Training
A dog who bolts from the bath or grabs the brush can learn to accept both. Small steps, good treats and his right to say stop get you there faster than you think.
You turn the bath tap on and the dog is already under the bed. Or he stands nicely for the bath but, the moment the brush comes out, turns round and takes your hand gently in his teeth to tell you that is far enough. Or you have a three-month-old puppy and want to get it right from day one, so that a year from now you are not facing 30 kilos of dog you cannot get into the tub. Bathing and brushing are among the few times your dog stands still next to you while you handle every inch of his skin. That is when you find the first knot, the first tick, the first red ear. It is worth turning them into something he accepts calmly and, with a bit of luck, looks forward to.
The rule is the same for both. Small steps, each followed by something good, and the dog always has a way to tell you "stop". It will feel slow. A year of wrestling in the bath takes a lot longer.
Before the brush ever touches him, teach him a simple way to tell you he is happy to go on. The easiest is a chin rest. Hold your open palm under his muzzle; when he touches it with his chin, he gets a tasty treat. Repeat until he offers it on his own and keeps his chin there for two or three seconds. From then on the rule is simple: while his chin is in your palm, you brush. When he lifts it, you stop at once. He learns that he has a say in what happens, and a dog who has a say struggles far less.
For dogs who cannot keep still, a lick mat helps enormously. It is a ridged rubber mat you spread with soft cheese or yoghurt. Stick it to the wall or have someone hold it, and while his tongue is busy, his body stays put.
| Coat | Examples | Tool | How often |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short, smooth | Beagle, boxer, labrador | Rubber grooming mitt | Once a week |
| Double (dense undercoat) | German shepherd, husky, golden | Undercoat rake, slicker brush | 2–3 times a week, daily when moulting |
| Long, silky | Yorkshire terrier, shih tzu, cocker | Slicker brush, metal comb | Daily or every other day |
| Curly | Poodle, bichon, poodle crosses | Fine slicker brush, comb | Daily, plus a groomer every 6–8 weeks |
| Wiry | Terriers, schnauzer | Comb, hand-stripping dead hair | Weekly, plus 2–3 sessions a year |
On long and curly coats the brush glides nicely over the top and leaves the knots underneath, right against the skin. Check with a comb. If it runs from root to tip, you are done. If it catches, there is a knot. The first ones usually form behind the ears, in the armpits, between the back legs and under the collar.
With a double coat the undercoat stays wet for hours. Do not let him sleep damp in the cold, and do not put his collar back on a wet coat: warm, damp skin is exactly where irritation starts.
Far less often than you think. Many dogs need a bath once every one to three months, or when they have rolled in something or started to smell. Long-coated and curly dogs go in more often. A dog with a skin condition may need regular baths with a shampoo your vet prescribes, but that is a separate matter. Brushing is the other way round: you do it more often than you would expect.
Puppies. This is the best age of all for it. One-minute sessions: a soft brush along the back, a touch of the paws, ears and muzzle, everything paired with treats. In the first weeks after he comes home, give him a first bath on his paws only, with lots of praise, and run the dryer in another room while he eats. Do not wait until he is dirty. A first bath works far better as practice than as an emergency.
Adolescents (6 to 18 months). The puppy who used to stand nicely suddenly wriggles, bites the brush and runs off. That is normal at this age. Shorten the sessions, go back a step and bring the lick mat out again. In long-coated and curly breeds this is also when the puppy coat changes, so it is when most knots appear.
An adult who hates the bath. Especially with rescue dogs, you do not know what happened before. Start from step one with no rush, and in the meantime keep him clean with damp towels, daily brushing and, if needed, help from a groomer or your vet. If after three weeks he is stepping into the bath on his own, you have a dog you will bath without fuss for the next ten years.
Older dogs. Stiff joints, slippery legs, the cold bites harder. Lift him into the bath yourself, use the non-slip mat and make the water a little warmer. Keep sessions shorter and dry him more thoroughly. Brush him lying down on a soft blanket rather than standing. In an old dog, brushing doubles as a check-up: new lumps, sore spots and thinning skin are things your hands find before the vet does.
For brushing, in a dog without big issues, allow one to two weeks of short daily sessions. For bathing a fearful dog, count on three to six weeks with a few sessions a week, the first ones with no water at all. That sounds like a lot, but undoing one bath that frightened him takes longer.
You can see it working in his body. He follows you into the bathroom when you go in. His chin lands in your palm without being asked. The lick mat gets licked happily while the water runs. His body stays soft: tail low but loose, ears in their usual position, no lip licking at every brush stroke. If he shakes himself off after a session as if he had just had a bath, even though he is dry, it was too much. Next time, go down a step.
A dog who lets himself be brushed and bathed without a fuss is a dog that you, the groomer and the vet can care for easily all his life. That is worth every bit of cheese spread on that mat.
What dog owners search for most often on the internet about this problem, with the short answer.
Far less often than you would think. Most dogs need a bath once every one to three months, or when they have rolled in something or started to smell. Long-coated and curly dogs go in more often. Frequent baths with the wrong shampoo dry out the skin. A dog with a skin condition may need regular baths with a shampoo prescribed by your vet.
Start without water. First he walks into the bathroom and gets treats. Then he steps into the bath onto a non-slip mat. Then he stands beside the running tap, and only after that does he get lukewarm water on his paws. Each step takes a few days, with plenty of fuss. A lick mat with soft cheese, stuck to the wall, keeps him busy. Holding him down only works once.
Two- to three-minute sessions. First just touch his back with the brush, then one stroke, then two, each followed by a treat. Paws, belly and tail come last. Teach him a chin rest in your palm: while his chin stays there, you brush, and when he lifts it, you stop. If he growls or bites, check first for knots or pain.
Better not. Dog skin has a different pH from ours, and shampoos made for people can dry and irritate it, especially with regular baths. Use a dog shampoo, rinse far longer than seems necessary and dry the coat well, particularly in dogs with a thick undercoat.
No. A double coat protects against heat as well as cold and shields the skin from the sun. In some dogs, once shaved, it does not grow back properly for years. Regular brushing with an undercoat rake, which pulls out dead hair and lets air through, helps far more. For the heat: shade and water.
They often come together: the same causes, plans that complement each other.
Tick, tick, tick on the tiles, and the dog dives under the bed when he sees the clippers. Nail trimming can be taught without a fight, one nail a day.
Shaking in the waiting room, growling at the nail clippers, hiding from the brush. Fear of handling can be learned from a single experience and unlearned in small steps.
Tufts on the sofa are one thing. Round patches, bald flanks or a dog scratching himself raw are something else. Here is how to tell them apart.
He stops, sniffs, drops a shoulder and rolls over in bliss. Rolling has a few possible explanations, and the plan starts in the seconds before it happens.
In Puppy Class and the basic obedience course these exercises are worked in a group, with real distractions and feedback at every step.