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Stella and Rory

Stella and Rory

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

The Bath Monster and a Merry Christmas

Hello Everybuddy, its Rory here.  Stella said its my turn again as she is too lazy exhausted from all the excitment of Christmas.

We had a fabulous day with our family (our five human siblings and their partners) plus the extended family.  My mum and dad both come from large families (Mum has four siblings and 11 nieces and nephews and Dad has seven siblings and 17 nieces and nephews. Counting all their partners, altogether they add up to 59 people.

Would you believe once we had them ALTOGETHER at our house for Christmas tea.  Mum still hasn't recovered hehe.  This year though we saw them in two separate groups and it wasn't our turn to host Christmas.  Whew.    

Anyhoo, it was quite a big day and we had to stay home some of the time on our own but that was ok cause we had new bones to chew and Tyler stayed to look after us.




We all ate too much and then the next day ate all our leftovers too and then some chocolate (but not us doggies), then some more pudding, more leftovers, lollies, peanuts, more leftovers and in the end we all slept away the afternoon.  It was heaps good.


Before all this good stuff though, evil Mum dear sweet Mum decided to  (shake, shudder, moan and cry) bath us.  Well Stella went first.  I gave her all the encouragement I could.

No worries Stellie, piece of cake.

 Won't hurt a bit Stellie.


 Just look at the pretty bubbles.



Nearly done.  
Mum and Dad, do you need some help?

 Just a quick run around Stellie and you will be dry.


Well that was easy wasn't it.  Then evil mum dear sweet mum decided it was my turn.  Uh oh.  I don't think so.  Lets just replay my bath time.

 Put lead on unsuspecting me.
Dad holds lead, mum pours water on and voila!
 

I yelped, cried, trembled and lunged so much 
mum said to let me go.  I was very very scardy.




After all this horror, mum, dad and James stood in the little pool/bath and tried to tempt me with biscuits.  Ha, as if I would be fooled by that.


Bathtime was left for another day.


On a much happier note, Mum was given this wallet by my big brother's girlfriend.  
She knows mum too well.  Do you notice anything??

Mum was so excited cause look who is on the front???
Its Mr Frankie Furter (except covered in snow).
Isn't it the coolest wallet EVER! 

From now on this wallet is called the Frankie Furter wallet.  So mum will just say to the kids, "could you get my Frankie" and they know what she means hehehe.  Hope that's ok with you Mr Frankie.

Well that's it for now.  See you soon.  Oh pardon Mum?  Oh, ok.  Mum wants to say a few words so I will say, bye, No worries, and love, Rory (and Stellie)

Carol here folks.  Oh my gosh, you should have seen Rory when we tried to bath him.  He has played in water before and never been too fussed, although never had water poured over him, but this time, when pouring water on him and trying to rub his coat he totally freaked out.  He yelped, lunged, moaned and was extremely distressed.

We stopped after about 2 minutes because apart from the fact he was strangling himself trying to get away he sounded awful.  He went behind the garden seat and would not come out.  When we eventually coaxed him out we all stood in the pool as if there was nothing unusual happening and talked, fed him biscuits (which he stretched his neck out to get but would not put a foot in the water) and generally tried to ignore his fearful behaviour.  He did calm down, we have left the pool out and he has drunk out of it and it doesn't bother him now.

The legacy of this bath attempt though is that he thinks Colin is the Bath Monster now.  When he gets out the lead for a walk, Rory thinks its bathtime and runs away.  We have worked on this for two days and he is getting better but my husband is upset Rory is acting scared of him.  I just say, give him lots of food treats and when we do eventually get the lead on, Colin walks him and he is pretty good.  Any ideas on bathing techniques would be most appreciated.  Only one of our other dogs didn't like water (Oscar our Great Dane) but two other danes didn't mind at all, Kara lived to swim and Stella didn't seem to mind at all.  Hope your Christmas was spent with loved ones and the New Year brings peace and contentment to you all.  Love Carol





32 comments:

  1. Poor Rory! He did not looked scared when it was Stella's turn. Unfortunately, I can't help on that subject.
    Xmas must have been lively at your home! And fun too.
    Take care

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  2. Oh Rory, baths are kind of awful, but they won't hurt you. I hate them too.

