It's that time of year again when our four-legged friends become hairy beasts who insist on wallowing in the mud!
I love watching my dogs playing and enjoying the wet weather, but cleaning them off after can become a lengthy and messy task. So here are my top tips for dealing with your resident swamp monsters this winter to keep them and your home clean-ish!
Bath time: the messy bit
I often use a hosepipe for washing off my dogs in summer but it can be a bit too chilly in winter - for their legs and my hands! I'm lucky to have access to an outside hot water tap, which paired with a scrubbing brush is as good as anything to wash away the dirt.
A great alternative is the Mud Daddy - a portable tank which will keep water warm for a couple of hours and has an inbuilt spray hose with brush head. They can be really handy for taking with you in the car, or simply prepare them in advance and leave them by your front door for easy access when you return home.
Towelling it off: post-bath pampering
Drying off the bulk of the water after bath time with a towel is essential to stop wet droplets from flying all over your house or car. It's also important to help prevent achy joints and stiff muscles.
I use old bath towels for mine and find them as good as anything for absorbing the water. You can also get special drying mitts such as the Ruff and Tumble ones from Field and Fireside, designed specially to keep your hands away from the wet paws.
Drying coats: for the wet cold days
Another essential is the drying coat. Great for post walk pub trips or long car rides, to wick away the last bit of moisture from your dogs coats. I always towel mine thoroughly before putting a coat on so that the dog isn't being kept unnecessarily damp. My favourites are:
Grooming: for long-term easy cleaning
Staying on top of your dogs coat is crucial in winter when their coats naturally get a bit thicker and nasty thorns or burrs can get stuck. Make sure to regularly check your dogs over using an appropriate tool depending on your dogs coat.
For de-shedding hairy Labradors I love a Tangle Teezer. They're non-damaging to the coat but really grip all the dead and loose hair.
For spaniels I prefer to hand strip and shape them with scissors, rather than clipping. I use a comb to brush out knots, then hand strip the fluffy bits, and then finally shape straggly bits with rounded scissors.
First aid: cleaning off can reveal hidden injuries
Diving head first into mud, bogs, snowdrifts etc. can often result in some minor scrapes. It's important to have a comprehensive first aid pack on hand, such as Field and Fireside's kit. I keep a big one at home, a medium one in my car, and a small one in my hiking rucksack.
The best things in my first aid kit? Leucillin and Hibiscrub are an absolute must-have for me to keep any small wounds clean and safe from infection.
Here's to keeping our fluffy friends warm and dry this winter, and our homes mud free!
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