First off, Laika HATED to be bathed, though she would not actively fight being put in the tub and actually kind of liked being massaged with shampoo. However, during the times that the water was spraying her, she would sit, head down staring at the bottom of the bathtub with the saddest look on her face. Even when I would sing to her or talk to her, she would still just look completely defeated. It broke my heart to see her like this.
When I moved into my old house, I got the idea to try washing her with the hose, as it might be less traumatic for her. Turns out, I was completely wrong. Laika went from submissive to aggro bather as soon as she heard the water turn on. She would jump around and try to bite the stream of water, sometimes even growling or barking! At first I thought she was playing, but after the second time she had a full-on aversion to hoses. If I was walking her and she saw someone using a hose to water anything, she would get worked-up and release a few barks at the offender and offending object. As this seemed to be bad-habit forming, we immediately moved bath-time back into the house (unless she was filthy from outdoor activity).
Due to Laika's various treatments over the years, she was not able to bathe with water all the time. During (and for a few months after) her radiation treatments, Laika got "dry baths" which involved applying a mix of baking soda and cornstarch to her fur, letting it sit for 15 minutes, then brushing it out. She loved this. She was not brushed very often, so I think the whole process was like a mini-spa treatment for her. If I had brushed her more before that, she might not have liked it as much. It was nice to have a calm, happy and clean Laika! Additionally, because her tumor was usually irritated while she was recently having chemo, I began using Burt's Bees Dog-Wipes which were fast to use and very effective. Laika tolerated them...and they produced some after-bath crazies as well!
Which leads us to the best part of this story...every time Laika finished receiving a water bath/shower, she would go nuts! Like Buddy, she had a pretty set routine. Unlike Buddy, hers was like watching fireworks, except there were several grand finales along the way. First, she would shake water all over the place when I was not actively toweling her off. Then, after being sort of towel-dried, she would slip out of the bathroom and rub her body against the entire length of the hallway wall (leaving a nice wet streak, like a slug), while lowering into a front somersault, rolling onto her back and then rubbing on the carpet with all four legs flailing and a giant grin on her face. Laika would repeat this on the other side of her body as well (sometimes several times for each side). She would then roll or run over the exposed brick wall (inside our old house) and scratch every part of her body against it. If I did not call her for a treat at this point, she would run into my room and mess-up all the blankets on my....I mean...her bed by rolling, digging and jumping. This could go on for up to 10 minutes, if uninterrupted. In fact, she would also sometimes rub along all the walls in the house and do about 20 somersaults for good measure. Most of the time, her tongue would hang out and her eyes would be closed in some type of haze of bliss. It was definitely a site to behold.
Sadly, Laika didn't get to experience this ritual since sometime in mid-2016. I am sure she was ok with not having the bath part of it, but at least the dog-wipes allowed her some of the joy of rubbing up and down the walls and doing a few somersaults. I tried to keep her back rubbing to a minimum, due to the location of her tumor, but a bit of the after-bath crazies were always allowed. They were part of what made me feel less guilty for Laika's complete dejection while bathing her. Not only did she come out smelling like coconut, but she always put on a dazzling display of joyful acrobatics!
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