Originally Published December 21, 2007 - Copyright © Marisa Gordon/Muslovedogs.com
My dogs are bathed in a couple of different methods. My favorite is taking them to the pet store in Findlay that has a do-it-yourself pet washing stations (complete with three different size wash bays for small/medium, large, and giant dogs). These are great; they have tie clips and the dog can’t jump off; the giant version is low enough to the ground that you can actually lift even the largest dog (if you are strong enough) onto them, while the smaller ones have ramps for your canines . The best part is the high speed blow dryer after the wash is done; it’s cool to watch the water scatter from the dogs coat.
The pet store is great, but it can also mean waiting in a line for your station, and for me, traveling about a 1/2 hour. On top of that, our pet store charges $8 for 20 minutes of wash time. Would you believe I can wash and condition and dry two large dogs within that time frame?
So where else do I bathe them… in the summer, I line them up, tied to different posts on my fence and we start a doggie washing production line. Wet down, soap up, rinse off, run and shake. In the winter, that’s when we start venturing back into the shower, and that is where fate put Excalibur, one of my largest dogs (an English Mastiff) recently.
The hardest part is always getting them into the shower. While I will describe this to you in slow motion, understand this is a three part swift movement (as swift as an English Mastiff can be maneuvered).
The first part is the drag. When you have a 175lb animal deathly afraid of being clean, the already small opening of the shower seems to shrink as said animals front legs project outwards while sliding across the floor. By the time the drag is complete, said animals bottom is usually firmly planted on the floor and the front legs are sprawled wide. While this form is not conducive to actually entering the shower, stage one is complete.
As long as the animal is deposited in close proximity of the door (with little room for said animal to run sideways) , all we need is a few quick adjustments before launch. First we need to bring the front legs back to a more natural stance so the front end of the mastiff can fit through the door. Then, due to the fact that most mastiffs operate on a 10-second delay, you have time to move from the front-end to the back-end to prepare for launch.
Once you are standing behind them, bend over and place one had on each side of your mastiff’s tail, slide hands down underneath and lift and push forward. FAST! Your mastiff will now launch itself into the shower out of sheer shock at the speed with which you move.
As soon as their tail clears the entry way, shut the door! Now your mastiff is ready to be bathed. That really is the easy part. Being dogs that love attention anyways, a bath just feels good, and that warm water, well it’s not so bad. The 10-second delay allows you to climb in and out of the shower as needed. And don’t forget, a mastiff always like to shake off OUTSIDE the shower, so make sure to dry him/her/it off as much as possible before they leave the water torture chamber.
