What's your Wet Dog System?

[natura]

Just started raining here where I live a couple of days ago for the winter season (after 8 months of no rain it's heaven!) and I'm already out of dry dog towels😂No tumble dryer or radiators, either - woohoo!

I'd love to hear all your systems and approaches for dealing with wet and muddy pooches when they come inside – particularly if you have big hairy beasts!

(Except if you have a dedicated 'mud room' – if you have one of those I really don't want to hear about it 😂)

Do your dogs wear raincoats?
How do you get your dogs dry when they come in?
If you use towels, how do you keep your doggy towels from filling the washing machine with hair?
What do you keep by the door?

Hacks, systems, products... give 'em all to me!

For context, I have a VERY wriggly labrador and a big elderly Shepherd mix who is basically a homing pigeon for his bed...

Definitely worth it, probably the best thing I've bought for the dogs. After many years of a Labradors, moulting at the drop of a hat, to be able to go out, blast them all year round keeps the house relatively hair free.
When I take them out for their walk, I set the Roomba to work too, wonderful

I am using microfibre dog towels and wash them right away in a cold cycle but I don't bother drying them - I've noticed that damp microfibre is even better at absorbing moisture and muck! I am cleaning washing machine monthly with Dr.Beckmann Service-it Washing Machine Cleaner and also washing all dog towels/beds/ in bulk in proper long hot wash once a month with Vamoosh (hair dissolver). I am also using Dettol Laundry Sanitiser for my non-dog washes... Might sound like a terrible waste of water etc but I have a newest Bosch machine that weights each load and calculates water quantity etc.

Next question:

If you have 2 dogs, and one owner, and you can only dry one dog at a time, which do you dry first?

a) The one who will, while you're occupied with the other dog, busy himself by very cheerfully drying his own face by rubbing it up and down the white walls of the hallway, or
b) The one who will get very excited by the fact that you're Down Low while drying the other dog and use the opportunity to chuff intensely into your face and neck, thereby getting your cheeks and eyes full of her soggy hair.

?

Stick the one you aren’t drying in a dog drying bag until you are ready to deal with him / her

I use a dog drying robe. You can get expensive "pooch and mutt" ones but I just got cheap ones off eBay with Velcro fastening at the back (you can get more than one for the same money as a fancy one)

Yes! I have a couple on their way to me now after this thread – very excited to try them for the first time 😃

We had a Labrador until recently, he had off lead / woodland / field walks so always came back wet and muddy, especially underneath and legs.

I had a huge pile of old towels gathered over time from various family members (probably about 30+ ragged towels some were ripped/holey but still did the job) and bought a horse wear washbag to put them in to wash so my washing machine didn't get full of hair.

We would go through 2-3 towels a day as he would need drying after walks and also if he went out in the garden as he was not shy of rain and would still just go out to sniff around in the garden - a good rub down got rid of most the the mud, dirty towels were stored in the washbag until there was enough for a wash.

We gave in and got a tumble dryer - for our clothes too. Sorry no other suggestions!

We had an outside bath and outdoor hot and cold taps and used to fill it (big plastic tub for occasional baths as he really didn't like an inside bath/shower).

We also had vet bed that he would lie on until he dried out, he was a good boy and wouldn't go on furniture until invited/dry.

House stank of wet dog 6 months of the year! Miss it 😢

Lots of helpful advice on here, so much useful information. I've had the same issue with damp towels and its not yet winter, plus she's a tiny dog!

Could I ask those who have a dog blaster drier and nervy dog, are the two compatible?

We have a rescue puppy, a cavapoo, who loves mud, yet hates being brushed! She's fine with sink baths/ rinse down after walks, but I'm getting through loads of towels drying her, and wondering if a blaster may help? She's starting to tolerate a comb each day, so I don't want to freak her out! (Although she is great with the groomer and very still apparently! I shall have to up my game and improve my skills obviously ☺️).

Youkve given me some great ideas for Riverpuo’s Christmas presents!

I have a fox shit rolling, mud dwelling, bog dog of a spaniel. I’ve just about got the routine down now. We mud daddy outside (fill before we go) then dry inside on a towel with a lickimat (mitigates him immediately shaking and throwing himself at the sofa / rug etc). Lasoo him with a dog robe (cheaper than ruff and tumble and no velcro) and then release to roll around in outrage at being clean and clothed and imprisoned in the kitchen until dry(ish).

The mud daddy is then good for boots etc, keeping most of the mud outside.

One of the best things we have is an old tumbler / pot thing just for dunking paws and floofy spaniel ears if it’s just a quick clean up.

Mud, I don’t mind. Those bloody sticky spikey balls stuck in his floof, on the other hand…..

Those just putting on towel coats, do they have legs? It’s the paws and legs that are the issue for me. We inherited a ruff and tumble towel which is fab, and I bought a bristled cup thing to get the mud off her feet when she’s awfully covered. But I still hate drying her legs!

Why don't you start with your own hairdryer on low speed, ease her in gently.

@Robinonaspade if she goes to a groomer she’s probably already been under one. I second the hairdryer suggestion.

Mine have never had a problem with the blaster. They usually argue about who is going in first shoving eachother out of the way. It also doesn’t mat the coat like rubbing with towels.

@MrsDrDear I should have mentioned that I have used my hairdryer on her a couple of times, and she was fine, just very playful and curious with it. However, it was absolutely useless at drying her so I stopped and used towels!

I haven't seen any drying coats specifically with legs, although I've definitely seen dog onesies that might do the same job!

Is she a big wriggler when it comes to legs, or is it just generally awkward?

You can get actual towelling bags that you zip the entire dog into, but obviously they're very restrictive and not all dogs would like them.

@Leonberger Good to hear that the blaster doesn't cause matting, like the towels.

I think I will persevere with my hairdrier and continue to google different brands of dog blasters, with a view to buying one. They just seem very expensive, yet washing a load of towels regularly is not ideal either!

I’ve just bought one of these, and it seems very noisy. How did you get your dogs used to it?

@Woollymonster to be honest I just put it t on and got on with it, the lower setting until they realised what it was and then turned it right up. A few treats for standing still but they already know the stand command so know what’s expected from that.

My dogs are very chilled though, you might have to build it up with some positive reinforcement if you have a stressy one!

Samoyed here, have multiple dog towels for muddy and wet days - we need them lol 😂

What blasters has everyone got?