Want Your Puppy to Love Baths? Here's How By The Blog Dog on August 10 @ 11:12AM

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Dogs need baths often because they tend to like mud and get dirty very easily. Baths become even more important for puppies as they usually like to play in wet mud and sand and dirty themselves. Some puppies may also soil themselves when they get very excited or nervous. A lot of puppies do not like water and will run a mile at bath time. How do you get them to enjoy their bath time?

If you are a struggling pet parent wondering how to get your puppy to like bath time, here are a few tips that might help you:

• Get your puppy used to water: If your puppy is scared of water or dislikes water, slowly introduce it to water and get it to be comfortable being around water. You can use sprinklers, garden hoses, taps, or small bowls of water for this purpose.
• Let your puppy play first: Most puppies will be willing for a bath if they are feeling warm. Let your puppy run around and play, or take it for a long walk right before you intend to bathe it. Your puppy will view bath time as respite from the heat. You can also let your puppy play in the bath area a few times so it is comfortable being there.
• Offer treats and encouragement: If your puppy seems unwilling to come near the bath water or enter the bathtub or bucket filled with water, you can offer treats to encourage it. You can use treats to lure your puppy in slowly.
• Use lukewarm water: It will be less of a shock and easier to adjust for your puppy and if you use lukewarm water instead of cold water. Lukewarm water is closer to your pup’s natural body temperature, helping it to ease into the bath.
• Give your puppy its favorite toy after the bath: If your puppy allows you to bathe it and behaves well during bath time, you can reward it by bringing its favorite toy to it right after the bath. Having the toy will also help your pup relax and find bath time less scary and more fun.
• Avoid forcing your puppy into the bath water: Give your puppy time to get used to bath time and water. If it does not want to be in the water and appears scared or nervous, do not force it into the water.

It can be a time-consuming process to get your puppy to like water and bath time, but it will be worth the effort when you see them enjoying their bath instead of being scared. Pure joy and happiness is the biggest reward your puppy can give you in return for your efforts.