Bathing
Grooming & Handling · 21 steps · by Push Drop Stick
Your Dog will learn to enjoy being bathed.
**Puppies:** Getting your puppy happy about being bathed is wonderful socialization during the puppy window (around 4 to 16 weeks), when puppies learn what is safe and normal in their world. Because a young puppy usually has no fear to undo and soaks up new experiences fast, you can often run this plan in **proof mode** (proof levels 1 and 2, the harder review steps) so your puppy breezes through it faster than an adult dog might need. Keep every rep positive and let your puppy set the pace.
Training steps
Go near the bathroom
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog to come as close to the bathroom as they are willing, feed them treats for 5 seconds, and then leave.
Success: Your Dog goes near the bathroom and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Approach the bathroom door
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog to come to the bathroom door. When they do, feed them treats for 5 seconds, then leave the bathroom.
Success: Your Dog goes to the bathroom door and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Go into the bathroom
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog to go into the bathroom with you. When they do, feed them treats for 5 seconds, then leave the bathroom.
Success: Your Dog goes into the bathroom and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Open the shower door or curtain
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathroom, then open the shower door or curtain. Get out treats and feed Your Dog (outside of the bathing area) for 5 seconds, then close the door or curtain and leave the bathroom.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathroom and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lean into the bathing area
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the bathing area, and as soon as they lean in, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog leans into the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Put 1 paw into the bathing area
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the bathing area, and as soon as they put 1 paw inside or over the edge of the tub, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog puts 1 paw into the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Put 2 paws into the bathing area
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the bathing area, and as soon as they put 2 paws inside or over the edge of the tub, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog puts 2 paws into the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Go into the bathing area
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Toss a few treats into the back of the shower or bathtub, prompting Your Dog to enter at their own pace. If you have a slippery bathtub, help Your Dog in as needed, but only if they are motivated to go in. Never force them.
Success: Your Dog goes into the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Stay in the bathing area for 5 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathing area, then feed them continuously for 5 seconds. If they stay in between reps, that is a great sign!
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Stay in the bathing area for 10 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathing area, then feed them continuously for 10 seconds. If they stay in between reps, that is a great sign!
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Practice bathing without water
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Toss a treat to prompt Your Dog into the bathing area, then practice bathing them for 5 seconds by rubbing their fur and moving a flexible shower head around them, or mock pouring water over them with a bucket.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Turn on the water
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathroom, but do not let them into the bathing area yet. Turn on the water so they can hear the sound, then feed treats for 5 seconds. Turn the water off and leave the bathroom. No getting wet yet!
Success: Your Dog stays near the bathing area and eats the treats.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lean into the bathing area with water
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the wet bathing area, and as soon as they lean in, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog leans into the wet bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Put 1 paw into the bathing area with a wet floor
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the wet bathing area, and as soon as they put 1 paw in, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog puts 1 paw into the wet bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Put 2 paws into the bathing area with a wet floor
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Slowly lure Your Dog toward the wet bathing area, and as soon as they put 2 paws in, praise them and give them a treat.
Success: Your Dog puts 2 paws into the wet bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Stay in the wet bathing area for 5 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the wet bathing area, then feed them continuously for 5 seconds. If they stay in between reps, that is a great sign!
Success: Your Dog stays in the wet bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Turn on the water while in bathing area
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathing area and then turn the water on. Use warm water if possible, and avoid spraying Your Dog directly. A flexible hose attachment helps a lot here. Feed continuously for 5 seconds before shutting the water off. If Your Dog stays in the bathing area between reps, that is a great sign!
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure into stream of water for 1 second
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
With the water on, lure Your Dog to walk into the flow for 1 second. If you don't have a flexible shower head or hose, you can try to pour water slowly or skip this step.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Lure into stream of water for 3 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
With the water on, lure Your Dog to walk into the flow for 3 seconds. If you don't have a flexible shower head or hose, you can try to pour water slowly or skip this step.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Get sprayed with water for 1 second
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathing area, then use the flexible shower head or a bucket of water to spray part of their leg and foot for 1 second. Quickly praise and feed a few treats.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Get sprayed with water for 3 seconds
Setup: Your Dog is nearby.
Prompt Your Dog into the bathing area, then use the flexible shower head or a bucket of water to spray part of their leg and foot for 3 seconds. Praise and feed a few treats.
Success: Your Dog stays in the bathing area.
Advance on: 4 of 5 successes
Congratulations! You are now ready to try giving Your Dog a real bath! Since this is a big jump from the last step of the plan, make it as quick as possible and bomb Your Dog with high-value treats consistently throughout.
Keep the positive association strong by giving Your Dog a lot of high-value treats every time you bathe them.
If Your Dog starts avoiding having baths, that's completely okay! Simply Drop back to a step they're comfortable with and work through the plan again or restart the plan with proof steps. Go at Your Dog's pace and do as much training as they need.