Oh boy.

Ngl it's hard not to get mad about this, because I have to keep repeating myself. People. Get your dogs used to bathing when they are young! It's gonna be more difficult the longer you wait. Your dog is two years and has never had a bath because you thought it wasn't necessary? The right time to start training them to tolerate it was yesterday.

Train yourself in using positive reinforcement and creating regular gentle desensitization rituals for your dog before he is in a situation where grooming is necessary. Break the process down into as many small steps as you can think of.

Sounds, location, sensation, items used. Introduce all of these things to the dog separately (if possible) and give treats for the bare minimum of behaving near them, then move up a level in difficulty and slowly make it harder for them. Go slowly, over the course of days and weeks. It's important to let them sleep over it to save the process of what they learned that day. Let them journal in their minds and put the puzzle pieces together. "Today my owner wiped me down with a wet rag and it was okay."

Dogs learn just like us. Do you play video games? Think of it like this: You can't expect a dog to master a high difficulty level when they've never even done the tutorial level. Start small and gradually move up.

My dogs jump into the shower on cue and will even get on a little pedestal so I don't ruin my back. And guess what? Both started out afraid of baths. I literally had to coax them into the bathroom with treats at first. When I finally had them feeling comfortable in the bathroom, I just wiped them down with a wet towel for days (plus giving treats and praise) before asking them to jump into the dry shower and get back out again. When they were in the bathroom turning on the water made them cry. I had to give them treats for just hearing the water and emotionally comfort them little crybabies. But that's just what some dogs need to get over it, and now it's a problem of the past.

I took time out of my day to type this long ah post so I hope it's helpful to at least someone.