    Nubbin wiggles,
    Oskar

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  3. Sounds like you had a very busy fun filled Christmas!
    We all HATE baths here! Thankfully its bitterly cold and windy here so not the slightest wiff of one! yipeeeeee Enjoy the rest of the holidays.
    Big Nose Pokes
    The Thugletsx

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  4. Hey guys - no one likes baths - but I get one every Sunday so I'm kinda used to it. It makes mum happy to have me all clean and perfume smelling - you just have to remember who dishes out the treats!

    Good luck, Tail Wuggles, Rubie

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  5. We don't like baths either, but we don't get them very often, only when we go to the groomer to blow out our coats. We don'thave any good ideas for you But we are sure someone here can steer you to some good ways to help Rory.

    Woos - Phantom, Thunder, Ciara, and Lightning

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  6. Sounds like you had some gret holidays. I laughed at the picture of Rory behind the bench. Too funny! LOL!

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  7. OMD OMD... I am THRILLED... I (Frankie Furter) really AM in Australia!! FUR REAL! I love it. I will be with two of my bestest furends ALL THE TIME. THANKS !!! HEY... Stella and Rory let's go have a nice Walk About TOGETHER.

    And Rory.. I pawmise that we won't take any Baffs.

    Buddy You did the Right thingy... Hide .
    Well, I tried it once and was not quite successful.. butt I think it was beclaws I didn't chews a GOOOOOOOD spot to hide in... like YOU did.
    I think that baff water thingy looks kinda fun.. You should have your mom and dad put some fresh water in it.. and drop in some TREATS.. then you can go Bobbin Fur them.. I LOVE to do that. My FAVORITE thing to Bob fur... is Tube Steak chunks. I'm just sayin.. It is a good way of gettin used to the Baff Water Holder thingy..
    PeeS... Please tell your mom that my mom LOVES that special Christmas Pressie!!!!!

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  8. I love the wallet and your right it is frankie!! OMG poor Rory - Fred is the same way - he cant stand baths - he isnt a water dog at all. He only likes water on his terms. Im glad to hear you had a great holiday!

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  9. Oh Rory, BOL! I not much for water either. I don't mind so much if I get a bath but it HAS to be in the tub in the house. Other wise I am hiding behind bushes and lawn chairs, The treat trick does not work for me either. As if I would fall for that.
    Blessings,
    Goose

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  10. Hi, hmmm..well I don't know about the bath thing but I don't think that poor Colin should have anything to do with bathing Rory. But it might make more sense to have Carol wash Rory. But rather than pouring water on Rory perhaps put water on him with a wash cloth and from the feet level up. Maybe it's the sensation of having water on his back all of a sudden scares him. We're pretty much okay with bathing but both Owen and I like to run off for zoomies as soon as we've been toweled off. But the difference is that my mom or dad have to get in the tub with me to hold me up. But that's okay too. Hope you guys had a great Christmas.

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  11. Oh the wallet is adorable!
    Stella did so well in the bath, Rory did so well supporting her, we were so surprised when Rory did not like it, poor baby. He is so darling behind the bench.

    The silvers and more

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  12. I don't like baths either, so I have to go to the groomer.
    Stewey

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  13. Ok, first, I love those cement shoes/boots out in your backyard there!! Ok, I also love your Frankie wallet too -too cute! And that's a very cute bathtub. Too bad about bathtime! I also try to sneak Finn in with treats.

    Blogger is making me mad - even though I follow your blog, I don't get updates in my dashboard thing! Hurmph! Sorry if I have missed any!

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  14. You might have to call in the 59 relatives to help with bath time...BOL!!!

    We love getting in the water and stuff but hate the dreaded BATH!!! Luckily for HER, we all fit in the laundry tub.

    Love the pictures of Rory behind the garden seat.

