Does my dog need a mud suit

[fruitstick]

I have a spaniel. We go for a walk off lead and often through the woods every day.

He invariably comes back wet and muddy. I'll be honest I'm not great at washing him every time or drying him off (I try but it's doesn't make much difference)

I don't have time to hose him down every time.

I keep being advertised mud suits but can't work out whether they'd be another faff. Presumably I have to keep washing them, would I need more than one?

Do spaniels need them to keep warm/dry.

My dog is 2 so this is our second proper winter with him doing proper walks.

I wouldn't use one for my WCS. He'd overheat and/or shred it to bits whilst charging through the undergrowth. I have a towelling drying coat which I put on him when we're back and that soaks up the wet and the mud then gets brushed out when he's dry.

Those are my thoughts exactly.

Can send a link

I have one of those towelling bags for when he's in the car etc but a towelling suit sounds more useful.

My Jack Russell always comes home muddy but I think it would be more faff to wash and dry a mud suit than just hose the dog down.

I've got an equafleece for my WCS, total game changer for me, She doesn't seem to get too hot and it keeps her dry and the mud away. Perfect for walks when I haven't time to bath her afterwards

I always feel sorry for dogs in those coats. I know fur-types differ across breeds, and therefore so do the value or otherwise of these coats, but they do seem to be massively overused. Yet another recently invented accessory to milk a growing consumer market.
I'm sure there are some fluffy breeds whose fur gets so waterlogged that they would lie drenched at home (even if brushed and lightly towelled) if they don't wear a coat. But surely a working-type dog should have no need of them for its own welfare? - its fur should be able to handle wet and dirt and shed it reasonably quickly once back in the dry, especially with some brief assistance from its human.
My terrier's wire coat can be black with wet mud and then bone dry and only lightly grubby a short while after getting home. I also know that he isn't waterlogged to the skin: his fur holds the dirt away and sheds it rapidly.

Those coats are very encumbering, potentially very hot, a horrible faff for dogs

Oh, and I never, ever have to bath my dog (except when he rolls in too-copious a dollop of badger or fox poo but that's another story). Brushing is the answer. (And hoovering the carpet!!)

My SIL uses waterproof long legged suits for her small and curly coated type dogs, but only as they come with her to do the horses at oh god o'clock before work and it keeps the worst of the wet/mud/poo out of her cottage as one of them especially is very prone to matting if left wet.
The suits are taken off at the back door and stuck on a hook outside under the eaves so they dry off before the evening when it all happens again

It depends on the dog, we have a Shiba Inu, he loves rolling around in mud. It doesn’t brush off so he needs a rinse. As he has a dense undercoat you have to blow dry and brush him, unless it is very warm. A mud suit saves a good 1.5-2 hours of washing, drying and brushing.

He's a show cocker, so loves mud and water, but his coat seems to hold the water.

I try to keep his coat short rather than 'show ready' for that reason.

I worry more about him being too hot in the coat, or getting cold because he stays wet without one.

I made my spaniel a wax jacket when he got very old - at that point he was starting to feel the cold and I wanted something tough enough to survive the undergrowth. But as a young dog, he only had a fleece jumper for after walks, which helped with drying him and controlling the mud drops. And a very light waterproof for rainy walks at work, as he came to the office with me and nobody wants the smell of wet spaniel all afternoon!

The fleece jumpers are really good, they’re not restrictive and are easy to wash and dry.

Nope. I keep a towel in the car. She goes in the utility when we get home and within half an hour she’s dry and any mud dries and falls off. She’s not big on jumping in water etc so it’s mainly just her feet and underside.

My lad enjoying a snowy walk in his jacket; and giving me the evils in his jumper (he was so cross to be banished to the kitchen while he fully dried 😂)

I keep a couple of towelling robes in the car over winter. The ones that go over the head and Velcro up around the waist. He ( my springer) wears them until we get home.
I also put him in a neoprene hunting coat on very cold days. It’s a bugger to get on a t needs to be quite tight fitting, but it does keep him warm and relatively clean and dry. It has to be really cold though as otherwise he would overheat. I got Mine from Amazon. It was quite expensive but they do have cheaper ones as well
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Tourbon-Hunting-Neoprene-Waistcoat-Thickness/dp/B01M9DFV7S/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1AYP3P1LF4E22&keywords=TOURBON%2BHunting%2BNeoprene%2BDog%2BWaistcoat&qid=1697356689&sprefix=tourbon%2Bhunting%2Bneoprene%2Bdog%2Bwaistcoat%2B%2Caps%2C75&sr=8-1&th=1&psc=1

