Giving Baths to Mastiffs

[artgeek09]

Just got done giving my EM Tank a bath

Tank is usually hesitant but cooperative when I lift him into the bathtub and shower him down. He doesn't enjoy it by any means, but he's a good boy and lets me get him clean. He spends most of his time indoors so he doesn't need to get a full scrub down very often.

Tank only weighs 110lbs (in the process of gaining weight), but if he wasn't so cooperative I can only imagine the bathing experience

I thought it'd be neat to share bathing experiences. How do you bath your Mastiff? Are they cooperative? What kinds of tips and tricks can we share about getting our big ole puppies clean?

 

[Iymala]

Shower ever since he was a baby. He doesnt offer it but once inside he plays with the water. I found water temperature was important to him. It must be warm but not too hot or cold lol.

 

[artgeek09]

Shower ever since he was a baby. He doesnt offer it but once inside he plays with the water. I found water temperature was important to him. It must be warm but not too hot or cold lol.

Tank is a bit particular about temperature too! He'll give a pitifully little whine if it's not the right temp, especially when I get near his hindquarters and private regions. Hey! I dont blame him!

 

[Penelope's Mom]

I take Franklin outside, tie him to the deck and use a hose on him. He doesn't like it at the beginning, but by the end of his bath he's drinking the water. It's not the most conventional method to bathe a dog, but it works for us.

 

[Smart_Family]

During colder months we start the faucet in the tub and she will get right in to drink the water. When it's warmer we take her outside, one of us holds the leash and the other scrubs her. It's a pretty messy venture either way.

 

[Penelope's Mom]

I should say that I don't take him outside in the winter. Lol When it's cold, I use a waterless shampoo.

 

[kbuchanan66]

Barron jumps into the tub himself and gets out himself. Its not really a jump though it kind of a lift legs out lol.

 

[kate02121]

Charlotte's not excited about baths, but she's getting better. She likes water in general, but HATES the noise of the spigot turning on...she doesn't like standing still for too long, and definitely doesn't like her head or tail being washed. She could be better, but she could be worse.

Here's her first bath, escape attempt, and her daddy comforting her.

 

[goetsch4]

We give Zoe a bath in our standing shower with a sprayer. She doesn't seem to mind it but doesn't seem very excited either.

That last picture of Charlotte is so precious. She really has that sad face down!

 

[musicdeb]

I bathe Titan outside with a hose. He doesn't like the bathtub, never has. In the winter, I take him to PetSmart for grooming.

 

[CeeCee]

Funny you should start this thread now. I just gave Zeek is first bath this past weekend. Now, this is the boy who cannot be outside when I'm watering the gardens because the hose is just one big game to him. So when I decided to bathe him I thought the tub would be the more effective route.

Plan A: Coax Zeek into the Tub on his own
The lure: Hotdogs.
After 20 minutes of coaxing, singing,and dancing, he wasn't buying it.
Okay, let's try giving him a gentle push into the tub. The result: He sat down and became dead weight.
Alright. How about a gently pulling him in? The result: He laid down and became even "deader" weight. (Did you know there are levels of dead weight? Apparently there are.)

It's time for a new plan.

Plan B: Lift Him Into the Tub.
Now there is no way I'm gonna lift 128 lbs. Okay, let's take this in pieces...starting with the front end. Did you know that 60% of a dog's weight is in the front? Well it is. I don't know the math, but 60% of 128 is DAMN HEAVY!

Let's try the remaining 40%...the backend. SUCCESS! Zeek's backend is in the tub! Woo Hoo!!!
After 30 miuntes of luring, begging, pushing, and pulling he took pity on me and moved his front end into the tub.

Ooooh thank you Lord!

For the first time since the whole process began, I looked at Zeek ... really looked at him. And what do I see? My boy sitting in the tub with a goofy little smile and a hard on!!!!

WHAT?!?!?!?!

 

[LizB]

Baths are tricky because of the size of the dog making it hard to get the side that is facing the wall of the tub, and in the case of the dane, he's so long it is very hard for him to turn around so I can get his other side.

