My seven-month-old puppy has never liked baths, though I’ve been trying to desensitize her since she was twelve weeks old. She ended up hating even going into the bathroom, so I bought her a portable bathtub for the living room while we worked on that (she’s now okay going into the bathroom sometimes but not in the bathtub or in the room when the water’s running). Initially I’d hoped to air dry her, and tried this for a few months, but this wasn’t really working so I bought her a blow dryer which I’m also trying to desensitize her to.
It’s difficult because giving her food alongside these things seems to have the reverse effect — she’s developed a dislike of her lickmat because she associates it with grooming (she’s not super food motivated in general though). Playing tug of war with her in the garden while the blow dryer is on inside (on the lowest setting) seems to be fine because the noise is just like a leaf blower or construction noise and she’s totally at ease with those! But indoors even in a different room she’s very anxious. (She’s fine watching and listening to the blow dryer on video — she seems to know it’s different.) I’ve been reading a lot about cooperative care and desensitization and sort of know what I need to do, here, but it’s going very slowly.
Her portable bathtub broke last time I was washing her, and I haven’t had a chance to get another one yet, but she needs a bath — I’ve been using dry shampoo and wet wipes, but she’s been scratching and licking in a way that makes me think she needs something more thorough. (I took her to the vet, thinking it might be allergies or something like that, but it hasn’t changed with her cytopoint shot.) But I’m afraid just giving her a bath while she hates it will send the desensitization backwards… I think she developed her fear of the blow dryer because her groomer just uses it on her even though she’s frightened. Does anyone have any advice for this?
submitted by /u/Apprehensive-Bus6757
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