I drink your bathwater!

[get the red out]

Our 10 month old dog, Layla, has developed this desire to come into the bathroom with either my husband and I are taking a bath (we both like a good soak) and drink the hot bathwater and try to lick it off our arm or shoulder, or knee if it happens to stick up. I try to keep her from drinking the water once any soap has gotten in, but that’s hard. If we shut the door while we are bathing she sits outside and yelps to get in. Needless to say we have spoiled her a bit, being the first dog either of us have had in a very long time and a wonderful, smart, loving girl at that. Ironically she despises being given a bath and when she was a much smaller pup she used to bark at me in the bath tub (I think she thought the tub was going to be bad for me since she hated it).
Any ideas what this weird doggie behavior is about? Does she just think it’s strange that we are soaking in water?

[murielm99]

1. I think she is just trying to be friendly.

It is funny, though, since she dislikes baths so much.

She looks like a cute, happy dog.

[get the red out]

2. She is definitely friendly!

She's one of the gentlest, most affectionate dogs we have ever seen (and funny). Thank you for saying she looks happy, we always hope that she is. She is always very unhappy when it is her bath time though, can't seem to get around that. I even tried feeding her scrambled eggs (one of her favorite foods) once while bathing her and she turned her nose up at them until the bath was done.

[hobbit709]

3. Donna used to have a cat that loved to get in the tub

whenever Donna took a bath.

[badgerpup]

4. My cats like to 'assist' or 'supervise' anyone in the tub...

Most of the people who stay with me on a bath-tub using basis know this and just leave the bathroom door open for the cats, otherwise they raise hell.

They take the rule about humans not being allowed unaccompanied into the bathroom very seriously.

Kaminari* (who resides at the Bridge) used to jump up on the edge of the tub and fish for toes.
Her tail lacked sensation due to an injury she suffered as a kitten, so it would frequently drag in the water while she did this.
She also liked to taste us while bathing, although we did try to discourage this. Sybaritic decadence being good for the soul, we frequently used bubbles or other condiments to season the bathwater.

* "Spring Thunderstorm"...because she had that much energy, predictability, direction (and sense) as a kitten.

[emmadoggy]

5. Hmmm,

maybe because she hates baths she is "sympathetic" to you being in the bath and is trying to make you feel better by giving you kisses?

OR

maybe she is trying to return the favor - you give her baths, so she is trying to "bathe" you in return?

OR

she just has a weird fetish for the taste of soapy bathwater. :P

No idea!! But she sounds very sweet.

[TorchTheWitch]

6. both my Akitas did/do this

Can I not take a damn bath in peace??? They both wanted to get in the tub with me, too, and there is no way there's enough room in there for both me and the dog.

My previous dog was so insistant about wanting to get in the tubby with me that the only way I could keep him out was to have bubbles and build the "Bubble Blob Factory" along the edge of the tub. He would bite at or smack with his paw those bubble blobs he thought were factory rejects (which was most of them). I had to constantly build new bubble blobs to replace the factory rejects or he'd realize there was no more scary bubble barrier keeping him out of the tub.

The dog I have now is content with me making bubble hats and bubble beards on his head in order to keep him out of the tub. Thank goodness because this tub is the old fashioned kind that doesn't have a flat edge that would be necessary to build the Bubble Blob Factory.