Is it worth the hassle (new doggy's first bath)?

I find myself working as Presley THE Dog’s newest servant. He’s a great dog. Very chill temperment, loves walking despite the Vegas heat, and has been tolerating my bully of a cat. The only major downside is that he STINKS! He needs a bath badly, but I can’t decide if I should try to give him one in the bathtub or if it’s a better idea to pony up for a trip to the local groomer. Your thoughts?

Oh, in case it matters, he’s a four-ish old mix of beagle and jack russel terrier. No fancy grooming needed. I have a standard size tub and I’ve also NEVER given a dog a bath before.

My dog turned out to be a water dog. As soon as the shower or tub water flowed, he would jump in.:eek:

I owned a dog who hated, feared and loathed water.

If you can afford it, get it done at a vet or groomer. It’s worth the money. If you’re starving or need a tooth fixed, then don’t waste your money, but giving a dog a bath, especially a dog who HATES baths is worth the money. It’s worth not going to the movies for a month or something along those lines.

Try it once. If it doesn’t go well, pay for baths from then on. The worst thing that happens is that you waste a few bucks on some doggy shampoo and get a little wet.

My 20 lb rat terrier is not a big fan of baths, but once he is in he doesn’t really try to escape. My wife and I have always washed him as a team though. Without someone to hold his head he would probably start trying shaking the water off like crazy and it would be a rather messy affair.

Do you have a flexible shower hose you can use? We bathe ours in the tub, but since we started using the hose, it goes much faster; less spooning water onto the dog’s back and no waiting for the soapy water to drain and refilling with rinse water.

Just wet the dog down quickly and thoroughly, shampoo, hose off.

Mind the temperature and don’t hose the dog in the face (we use a damp washcloth to gentle wipe down the face area).

My dogs hate getting baths, but they will tolerate them because I don’t let them think they’ve got a choice. As soon as I say “Get in the tub”, they (reluctantly) climb in- and they stay there 'til I’m done. Repetition is key.

I think that the earlier you get them used to regular bathing, the better. The next time we get a puppy, I think we’re going to start out bathing them at least once a week, if not more (even if all we do is get the puppy in and out of the tub with a bit of water in it).

Eh, bathing dogs just isn’t that big a deal, especially if you have a sprayer attachment or it’s warm enough to turn the hose on them in the back yard. If you don’t have one of those things, it’s probably worth spending the money to go to a self-serve dog wash, where you pay a small fee for the use of their elevated tub and sprayer hose.

Since you’ve not done this before, I’ll give a few tips from my years in the vet world. First, if you’re going to trim the nails, clean the ears, or express the anal glands, do it before the bath. It’s easier to handle a dry dog than a wet one, and any unpleasant smells can be shampooed away. Take a couple of cotton balls and stick them down into the ear canals to prevent water/soap getting down in the ears and potentially starting ear infections–this is especially important for dogs with heavy floppy ears that are prone to infections anyway, like your hound breeds.

Always, always, always test your water temperature before putting it on the dog–it should be barely warmer than skin temp. Colder than that is going to be uncomfortable for both of you, and warmer than that can dry doggie’s skin out. Always, always, always use dog shampoo, not people shampoo or dish detergent for routine baths. Human shampoo and detergent tend to strip too much oil out of the coat and cause dry skin.

So, you have your nails/ears/butt done, your cotton balls in, your doggie shampoo at hand, and your water temperature tested. Start wetting the dog, starting at the neck and working down the topline (basically, the dog’s spine) to the tail, then working your way down the dog’s body and legs, getting the head last. Be sure you tilt the head back when wetting or washing it, to prevent getting soap or water in the eyes. When the dog is thoroughly wet, apply shampoo to the topline and start scrubbing just like you would wash your own hair, working the soap down the body. Most dog shampoo is fairly thick, so add a little water periodically and keep spreading. Use more shampoo as needed.

Rinse in the same pattern that you wetted the dog down, and rinse until the water runs clear. When you get done washing, squeegee the dog down with your hands. You’ll need far fewer towels that way, and reduce your risk of getting huge slops of water shaken in your face.

With patience, you can teach them bath-time commands like “up” or “turn” or “paw” to get them to get into the tub, turn around so you can wet/scrub/rinse their other side, or give you their paws to be washed or dried off.

Our dogs get baths outside in the summer. In winter, they only get bathed if there’s a good reason and we use the local groomer for that. Trying to do it in the tub at home usually results in a huge mess - the pup will want to shake the water out of his/her coat and one shake = water everywhere. I am not a fan of wiping down the ceiling.

I don’t know if this can be applied to all dogs, or just to mine, but I find that if you keep one hand on them at all times (usually their back) it stops them shaking themselves. Obviously, this is easier if you have a helper.

I have beagles. I give them baths alone. Nobody ever pitches in. They hate it. They will climb in mud puddles and wade happily. But beagles just don’t want people making them do things. They resent bipedal no-noses acting superior, when they clearly are not. After drying off they start to run laps around the house and out onto the yard . I do it about every 3 weeks. Not the same day. When I bathe one ,the other disappears. I have found him in the fruit cellar, in laundry baskets or hiding in the basement. Nothing is easy with beagles.

And on a cautionary note - a beagle cross who STINKS should have a very thorough checking of the ears. And, does he smell worse on one end or another? Anal gland problems can be another stinker.