Dirty dog!! What do you do with yours?

[taptonaria27]

I have a fox terrier pup, we're really enjoying off lead walks now but he comes back from them absolutely black - he hates the bath and I can't do that everyday anyway, I tried the hose but a) he hated it and b) it didn't get it all off anyway, today I tried wiping with a flannel mitt which was reasonably effective but I've realised the kitchen cupbairds are all covered in black spray splats where he's shaken himself off afterwards. I suspect I'll end up putting him straight on his crate to dry off.
Any top tips please? I don't want him spotless but don't want the house wrecked either.

[ScrappyMalloy]

I hate this sort of weather. I wish the ground wasn't so soggy

I have a shih tzu and a Maltese(r) and they are low to the ground and super absorbent.

As soon as we get in, one gets to sit in their basket on a towel, while the other gets dumped in the kitchen sink.

I put a tiny squirt of baby shampoo in and wash their legs, and give their faces a good wash with a baby muslin

They are a pair of rescues and have neglected teeth, so I take the opportunity to clean teeth while they are confined to the sink.

Then they sit in their beds with a dental chew, while I scrub and disinfect the manky sink.

It's such a card though.

[ScrappyMalloy]

A card! Sounds like something from a 1960s film

I mean faff

[YouBastardSockBalls]

Mine live outside, I couldn't cope with 3 smelly and muddy dogs in the house!

[Dieu]

And you guys are lucky if it's just normal dirt you're cleaning off! I quite regularly have the horror of washing the stuck-on shit off my Shih Tzu's backside. Why did I ever go for a longhaired dog?!

[zombiesarecoming]

Our springer gets a hose down in the yard and then either in her crate in the boot room or in her doggy bag (from the microfibre company)

Don't think she is that keen on the hose down but no way is the Lightning fast ball of mud and wet going upstairs

[NotNowBono]

It made the builders roll their eyes, but I deliberately planned the downstairs bit of my house renovation around the Oct-March Mud Season and my enormous dog. Downstairs loo has a walk-in shower right by the front door and carpets were replaced with oak flooring. Even so, a 60 min walk turns into a 90 min one by the time I've hosed her down, dried her off, hosed the shower etc. Roll on snow...

Although I am very tempted by these

[Readysteadyknit]

Usually I let dogs in on to tiled floor and send them to their bed in the kitchen to dry off. I try to wash the dog bedding every couple of weeks but it is usually longer. I use a horse rug washing bag which saves on hairs in my machine.

This is Ddog1 who's decided to sleep under his bed while the covers are being washed.

[apricot72]

I never knew about horse rug wash bags, that's just what I need. Will be more tempted to use old towels to do a spot of dirty dog cleaning if I know I can wash them without ruining the machine.

Piglet, I hadn't heard of Alabama rot but having googled it, there haven't been any cases near here (we're in North Cumbria). Sounds horrible though.

The only thing I want when I win the lottery (well almost the only thing) is a extension stuck onto the back of the house with a tiled utility, dog shower and drying room. V envious of all of you with downstairs showers and utilities.

[dillite]

Dieu I find that with mine, keeping her fur trimmed helps with the cling-ons. And being on raw food.

I have a shih-tzu too, who is basically a walking sponge. She has a bath after every walk, although to be honest, we just skip walks in this weather. She hates, hates, hates being wet and rain. The biggest problem is that even once it stops raining, everywhere is too wet for her. We walked today and she came home looking like a sewer rat covered in mud and leaves.

[ImBrian]

I have a sponge shih tzu cross, so far no cling ons but he can't even go out for a wee without getting soaked and covered in mud. I just seem to wipe floors constantly.

[Bastardshittits]

I have an English Setter that gets himself caked in it everytime. I keep him in the car while I towel him off, unlock the front door and bundle him upstairs to the bath. I have a hosepipe by the front door but the water is far too cold.

[UnderTheGreenwoodTree]

I have a cocker spaniel that can absorb at least twice his body weight in mud.

We have designated dog towels - in the car, in the hallway, he gets a full-on towel dry straight away, seems to do the trick. I just wish it would stop bloody raining!

He gets a professional bath every month - we do occasionally do him in our bath - but he's not overly keen....