Winston (Chow/Retriever Mix)

He is asbolutely gorgeous! Sounds like he has a mind of his own - and that's a good thing to have. Come to think of it, I, too, had rather play in water than to bathe in it! Give him a big hug and kiss from Msisy's and Goldy's mom - they were both rescued dogs, also - the only kind to have, in my book!

Thanks for sharing Winston with us and God bless you.

Your dog is gorgeous!
What a beautiful boy. Hats off to you for the rescue!!
My brothers Jack Russel hates bath time too. Yet you can't keep him out of the watering holes. He'll go swimming just for the sake of a swim. No stick no anything.
What I have found with Jack is that if I make his bath time fun, reassure him while I am bathing him that it is ok and talk with him throughout, keeping the water not too hot but not so cool he will shiver, he seems to be getting better. Also I will massage him during his bath and deep rub his favorite scratch places.

I also encourage him to shake while in the tub since he seems to feel better afterward. Even if we are dumping another rinse on him. Also, be sure to cover his ears so they are closed before you rinse his head. I use one hand, with a thumb over one ear and my middle finger over the other and press his head down so the water runs down and off without drowning him.
Just recently since I got my new dog I have found that if bathing in the bath tub, and if you don't have a handy hand held shower head, then just use a container to wet down and then rinse the dog with rather than have him sitting in a tub of water, during his bath. Try to move as quickly as possible but not so quick the dog gets frightened.
I make dry time very fun for the Jack Russel. He gets really goofy and playful during towel dry and am almost positive that this makes his weariness of the overall bath time all the more worth it in the end. After his bath he is so happy. Each time we go for a bath he is getting better.
My little girl shakes like a leaf in the wind at bath time. Since she is prone to cold, I use hot towels from the dryer after her bath and she seems to like that. She also loves the blow dryer on low.
I hope this may help. I find that making the experience a fun one is helping get Jack into the tub easier. He is very much at odds until just before the rinse cycle is over. Then he will give me kisses when I ask. I do this to check his happiness level during the bath. At the start he just looks at me as if to say, "why are you making me do this, again"?, instead of giving me a lick, when I ask for kisses. He Is getting better. So try and find ways to make it fun for him.