Barret's Story

Today is the 3 month milestone! Yippe! No signs of regrowth so far, and trust me, I check him all the time 🙂

Those of you who saw my flea dermatitis post in the forums know that we had an incident at the sitter’s house while I was on vacation. No big deal, but since I don’t have anything new to report, I’d like to share this story about Barret:

Anyone who knows about positive reinforcement training knows that associating sometimes unpleasant things (like baths, for instance) with yummy treats can help dogs look forward to those things they once hated. In my case, Barret always tolerated baths, but Gatsby is TERRIFIED of the tub. So I started positive reinforcement with cheese and the bathroom, cheese while the tub was running, cheese while in the bath… you get the idea.

The thing is, with multiple dogs, you have to give everyone the cheese or it just isn’t fair 😉

My method kind of backfired with Barret. He craves baths. He is always in the bathroom with me, waiting for a bath. He will get sooo excited when I say “Who wants a bath?” it just makes me laugh and smile. If I leave the bathroom door open while giving Sara her bath (which she stoically tolerates, but does not enjoy), he gets in with her (even if he’s already had his bath).

Truthfully it is all about the cheese, but his zest for life warms my heart. He is such a special boy. I can’t express with words how much I love him, and I know that all of you reading this know exactly how that feels. I’m so thankful for this community of dog-minded people.

P.S. Gatsby still hates baths, won’t go near the bathroom, and has not had a proper bath in years. I broke down and we go the “sponge bath” route with him when he gets dirty or stinky.

~ by BarretsMomHeather on September 11, 2013 . Tagged: 3 month ampuversary, bath time