washing day

washing rosie has always been a trial. i was warned by her foster mother that rosie truly disliked water and would run away terrified at the thought.

i have kept this in mind, and tried to be as soothing as possible, yet the last few times i've tried washing them have been a trial. incidents range from me chasing after her with the lead, getting the boyfriend to hold her still while i wash, to following her around the verandah (she's on leash) as she shies away from water.

usually i was fred first because he's so docile. he'll just stand there and endure it. but the boyfriend pointed out that doing this shows rosie what she's in for. so this time around i went after her first. tricked her onto the lead and proceeded to wash. i also couldn't find the water buckets today so made do with the garden spout pourer thing. you know, the one that you tip over and water comes out in little holes? kinda like a shower spout (my vocabulary is defeating me this afternoon). it worked quite well.

and she suffered fairly well, despite her starting to tremble by the end of it.

the last few times i have tried rewarding them with bones after the Ordeal, in order to emphasis what a good dog they were. i even praised rosie while i washed her (there were times when she just stood still - cornered as she was between me and two sides of the verandah).

after i finished towelling her, i unhooked her before giving her the bone. bad idea. the minute she was off, she ran. i had to call her back to give her her bone, by which time the whole idea of rewarding her for her behaviour has already been wasted - she's forgotten already.

so why did i take her off the lead first, i hear you ask. well i had it in my head that all rewards should be off the lead, and i wanted her to acknowledge that i was giving her a reward. it doesn't sound right when i type it out. but either way i think i know how to work this better next time around.

the minute rosie got her bone you should've seen how fast she pelted out into the backyard.

*sigh*

after i washed freddie, i made a point of giving him the bone while he
was still on leash and drying how down. this worked much better -
although as a control group freddie isn't very helpful. he's such a
good dog.

taking care of dogs is all trial and error. hopefully next time i'll do it even better, and make a point of giving her bone before she gets let off.