    XXXOOO Daisy, Bella & Roxy

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  15. Oh Poor Rory...I can see the fear in his eyes! My Labs are water dogs, but hate their baths!!!
    Hugs and belly rubs,
    ~K

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  16. Oh my, I love that wallet! And 59 people, WOW! Pip shakes during baths, but because of his size he is pretty easy to bath. I wish I had some suggestions for you, but it sounds like it will just take some time for Rory to get used to it.

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  17. We've been away and are just catching up. Glad to read you had a wonderful Christmas; you each seem to have found just the right place to enjoy your bones - especially Stella :)

    Wow, mama never had a Dane as water-averse as Rory seems to be. Have you tried spraying the yard with water from the hose and maybe accidentally getting a little spray on the dogs? He might enjoy learning to drink out of the hose, so the hose wouldn't scare him; most of mama's Danes loved drinking cold, running water out of the hose. Maybe just a brief, light spray of water on him, with no leash or holding him - especially if it's a hot day. Maybe some desensitising: when he's going to be in the yard, just pour a 1/4 cup of water on his back while he's off leash, then move on and ignore him, gradually increasing the amount of water. If Stella and Tyler could learn to play water games in the yard, Rory would probably want to join in. In the meantime, at least Rory has a short coat which can be cleaned with a nice rubdown with a damp cloth, which should feel just like being petted. :)

    Happy New Year!

    Jed & Abby

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  18. WE are so glad you had a good xmas too- we all ate waaaaay too much here as well, mum says we all have to be put on diets now :(
    Sampson hated his first bath too! He did the same thing, but we smear peanut butter around the edge of the bath and while he is liking it off we can bathe him!

    I just have to see how long that trick lasts for!
    But the evil bath monster is scary Rory- we dont blame you!
    Slobbers
    xxxx

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  19. First off Rory, I just want you and Stella to know how much I love your header. It is so cool. I know you have had it out for a while, but I just love it each time I see it.

    Secondly, You know I love water and I would be the first one to tell you to toughin up and get in that tub and take it like a man, but that is something I used to say. Yes sure, it is all finda and dandy when you are getting in to swim and play and do what you want.

    But when they want to bath you. Run Brother Run......Seriously.....that is NOT what water is for.

    Build yourself a fortress behind that garden bench and protect yourself by any means necessary.

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  20. Hey Stella and Rory!

    First of all, Merry Christmas!

    Sorry to learn about your situation. I love swimming A LOT but for some strange reason, I'm not a big fan when it comes to bath. I hope you'll be able to find a solution soon.

    Love,
    Homer

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  21. Baths are just plain awful things to have to endure but the towel drying part is okay.
    We never had a bath outside before. Mom shuts our bathroom door and there's no way to escape!

    Love ya lots
    Maggie and Mitch

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  22. I have never even attempted to bath Mango. He has gone to the groomer since he was a wee pup and, fortunately, loves it there. Dexter is a total nut about it. While he loves to be wet, it is on his terms only. Sometimes I have to rinse him off after he swims, but I leave actual deep cleaning bath to the groomer for him as well.

    Mango Momma

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  23. Oh no a wonderful bone nomming christmas followed by bathball horrors. I think forego the actual tub part and if you can get rory to stand still with a soft spray from a hose, you'll get a good wash. Just stand with hose and treat calmness or being near it and slowly progress.. Sometimes when I'm lazy, I just take a wet washcloth and suds it up- massage norwood with it. Not as good as a bath but gets some of the funk off.
    norwood

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  24. Such a lot of excitement over your holidays! Mostly good but bath time seems like it had a sorry ending. When we got Nuka she to was afraid of baths. We justed a very wet sponge like Norwood suggested and have over time increased to squeezing out the sponge over Nuka. Over the course of nearly a year, we have gotten her too the point where we can stand her in the tub with about 3" of water and use the sponge. Give it a try.

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  25. Great Wallet! 59 people is a lot! Glad you all had a wonderful Christmas. Poor Rory.. there must just be something different about bath water. Not as fun for some. Good luck. Great pics of him behind the garden bench.
    Wags
    Ernie,Sasha,Chica,Lucas
    PeeEss: Love the boot planters beside the dog house!

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  26. Huge mystery why dogs love to roll in water as long as its smelly and foul, but if its soapy and fragrant--no way!

