Puppy hates being washed and dried

El Guapo!

I'm hoping to get some advice on washing and drying my bichon frise puppy.
He's 3 months old now and he absolutely hates bath time. Myself and my girlfriend wash him together as there's no way you could do it alone. We try to make bath time as fun as possible with toys and treats etc. Usually he tries to jump out of the bath and it's a bit of a struggle to wash him but we get there eventually.
The main problem seems to be when we try to dry him. We towel dry him as best as we can but he does be still fairly wet so we need to get the hairdryer out. This is the bit he really hates. I keep the hairdryer on a slow speed and make sure its not too hot or cold but he just goes bananas when I try to dry him it. My girlfriend keeps him as distracted as possible with treats and gives him loads of praise etc and that usually allows me to get the bottom half of him dry.
But once it goes above his shoulder area he goes mental. He jumps and bounces around everywhere and its a real struggle to control him. He tries to bite the air flowing from the hairdryer and he's like a possessed dog. As a result we get bitten while he's trying to bite the airflow like a lunatic!
By the end of it he ends up 90% dry but with a wet head. I just don't want him to get a cold or anything from having a wet head!
It's the whole grooming process that he hates as he struggles when I try to brush him or trim any matted hair or tear stains or anything like that.
He's so bad that it's looking like I'll never be able to send him to a groomers because he's such a handful.

Is there anything I can do about this or do I just have to persevere and hope he gets used to it?
Thanks.

tk123

Ah this is normal you just need to get him used to it. My guy wouldn't let me dry him with the hair dryer at all then I got him groomed at daycare by his friends and no problems with the dryer since then. My poor hair dryer crapped out from using it so much on him so I upgraded to a proper groomers blaster/dryer and he loves it.

You could maybe try this approach - take him to a groomers who go at his pace with plenty of positive reinforcement and then when he gets more comfortable you can start grooming yourself.
He's only a little bichon so it shouldn't cost to much - my guy is a retriever and it cost me about €50 the one and only time I got him groomed. He promptly rolled in poo and jumped in the river the next day so I've done it myself ever since lol!! :pac:

Where about's are you based?

Lola92

I had the same issues with my dog, a japanese spitz.

First of all, I don't bother with the hair drier. It can be very frightening for dogs. I towel dry my lad (we keep a few older towels separate just for using on him) once you have all of the heavy dampness off we put him in the utility room with the heating on or let him sit near the fire with us if it was on. He would be completely dry in about 60-90 mins. We never let him outside/in the cold until he was completely dry just in case he would get a chill.

Another tip is make sure that he is well brushed before you bathe him. I found it a lot easier to get any small knots or little matted strands out while he was dry rather than causing him more stress when he was wet.

Another thing to think about - what kind of temperature is your water? We found tepid to be best. Cold obviously wasn't pleasant for him and lukewarm water got cool quite quickly.

Groomers are well used to dogs who aren't too happy out getting cleaned so maybe ring your vet to recommend one if you aren't comfortable doing all of it yourself.

DBB

tk123.. I finally got around to buying a blaster too...well impressed!:D

Back on topic!
OP, try acclimatising him to very short bursts of the hairdryer when you don't need to dry him. In other owrds, practice when he's dry! It'll mean you don't have the same urgency to dry him, and you can break it up into loads of short sessions.
Start off with switching the dryer on but not haviong it anywehre near him, and give him a treat. Switch it off, switch it back on again, and give him a treat (clicker training would be great for this, if you're familiar with it).
Gradually, move the dryer closer before switching it on and treating him. Gradually, give him a very short burst of warm air from a distance away,, just second, treat him, and turn off the dryer.
Do you get the idea? Slow and steady wins the race! By trying the whole hog, washing and drying from start to finish on an uninitiated dog, you're overfacing him, and you'll only pee him off about the whole process. Not a good idea with a Bichon, with all the grooming they need!
Use nyommy treats, something he really, really likes, and take it good and slow. You'll know when to move to the next level as he'll be comfortable and happy with what you're doing.
My Westie runs up the stairs when he hears me using the hairdryer, so he can have an oul blast of it himself! He loves it!

El Guapo!

Thanks for the replies.
Maybe he is just overwhelmed with the whole thing. I'll try that slow and steady approach with the hairdryer and see how I get on.
Is it worth investing in one of those blaster things? Where would I get one?

I'm based on the Northside of Dublin so if anyone can recommend a good groomer I'd appreciate it.

DBB

I wouldn't go near him with a blaster just yet, they are VERY powerful and kinda noisy, so I can't imagine he'd be impressed with one! I'd stick to a haridryer for now, I think!

