Have you ever noticed that your dog gets the zoomies and goes crazy after having a bath?
Have you wondered why this happens?
What causes it? And how can you stop it?
In this post, we will answer the question – why do dogs go crazy after the bath?
Then we will explain what to do about it if you want this behavior to stop.
Why Do Dogs Get the Zoomies After a Bath?
Unfortunately, we don’t have any hard evidence about why dogs go crazy after having a bath, but we can make some educated guesses.
Here is a list of potential reasons.
After this list, we will go into detail and see which one sounds like the most likely reason for your dog’s craziness:
- Relief from Anxiety
- Stimulating Sensations
- Getting Rid of New Smells
- Being Towelled Off After the Bath
- Drying Themselves Off
- Getting Rid of Pent-Up Energy
- Taking Back Control
- Getting Your Attention
- Warming Themselves Up
- Water in Their Ears
- Just for Fun
1. Relief from Anxiety
Some dogs really hate having a bath.
They might not show it too much.
They might just go quiet rather than being aggressive or stubborn, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t feeling anxious.
Once the bath is over, they might feel so relieved that they get hyper and start doing crazy zoomies around your house to get rid of anxious energy.
NOTE – You might also enjoy this post we wrote about why dogs shake off after you pet them.
2. Stimulating Sensations
There are lots of stimulating sensations your dog will experience during a bath.
The different smells, the warm water, the shampoo, the feeling of your hands washing them.
These can be stimulating, which might cause your dog to run around after having a bath.
3. Getting Rid of New Smells
While your dog might smell lovely, fresh, and clean to you once they get out of the bath, to your dog, they might smell unusual and unpleasant.
In this case, crazy zoomies might be their way of trying to get rid of these new scents.
4. Being Towelled Off After the Bath
Being toweled off can be stimulating for dogs.
It’s like a very intense stroking session that can make them feel hyper!
Dogs often get zoomies due to too much stimulation, so this could be why your dog gets hyper and goes crazy after their bath time.
5. Drying Themselves Off
Even after you have dried your dog with a towel, they might still feel damp and want to do something about it.
So, it could be that the post-bath zoomies are their way of drying themselves off some more.
6. Getting Rid of Pent-Up Energy
Being still in the bath while getting them clean and dry can be boring for a dog.
So, they might just go hyper and crazy after the bath to release some pent-up energy from being bored while waiting for you to be finished.
7. Taking Back Control
Your dog has been good and done as it was told during bath time.
Now it wants its freedom back, and it gets it back by zooming around your house and going crazy.
8. Getting Your Attention
Dogs will do all sorts of funny things to get attention.
It may be as simple as this is why your dog is so hyper once they are out of the bath.
They are just showing off to get more of your attention after putting up with being scrubbed and dried.
9. Warming Themselves Up
Even if you use warm water, your dog may still feel cold after a bath.
By zooming around the house, they can raise their body temperature and warm themselves up.
10. Water in Their Ears
Like humans, most dogs don’t like getting water in their ears after a bath or shower.
So they might be running around after their bath to try and shake the water out of their ears.
11. Just for Fun
Dogs usually get zoomies when they are happy.
Maybe your dog loves all the attention they get when they have a bath, and this makes them so happy they just have to go crazy and zoom around for a few minutes.
Why Do Dogs Roll Around After a Bath?
There are no hard facts to answer this question, but we can make some educated guesses as to why your dog might roll around after having a bath:
- To Change Their Scent
- To Dry Off
- To Burn off Excess Energy
1. To Change Their Scent
Have you ever noticed your dog roll in something smelly and nasty when they are out for a walk?
This is most likely a hunting instinct left over from their wolf ancestors.
They are trying to mask their scent so it’s easier to sneak up on their prey.
It could be that they are doing something similar after the bath.
They might not like their new clean smell and are trying to replace it with something more familiar.
2. To Dry Off
Even once you have toweled them off, they will still be a bit damp and could be rolling around on the floor to try and fix this.
3. To Burn off Excess Energy
Baths can be stimulating for dogs, either because they love them or hate them.
So, after being stuck in the bath while getting them clean, they might enjoy rolling around to burn off some pent-up energy.
What Are Zoomies?
Zoomies are when a dog runs around in circles repeatedly and again.
They are unmistakable. You will know them when you see them; they are also super cute.
The technical term is Frenetic Random Activity Periods (aka FRAPs). However, most people, including most vets, refer to them as zoomies.
Why Do Dogs Get Zoomies?
The most likely reason why dogs get zoomies is as a way of releasing pent-up energy.
They might have been caged for too long or have had to behave in a certain way for a while, such as having to stand in the bath.
The desire to move builds up inside them, it becomes pent-up energy, and then when they get some freedom, they zoom around in circles to release it, and this is the result..!
NOTE – Take a look at this post if you are interested in the question: why do dogs run in circles?
How to Stop Your Dog from Getting Hyper and Doing Zoomies After a Bath
While zoomies can be cute to watch, having a damp and hyper dog doing crazy zoomies all over your home might not be ideal!
So here are some ideas you can try to help reduce their post-bath zoomie sessions:
- Start Bathing Them When They are Very Young
- Make Sure They Are Nice and Warm
- Dry them Off Well (but Gently)
- Distract Them After the Bath
- Don’t Worry too Much About Zoomies!
1. Start Bathing Them When They are Very Young
If you have a young puppy, the sooner you get them used to having baths, the better.
The more familiar and less stressful bath time is, the less pent-up energy will occur, so they will be less likely to feel the need to run around like crazy.
2. Make Sure They Are Nice and Warm
It might be that your dog goes crazy after the bath to warm up.
So, make sure you use warm water for the bath and that the bathroom is nice and warm to help prevent them from getting cold.
3. Dry them Off Well (but Gently)
Do your best to get them as dry as possible after the bath so that your dog doesn’t feel the need to run around and shake off any excess water.
But remember that being dried with a towel can stimulate your dog and trigger the zoomies, so try to keep the dog nice and calm as you dry them.
4. Distract Them After the Bath
As soon as you have dried them, give them a treat, chew, or their favorite toy to play with.
This should distract them long enough to let the desire to run and go crazy around subside.
If you repeat this, they will learn to expect their post-bath treat over time, reducing the chance of them going crazy with zoomies.
5. Don’t Worry too Much About Zoomies!
Zoomies are a perfectly natural part of being a dog.
There is nothing to worry about, so try to relax and let them enjoy themselves.
As long as they are safe and not damaging anything in your home, most people find post-bath zoomies cute and fun to watch.
Final Notes On Why Dogs Go Crazy After a Bath
Dogs go crazy and run around with the zoomies after a bath to release pent-up energy, dry off, or get rid of their new scent.
This is nothing to worry about and a perfectly natural part of doggy life.
As long as the dog and your home are safe, feel free to let them go as crazy as they like.
So, this is the end of our blog post answering the question – why do dogs go crazy after a bath?
We hope you now have the answers you were looking for, but please feel free to comment below if you need more help.
And finally, thanks for visiting The Factual Doggo.
Tim is a proud, vetted, and experienced dog foster carer for a charity helping dog owners escape domestic abuse.
He has years of experience training and caring for dogs, both his own and other people’s.
He is an expert in canine behavior and is highly skilled in dealing with all dogs but specializes in the difficult ones that other people may struggle with.
When he isn’t fostering dogs, he is making friends with other people’s pups!