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If your dog loves mud and you'd prefer to keep your car and house clean, then what you need my friend is a portable dog washer.
They are mobile, which means that you can shower your dog anywhere and are incredibly useful after a muddy dog walk or a day at the beach.
Essentially tanks of water with a hose and shower head, these natty devices work on an air pressure system meaning after a few pumps of the handle youâll have full use of your hands to help shower your dog.
Designed to be used on-the-go, they can be filled and thrown in the car boot, ready to use after a mucky dog walk. The hose makes bathing dogs easy as you can clean all those difficult to reach parts.
On cooler days, these outdoor dog showers can be filled with warm water.
Also they can be used for cleaning bikes, football boots......
We've tested the best portable dog washers on the UK market for 2024 to keep your dog clean and mud free. You can judge for yourself whether you like the look and we'll fill you in as best we can how good they are at cleaning your dog.
We also recommend some great dog towels to help with thankless task of drying your four-legged friend once they're clean.
If you're in a rush, we think that the Petacarium dog washer is the best on the market. It's well designed, easy to fill, easy to pressurise and delivers warm water several hours after filling thanks to the neoprene jacket. |
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Features to Consider
So what features should you be looking for when buying a portable dog shower ?
Ease of Setup
Simple to fill at home before venturing out with solid connectors that fit well and don't leak.
Water Tank Size
This will depend entirely on the size of your dog. A 5L washer is ideal for small to medium dogs, but if you have a large breed consider an 8L washer. You don't want to run out of water halfway through !
Hose Length
A long hose is preferred to help you to wash your dog thoroughly.
Integral Brush
Water pressure alone won't remove stubborn mud attached to your dog's coat. Ideally a shower head with a brush attachment will work better especially when washing dog paws.
Noise
Look for a silent washer. Especially with anxious dogs, motorised washers simply cause more stress.
Extra Features
Consider whether you want extra accessories such as power brushes, towels, pre-wash spray and even insulated jackets. Let's face it, outdoor dog showers in winter are always preferable with warm water!
Our Picks of the Best Portable Dog Washers
1. Petacarium
Best Dog Washer Overall
Petacarium are a small family run business based on the South coast. Experienced pet owners with a successful dog walking, day-care and boarding business, they designed the Petacarium portable shower to be used anywhere and have multiple uses including washing your dog.
Their colourful range includes two sizes of portable showers the 5L and 8L version. Each one comes with -
â an insulating neoprene jacket
â a 1.3m hose
â a 8-setting shower head
We tested their larger 8L model Petacarium portable shower.
First impressions, it looks like a very professional portable shower. With a soft neoprene insulating jacket and a strong handle to pressurise the shower, it's certainly holds enough water for multiple dogs or an exceptionally muddy one.
For us, the unique selling point of the Petacarium shower was the height. As it's considerably taller than the Mud Daddy ( featured next), you can pump the handle to create pressure from a standing position. Much easier on your arms and knees!
The shower head included with the Petacarium 5L and 8L models (shown here in blue), has an adjustable dial so you can alter the stream of water just as you would with a traditional garden sprayer.
However, whilst an adjustable shower head has infinite uses at home and around the garden, we feel that for dog washing in particular, a shower with an integral brush is most useful for dislodging pesky mud from your dog's coat.
Petacarium do sell a Pet Shower Brush with silicon bristles for just this purpose. The shower brush has an on/off switch and is available in three different colours - (shown above in green/white).
Performance wise, the Petacarium shower feels solid and although the volume of water makes the 8L version fairly heavy to carry to the car, they have cleverly included a handy shoulder strap with both the 5L and 8L versions.
We loved this thoughtful addition especially as the strap is fully adjustable. It can be used to secure the upright portable shower to your headrests in the car. Clever stuff!
We felt that a longer hose would be useful when showering a larger dog to get to all those tricky to reach areas. Longer 2m hoses are available but at an additional cost.
The neoprene jacket worked exceptionally well, keeping our water warm after 4 hours, so should be perfect for some lovely, long winter dog walks.
Reasons to Buy + Insulated jacket included + Range of colours & designs + Handy shoulder strap + Range of additional accessories |
Reasons to Avoid - Pet shower brush extra - Shorter hose (1.3m) |
Buying Options
If you would like further information about Petacarium, why not read our full field test and in-depth review - Petacarium Portable Dog Shower
2. Mud Daddy
Best Alternative Dog Washer
Mud Daddy are probably the most popular and well known portable dog shower available in the UK. Their patented design is available in 3 different sizes - 5L, 8L and 12L depending on your needs.
