As we enter the darker half of the year, most dog owners will know that this means a rapid increase in the quantity of mud we'll be dealing with day-to-day. It gets everywhere: shaken up the walls, trodden into carpets and furniture, and there is one main culprit for the mess: your pet dog.
I've had my dog for 18 months now and our first winter ended up leaving me exasperated, tired and constantly scrubbing my walls, rugs and the pooch herself in an endless cycle of muddy walks. It was a wet winter, and our favorite walk became waterlogged and slick with slimy mud.
Unfortunately, my lurcher, Dixie loves mud. She loves to run through it at speed, throwing it all over her coat, particularly her bum, underbelly and legs. She would then bring all this mud into our house and shake it up the walls before I could even attempt to rub her down with a towel.
As winter approached, I said to myself "not again" and looked into some solutions. There are paw-washers available, like this one from Dexas available on Amazon, but this wasn't the full-body solution I was looking for. We don't have an outside tap, so hosing her down wasn't an option either. Finally, I stumbled across the answer: a portable dog shower.
Above is how Dixie comes home after her walk (left) and after using the portable dog shower and a towel to clean her off (right). The mud is a little difficult to see due to her brindle coloring, but I can promise you, she was caked!
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Why I love my portable dog shower
I didn't want to just take my dog on pavement walks, as she's a sighthound and loves to run in big open fields (which tend to be muddy). She also genuinely seems to enjoy getting filthy, and who am I to deny her that simple pleasure in life.
My portable dog shower is an absolute game changer. It's compact, but carries five liters of water and works with pump-pressure action, meaning you don't need a tap to get the water flowing. You can throw it in the car and take it with you on walks, giving your dog a quick spray and a towel down before bringing them home again.
I keep mine by the front door and fill it with warm water before we leave on our walk, so it's not too cold on my dog's skin by the time we get home again. It takes two minutes to rinse Dixie off when we get back, then I towel her down and put her in a doggy bathrobe, like this one from Geyecete on Amazon.
So far, this new method has worked wonders. I don't have to mop and scrub my walls every day, my dog isn't dropping dried flakes of mud all over the place for the rest of the day and we still get to enjoy our favorite country walks.
Portable dog showers we recommend
How does a portable dog shower work?
Depending on the model you choose, portable dog showers will either use a manual pump or battery powered pump to build up the pressure to spray water. Most have a trigger at the showerhead so the water won't come out until you are ready to use it. Most can be used with warm or cold water (avoid using hot as this may damage the shower). They also work well as camping showers, if you don't mind pausing to re-pressurize them.
Want to keep your dog warm and dry on their winter walks? Check out our guide on the best dog coats.
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