Just like the toddler who tries to get out of going to bed by asking for one last kiss, one last story and one more glass of water, Oaken the mini Australian shepherd has his own strategy for avoiding something he despises.
Bathtime.
Many dogs love splashing in the bathtub, swimming in the pond or doggie paddling in the pool. Gundogs are even bred to flush out and retrieve game from water.
Poor Oaken is neither a gundog or a water lover. In fact, he hates getting his bum wet.
So much so that he will scoot his little tushie right up the wall!
Cesar Millan is a dog behaviorist who offers solid suggestions for making bathtime a bit more tolerable. He suggests taking a dog for a walk before bathtime because when they’re hot and exhausted, they usually find a dip in the water refreshing.
But that doesn’t work for Oaken.
The dog behaviorist also recommends that if a dog hits the brakes at bathtime, an owner shouldn’t rush the process. Instead, pay attention to body language and energy so the owner doesn’t give off bad vibes.
It’s challenging to pinpoint exactly what the cause is, but these strategies might help.
But it seems that nothing will help Oaken, not even peanut butter dabbed on the wall at bathtime, a trick that has worked wonders for other pet owners.
Michaela Koch noticed that her best buddy Oaken has hated getting his fluffy biscuits wet from the very first bath. His crazy antics surprised her to say the least.
“[He’s] extremely stubborn, but at the same time he is extremely cuddly.”
Oaken contorts his little body and pulls off some impressive yoga moves to keep his rear end from getting wet during bathtime.
“He will scoot his way to the back of the tub and from there just put his feet on the wall or edge. As we continue to give him a bath, he just continues to move his feet further up the wall. He’s always tried sliding his feet up the side of the shower since he was a puppy.”
It’s insane how Oaken can balance on two paws with his feet way up on the edge behind him. But no matter how hard he tries to keep that bum from getting wet, he doesn’t have a choice.
Eventually, he has to let Mom scrub his puppy behind. The good boy doesn’t jump out of the bath but just barely tolerates it when it push comes to shove.
No one really knows why Oaken and other dogs hate baths. It could be the loud sound of running water or the feeling of water in his eyes or ears.
Getting soap in her eyes burns and possibly the water was too hot or too cold in a past bath. Those experiences, albeit hard for humans to understand, can really make a dog fearful of bathtime.
It turns out it isn’t just the bathtub that Oaken hates. It’s pretty much all bodies of water.
“We have a baby pool for him and he will stand in there, but when it comes to sitting in the pool, he refuses.”
Even though Oaken just plain hates bathtime, there is one thing he loves: zoomies!
“He gets insane after-bath zoomies where he continues to parkour off of all the furniture knocking over everything in his way. Bathtime is just not a favorite, but at least he loves his humans.”
We bet Oaken looks adorable zipping around the house after bathtime, his fluffy fur flying in the breeze! It’s one way to air dry after bathtime.
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