Does your dog fear water
There are two types of dogs in this category the ones that like water and the ones that don’t. In this article, we will be helping the pooches that need a little help getting there paws wet. Now as we start on our journey towards helping our canine friends overcome his / her fear of water we must and I repeat, we must be patient. We have to slowly introduce them to water in a positive environment for example, if you live near a beach or river take them with you and play games and use a lot of encouraging techniques to prompt them to play in the shallows and make it fun so the dog relates water to a positive experience. Now that your dog has accepted water as friend not enemy we can start the bathing process and make him / her smell like a basket of roses.
WARNING what ever you do DO NOT throw your dog directly straight into the bath tub, slowly introduce him / her and talk them though the process, the sound of your voice will relax them and help them to accept what your asking of them. Remember positive experience reinforcement will help you to develop a stable happy dog. If in the event this process doesn’t go to plan and your dog rejects the bathing experience you will have to start at the beginning and help him build his / her confidence. Now that your dog is relaxed in the bath tub just take your time and massage your fingers through his body and he / she will find this very soothing, at the same time talking them though the process trying not to get water or soap suds in there eyes or ear region as this may irritate them and could also cause ear infections, so just use adequate water in this area. We don’t want them to think that were trying to drown them ha ha ha !!!
If there is one main important point that you can take away with you from this article is that you must have patience.Remember that this fear is very real to the dog and bye you showing understanding and a caring attitude the dog will relax because he’s not feeling tension from you and he will be more willing to accept the situation with hopefully little stress.
So remember to successfully groom your dog they must see water as something that they don’t need to fear. I hope some of these points will help you and your dog have many happy dog washes and fun down at the beach splashing around in the shallows.Also bathing and grooming your dog can be an an activity the whole family can get involved with, so when your pet looks his best at the park or just when you’re out and about you can be proud and so can he. All the best from the team at Phoopups.