# Josie scared of water hose



## Josiebear (Oct 16, 2006)

Last summer i tried to introduce the water hose to Josie. She ran off when water started coming out lol. All i did was just show it to her and she wanted nothing to do with it. So i pretty much didn't keep up with her being ok with the hose. Obviously it is way too cold to get it back out and try again.

When spring/summer hits and all the snow melts how do i go on about having her not be scared of it?. That's the only thing she doesn't like.

Anyone else's dogs do not like hoses?.


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## crs996 (Sep 19, 2001)

I had an interesting experience with this with my new 9mo old pup. He loves water but hated the hose. I found this out when we were at the dog park for the first time, which was quite muddy. He is a total pig and searches out any water/mud hole he can find and pounces in it, very cute until clean up time.

He wriggled and fought like crazy when I turned the hose on, I tried introducing it slowly but it didn't seem to make a difference and he HAD to be cleaned up before we got in the car. So I simply held him firmly and hosed him off. He fought it for about 30 seconds and then from one second to the other just stood quietly. It hasn't been a problem since, and he actually really enjoys being toweled off.

Under different circumstances I might have taken a different approach, but there are some things I expect my dogs to comply with no questions asked: hosing off, drying, nail clipping, grooming and vet exams. I simply expect it and it's never been an issue with any of our dogs. Makes life easier too!


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## GSDSunshine (Sep 7, 2009)

Mine hates it a good/bad way. He thinks it his job to eat it. We have to crate him when we wash our cars since he tries to get outside to save us from it. 

I think a good method would be to slowly introduce her and have her used to it. Associate it with good things. See where her threshhold is. Can she walk up and touch it when its off? Once you find out where she is comfortable, stay there and everytime she looks at the hose, treat. Slowly work on getting closer and every time she looks at it, treat. If at any time she gets anxious, take a step back and retry. 

This should happen over time, a couple weeks or so. Once you can get to where she can touch it with the water off, start again with the water on, but very low, and no one holding it. Once she is ok, with approaching the hose, start over the process again. The whole process should progress like so.

1. Hose on ground, water off.
2. Hose on groung water on low
3. Hose in someone's hand, water off
4. hose in someone's hand water on low.
5. Hose in person's hand, water off, (eventually) touch the nozzle to different part of her body
5. Hose in persons hand, water on low,
-touch only feet with water
-touch feet and chest
-touch the back, feet, and chest.


***While you do this remember to not undo it by forcing her over there and hosing her down or doing anything unpleasant.


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## crs996 (Sep 19, 2001)

crs996 said:


> So I simply held him firmly and hosed him off. He fought it for about 30 seconds and then from one second to the other just stood quietly. It hasn't been a problem since, and he actually really enjoys being toweled off.


To the OP, I just wanted to clear up that I am not advocating doing what I did. I happened to know that my dog was not afraid of hoses or water in general, he was just (IMHO) being a brat and testing me. 

The main thing I would suggest is not making a big deal out of it, or petting/reassuring fearful behavior. One of my dogs was scared of the vacuum, so I took time to just leave it in the room, turned off, with a high value treat sitting on it. I progressed with this approach until he was eating treats off the vacuum with it running. This way, I wasn't rewarding fearful behavior. If he was brave enough to approach the vacuum, he got a treat from it.. lol


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## Rerun (Feb 27, 2006)

When I have one that isn't used to baths or is being a turd, they get tied up using a 4 foot lead clipped around the b-ball pole, and hosed down. I start on the feet, legs, belly, then back end and eventually all over. But they get bathed whether they like it or not, and to date I've never had one not be ok the next time bath time came around. All four of mine will stand, untied, and get a full VERY scrubby soapy bath (not just a quickie). Two of the four didn't care for baths at all, but after a couple they understood fleeing was not an option and the water wouldn't hurt them.


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## 3ToesTonyismydog (Dec 27, 2009)

LOL, I love reading about this. I take my dog to a dog park on puget sound and all of a sudden when he was about 8 1/2 months old, he decided he was a fish (he is now 9 months). He wouldn't go near the water before that, so it was a big shock to see him swimming after another dogs ball. Man he is a really strong swimmer. Any way since it is salt water there is a rinse off station and when rinsing him, the first few times he was like a fish out of water. I used to laff my head off. After a couple of times he settled down and now just takes it easy. It was the same way if I "had" to get him in the tub, the first time it was a big hassle now he just steps in. Now when we wash the cars it is a big hassle because he wants to eat the hose. That's what makes Shepherds so great, they are just such characters. And does yours out of the blue just start zooming around the house??


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