Equafleece products are game changers. I have jumpers for DDs spaniel as she takes hours to dry, and tankies and full suits for my tiny terrier who hates wet grass and feels the cold. Look at the website, measure properly (they’re not sized just by the back length, as most other brands). You can enter your dog’s measurements on their calculator and if it can’t work out a size just ring or email them with a side-on photo, or use the contact form, and they’ll suggest one. Free postage and they’re fab about returns as long as it hasn’t been worn outside. Wash at 30 without conditioner and they stay superbly showerproof, the fleece may look soaked but the dog is dry, also great to put on a wet dog to dry it quickly.
There’s a huge market for them second hand so when you have nailed the size you can look on Vinted, FB Marketplace or the FB group Equafleece Swap and Sell. Also eBay but they’re mainly HotterDog, which are made by Equafleece for the trade, with just one style and basic sizes S, M, L etc and no options like slim or super slim, curvy, bully, pug, greyhound… there’s an Equafleece for every shape and size, in gorgeous colours!

Never understood the whole dog coat thing unless for greyhound type dogs. Grew up with a springer in the countryside and never saw a dog with a coat. They’re now everywhere in London. I have a terrier whose natural coat is designed for all weathers.

A lot of shooting people will have a fleece type thing for their dogs (spaniels mainly) to stick on after the day is done or at lunchtime, so the dogs don’t get chilled after working hard in the wet. Ditto many sport dog owners (canicross, bikejor etc). Not all need them - I have a lab now and he’s pretty indestructible as far as weather goes, although I am considering a fleece drying coat for after cold wet runs. But many do. Horses for courses.

This is the towelling robe that I keep in the car. Much better than cheaper ones I have bought in the past. https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lola%C2%AE-Drying-Bathrobe-Dressing-Absorbent/dp/B09XFCVCRB/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1WMLTB558S305&keywords=By%2BLola%C2%AE%2B-%2BDog%2BDrying%2BCoat%2BDog%2BDrying%2BRobe%2BDrying%2BCoat%2BDry%2BFast%2BDog%2BDressing%2BGown%2BFast%2BDrying%2BSuper%2BAbsorbent%2BPet%2BDog%2BTowelling%2BDrying%2BCoat%2B-%2BGrey%2B(Large)&qid=1697357458&sprefix=by%2Blola%2B-%2Bdog%2Bdrying%2Bcoat%2Bdog%2Bdrying%2Brobe%2Bdrying%2Bcoat%2Bdry%2Bfast%2Bdog%2Bdressing%2Bgown%2Bfast%2Bdrying%2Bsuper%2Babsorbent%2Bpet%2Bdog%2Btowelling%2Bdrying%2Bcoat%2B-%2Bgrey%2Blarge%2B%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-1&th=1

Flip, that’s a long link!

Wouldn't a roll of cling film be better ?

This looks very smart indeed!

Those towelling 'after' robes seem a way more sensible idea than coats-during-exercise. And the one in the link looks quite non-faffy to put on. I'd half-think about getting that one, if it didn't look as if it might be lacking in the tummy zone - the only part of my dog that habitually gets filthy.

That spaniel's expression though! Like a boyfriend who has realised too late how very VERY much he doesn't want to do a spa day with his girlfriend

I don't think a coat is strictly necessary but you do need to make sure you're getting all the mud off your dog after walks as it can irritate their skin and cause infections.

I just hose my beagle down in the shower (only takes a minute), towel him off and then pop him in a drying coat for half an hour or so to dry completely.

I think a drying robe is the way to go. Then maybe I'll be more inclined to hose him down too.

You need an outside hot tap, game changer! Have a spaniel here too, quick blast shot warm shower, quick towel rub and a drying coat, sorted!

I bought a Ruff and Tumble drying coat. Combined with a quick hosing, it's a game changer. No, he doesn't need outdoor wear at his age!

Our drying robe was only £15 so on Amazon and it's been really good.