Late sunday afternoon, I went back to Unleashed by PetCo...to wash Saber. I should do him first...but he is the hardest...so I put it off.
One of the best things about washing my dog there, is that they have "tie-downs"...you see...Saber has issues with water. He wants to bite it!!! Several times he has gotten my hand...not intentionally...but because it got in between him and the water...he never even saw it.
He is so obcessed with running water, that he blew a Novice Jumpers leg (AKC), because, at the end of his run, he took off out of the ring to the swimming pool 25 feet away...they were spraying water from a hose!
So, I came prepared - they had one tie-down, and I brought an extra old leash to use on the other side. I also brought a mesh muzzle, which I put on him. This was a big improvement. However, he started talking loudly when he got into the tub!
This would not have been so bad, except...another German Shepherd ended up in the tub next to us! I explained to the nice young lady that my dog was water-crazy...hence the get-up and the noise. At one point, Saber had his head so far under his belly that I thought he was going to summersault...and turned off the water. The only way I could control him was hold him up against the wall with one hand, as I held the hose and rinsed with the other.
Finally the lady said..."Is it that he doesn't have a bath very often???"
How embarassing! And I was finished and drying him when a third German Shepherd walked in (with owner) to use the third tub! No one told me it was a breed exclusive time!
As a trainer I have tried to think of various ways to combat this behavior. I know Saber is not trying to be bad...it is basically an "out-of-body" experience for him! Maybe if someone fed him a steak while I washed??? However, given his level of arousal, even that would be a challenge.
So, maybe I will tie him a little shorter next time. It is not hard to understand why I don't wash him more thatn every other week...I just to have the energy and stamina!
No comments:
Post a Comment