He ADORES being bathed, however, and after his very first bath when I brought him home at 9 most from the rescue, it was chilly in the house and I wondered how he'd feel about being blow dried, so I turned on the drier and he immediately assumed the position on the floor, raising each leg and stretching his neck so you can dry his whole body with the hair drier! Someone obviously had done it before, lol. Then I have to clean the gazillion black hairs from ALL OVER the bathroom.

In warm weather I tie them out on the deck and wash them like a car. They just stand there, enjoying their massage.

 

[Jakesmum]

I have always bathed Jake in the bathtub. When he was smaller I could lift him in, then as he's grown I've pushed, pulled, coaxed, begged, pleaded, etc for him to get in on his own. Now he reluctantly gets in with a little help and a good treat, but it's a lot easier. He doesn't like being bathed, but sure likes to be clean, you can tell he feels better after his bath. Once he's all scrubbed up he runs around the bathroom shaking the water off and attacking the towel. Forces me to give the bathroom a top to bottom cleaning about once a month.

 

[artgeek09]

Charlotte's not excited about baths, but she's getting better. She likes water in general, but HATES the noise of the spigot turning on...she doesn't like standing still for too long, and definitely doesn't like her head or tail being washed. She could be better, but she could be worse.

Here's her first bath, escape attempt, and her daddy comforting her.
View attachment 27447View attachment 27448View attachment 27449

aww! what a sweetheart

 

[artgeek09]

Funny you should start this thread now. I just gave Zeek is first bath this past weekend. Now, this is the boy who cannot be outside when I'm watering the gardens because the hose is just one big game to him. So when I decided to bathe him I thought the tub would be the more effective route.

Plan A: Coax Zeek into the Tub on his own
The lure: Hotdogs.
After 20 minutes of coaxing, singing,and dancing, he wasn't buying it.
Okay, let's try giving him a gentle push into the tub. The result: He sat down and became dead weight.
Alright. How about a gently pulling him in? The result: He laid down and became even "deader" weight. (Did you know there are levels of dead weight? Apparently there are.)

It's time for a new plan.

Plan B: Lift Him Into the Tub.
Now there is no way I'm gonna lift 128 lbs. Okay, let's take this in pieces...starting with the front end. Did you know that 60% of a dog's weight is in the front? Well it is. I don't know the math, but 60% of 128 is DAMN HEAVY!

Let's try the remaining 40%...the backend. SUCCESS! Zeek's backend is in the tub! Woo Hoo!!!
After 30 miuntes of luring, begging, pushing, and pulling he took pity on me and moved his front end into the tub.

Ooooh thank you Lord!

For the first time since the whole process began, I looked at Zeek ... really looked at him. And what do I see? My boy sitting in the tub with a goofy little smile and a hard on!!!!

WHAT?!?!?!?!

heeheee!! they sure know how to get ya dont they!

 

[lynnturner65]

I am lucky, Zoey loves taking her "shower". We have a stall shower with a detachable shower head so she just jumps right in and let me wash her all over. I think her favorite part is the towel massage after! It's one of the few things Zoey does without a fight!

 

[Racer X]

Gaston LOVES bath time. He got covered on thick mud one day and laid down to try and lick it off. I did not want the mud through the house. He was so happy about the bath . He laid down on his back so I could wash his belly.

He jumps in the tub without even being told now.

 

[Tunride]

There is no way to get a full grown Mastiff, or St. Bernard, into a claw foot tub! We have a large claw foot tub, some days I can't get over the sides. So, I bought the adaptor for the kitchen sink to hook up the hose. Run the hose out the kitchen door and now you have nice warm water. This is so much better bathe with a dog in. Don't forget the three people to help. One to adjust the water and hold the door closed, one to hold the dog, and one to scrub the dog.

 

[Sadies Mom]

Sadie loves getting a bath. I can not get her in the tub, but I do like Misicdeb.....Now that it is warm outside, I give her a bath with the garden hose. Every time I fill her "pool" (read, giant drinking bowl), she wants me to hose her down with cold water. She loves playing in it, but she does not want to swim. In the winter I take her to the groomer.

 

[Rugers-Kris]

I bathe Ruger in the shower. He loves it!! He gets a bath once a week and if I try to skip it, he will get in on his own and whine until I start the shower and give him a bath. Ruger loves anything "water".