that bath time is fun, but if you need to do a faster bath one day, your puppy won’t be surprised and get frustrated when you don’t give treats until you are finished.

If you want a more detailed explanation of this process, click here and here!