El Guapo!

DBB wrote: »

I wouldn't go near him with a blaster just yet, they are VERY powerful and kinda noisy, so I can't imagine he'd be impressed with one! I'd stick to a haridryer for now, I think!

LOL
I'll definately give it a miss then. Don't wanna give him a heart attack!

deelite

Dean09 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies.
Maybe he is just overwhelmed with the whole thing. I'll try that slow and steady approach with the hairdryer and see how I get on.
Is it worth investing in one of those blaster things? Where would I get one?

I'm based on the Northside of Dublin so if anyone can recommend a good groomer I'd appreciate it.

I recently got my dog groomed in Pooches Palace on Ballygall Road area of Finglas. They were very good and reasonable - my fella was 25 euro.

saleda

Loving reading your posts Dean as your problems are my problems!! My bichon is also three months old and hates the bath. The only way I can bath her properly is to let her stand up with front paws at the edge of bath and use a cup to wash her down in that position. She hated the hairdryer too but now she doesn't mind so much. I tend not to dry her fully with it though, it would be too much like torture Most of the time I just give her paw baths and she doesn't mind that too much.

Can I just ask (a bit off topic here), how are you getting on with collar/harness/leash? Having a terrible time here, kept harness on for seven hours today and she whined and moaned and sat on the couch all day till we took it off. Tried to bring her for a walk yesterday which turned into more of a "drag"! I just can't see this dog ever being "normal"!!

Best of luck with the baths

El Guapo!

saleda wrote: »

Loving reading your posts Dean as your problems are my problems!! My bichon is also three months old and hates the bath. The only way I can bath her properly is to let her stand up with front paws at the edge of bath

This is exactly the way I have to wash my pup!

saleda wrote: »

Can I just ask (a bit off topic here), how are you getting on with collar/harness/leash? Having a terrible time here, kept harness on for seven hours today and she whined and moaned and sat on the couch all day till we took it off. Tried to bring her for a walk yesterday which turned into more of a "drag"! I just can't see this dog ever being "normal"!!

Best of luck with the baths

I got him a small harness from the pet shop in the Blanchardstown centre and he loves it. Its really soft and padded so it doesn't cut into him or irritate him in any way.
Before I put it on him the first time I just left it on the ground beside him and let him play with it for a while to get him used to it. Now its no problem putting it on him and he loves it. As soon as I put it on him now he runs to the door because he knows he's going for a walk!
The first couple of walks he was terrified but now he sprints everywhere and bounces around like a lunatic. Although he's still afraid of just about everything!......except leaves.....he trys to collect as many leaves in his mouth as he can and he chases them down the road!

saleda

Dean09 wrote: »

I got him a small harness from the pet shop in the Blanchardstown centre and he loves it. Its really soft and padded so it doesn't cut into him or irritate him in any way.
Before I put it on him the first time I just left it on the ground beside him and let him play with it for a while to get him used to it. Now its no problem putting it on him and he loves it. As soon as I put it on him now he runs to the door because he knows he's going for a walk!
The first couple of walks he was terrified but now he sprints everywhere and bounces around like a lunatic. Although he's still afraid of just about everything!......except leaves.....he trys to collect as many leaves in his mouth as he can and he chases them down the road!

We have an Ancol harness which is padded too. Left it on the floor for her to play with and chewed almost right through it, now I need to buy another one :rolleyes:

I guess there's hope for us, but at the moment, I just can't see her ever loving her harness. Going to buy hotdogs tomorrow and see if I can entice her with them

tk123

Dean09 wrote: »

I'm based on the Northside of Dublin so if anyone can recommend a good groomer I'd appreciate it.

Dog training ireland have a groomer who's brillinat - thats where my guy was done. I've got his nails clipped there a few times too - he sits there as they clip them and pictures on facebook of him posing getting it done - when i clip them I need a second person to bribe him with treats the brat!!

player101

When washing him put the lead on him and tell him to sit, when he starts jumping around stop, repeat the command and dont start till he sits again. (time consuming but he will soon realise that its nothing to fear, he is only doing all of this because its something that he doesnt know yet

for the next while leave the hair drier on while you are drying him so he becomes acustom to the noise and gradually over time use it on him.

dont constantly reward him during the drying, let him know you have a treat for him and once it is complete reward him.

Increase the amount of times you wash him (but only wash him with water for some of the times so his skin doesnt become irritated) this will make him more familiar with the whole process.

once he is finished run around your house with him and pay lots of attention

best of luck