    Hope you have a wonderful and fresh-smelling New Year!

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  27. Oh my goodness, when I arrived at your blog and saw the new header picture, I almost didn't recognise you, Rory!!! Gosh, you've GROWN!!! Such a handsome young man now! :-)

    But eeeuughhh....the SCary Bath Thing...I hate it too. Although I have learnt to be good and just stand there and tolerate it...I didn't realise actually that you hadn't had a bath until now, Rory - because my top tip would have been to START YOUNG!!! My humans gave me my 1st bath when I was just 10 weeks old - not because I was dirty but just to socialise me to the whole process, especially while I was still small and easy to manage! :-) It becomes much more stressy when we're bigger and stronger and can struggle more. So by the time I was your age, I still didn't like it but I was totally used to it and just accepted everything.

    What Hsin-Yi did in the beginning was just put me in the bathtub with no water in it and I get getting lots of praise & cookies/treats...then she turned on the shower (she was using a shower hose thing) and let it run but just on the floor of the bathtub - so my paws got a bit wet but it wasn't on me yet. And I got lots of treats & praise. And then she raised the hose a bit so that it was spraying the bottoms of my legs...and then gradually higher and higher until it was spraying my sides & thighs and chest...and then eventually the top of me...all the time with lots of praise & treats. The shower was on quite low pressure and it was nice warm water so it wasn't too scary. Then I got soaped. And then repeat the whole shower thing.

    Of course, now, I just get shower from the stop straight away - but I'm used to it. I'm pretty fine with it - except if the water is cold. I HATE cold water! I will keep trying to get away. So my humans always make sure they wash me in nice, warm water.

    (* from Hsin-Yi:
    I think if you keep on trying with Rory - keep getting him in the bath and getting him wet - even just for very short periods every time - each time with lots of praise & treats when he is calm - he will gradually desensitise. It's like: if it happens to him every day, eventually he'll think it's no big deal. And maybe take him to the bath place even when you're not bathing him - like say let him eat his dinner there (that's a BIG positive association). Be very matter-of-fact about it - don't reassure him or fuss him too much when he is scared but don't force him against his will either. Put him on leash and walk him briskly in & out of the area (without water) - so he doesn't start a whole ritual of balking at the edge and pulling back, etc, etc...just make the whole thing as low-key as possible and try to do little short bursts as often as possible, with positive associations, to desensitise him.

    Good luck!)

    OH - before I forget - I actually dropped by to wish you a very belated Happy Christmas & NEw Year! :-)

    Slobbers,
    Honey the Great Dane

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  28. Hello All! My did you have an exciting Christmas! 59 relatives!!! Wow! Mom's chuckling about you being relieved at not being the host this year. That's a lot of folks in one place! :)

    Rory you did a wonderful job of supporting Stella in her bath. The 'look at all the bubbles' touch was pure genius! And sorry pal, butt Mom and I were rolling on the floor when we saw you hidin out behind the bench in the bushes when it came your turn BOL! Hilarious!

    Best forgive your Dad soon (well after you get a few more 'I'm sorry' treats from him ;)

    Waggin at ya,
    Roo

    PeeS: Yes, the gravy in our biscuits and gravy does have meat in it. Usually sausage. Yum :D

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  29. hey i'm with woo Rory.. woo'll find me behind the bushes right next to ya! what a nice Xmas though full of good people, good times and yes! good Bones!

    Happy New Year!
    tula

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  30. I wanted to stop by and wish you all a very happy holiday and a very happy and safe New Year! :)

    Woofs & hugs, <3

    ~Bailey (Yep, I'm a girl!)

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  31. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
    Those bones look mighty tasty.

    We have never had to much trouble with bathing our Rotties. It's not that they really like it but they just seem to grin and bear it as a fact of doggy life. Good luck with Rory.

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  32. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year you two! Im behind on blogging and commenting!
    Rory, you looked so cute hiding in the bushes! heheh. Darwin has never had a problem getting bathed... she's not a huge fan, but she'll stand there til we're done. We started when she was tiny though and gave her lots of treats. Good luck with that!

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