The 5L Mud Daddy is their smallest and most portable model, perfect for single-use excursions like washing off after a day at the beach or a muddy dog walk.
Resembling a petrol can, it's pressurised by hand to pack enough force when coupled with the brush to deal with the toughest mud or dirt.
Lightweight and easy to carry even when itâs full, the sprayer is fitted with a soft bristled brush.
The brush really helps to pick up any mud and hair. With a comfortable grip and a on/off lever so you're in control of the water flow.
We love the 2m long hose as you can get into those hard to reach places even if your dog keeps moving. The water stays warmish, but you can invest in a neoprene sleeve to retain heat for longer in the winter months.
If you have a large dog or maybe several dogs who love getting muddy, the 5L version probably doesn't hold enough water, so we'd suggest investing in a slightly larger 8L Mud Daddy.
There were a couple of flaws or downsides.
The Mud Daddy needs pressurising with the pump several times to keep a steady flow of water. We found this harder to do than the Petacarium featured in top spot possibly due to the angled position of the pump handle.
We also felt that it could use a hose clip to attach the hose and brush to the body of the unit for easy storage and carrying in a similar way to a standard iron or vacuum cleaner.
A rechargeable battery operated brush is available to buy, but in our view it's quite a pricey accessory.
Reasons to Buy  + Integral brush head  + Long 2m hose  + Range of additional accessories |
Reasons to Avoid - Insulated jacket purchase separately - More tricky to pressurise |
Buying Options
If you would like more information ..... |
Take a look at our deep-dive review including our full test - Mud Daddy Review : We Test the Portable Dog Washer |
3. Kurgo
Budget Dog Travel Shower
Our third and final option, is a bit different. Kurgo are a US brand renowned for their travel and safety products.
Their range includes a simple shower head that turns a regular bottle of water into a dog shower.
Essentially, the 'Mud Dog Travel Shower' head screws onto almost any plastic bottle from a 16oz to a 2 litre bottle so you can have a shower on the go.
A simple and very affordable option, We bought and tested the Kurgo Dog Shower and whilst it's undoubtably a handy piece of kit for small cleaning tasks we were a bit underwhelmed.
The shower attachment lasts between 1â2 minutes with a 2 litre bottle, so we'd suggest that it's probably aimed more at a dog paw washer rather than a whole muddy dog shower!
Anything else I need to know ?
There are some obvious limitations to the Kurgo Dog Shower compared to the Mud Daddy and Petacarium versions.
Undeniably it's incredibly convenient, but it doesn't have the option to pressurise, so you need to squeeze the water bottle to produce a stream of water.
Another downside is that it clearly doesn't carry anywhere near the volume of water that our other two featured dog washers offer.
However, in our opinion it does have one big advantage.
The Kurgo Mud Travel Shower has the flexibility to pack it in your walking bag and clean those mucky paws whenever, and wherever you want.
Reasons to Buy + Great value + Simple design + Clean paws anywhere |
Reasons to Avoid - Small volume of water - No integral brush to dislodge mud - No additional water pressure |
Buying Options
If you're faced with a small clean up job, take a look at our Best Dog Wipes Review. Incredibly versatile, they are super handy to keep by the back door or in the car for a speedy clean up.
Our Verdict
If youâve got a dog that absolutely loves to roll in the mud, then a portable dog shower is a great investment.
Both the Petacarium and Mud Daddy options offer a simple, mobile and innovative solution to washing your dog before letting them in your car or home. We love that a portable dog shower keeps the outside, well, outside where it's meant to be.
Both companies offer a 5L and an 8L option with a whole range of accessories and insulated jackets to keep the water warm.
We think that the Petacarium just pips the Mud Daddy on overall design and ease of use.
If on the other hand, you're looking for a cheap and simple solution to muddy paws, then the Kurgo Mud Travel Shower maybe just what you're looking for.
Optional Extra - Dog Towels
Nobody likes that wet dog smell or them rubbing against sofa and carpets when they're wet ! So it's worth buying a towel designed specifically to take the hassle out of drying your dog.
Dot Dot Pet are an innovative, award winning new company offering a capsule range of pet care products.
Everything from the bamboo towels to the shampoos and eco towels (single use and biodegradable) are not only well designed, but they look nice around your home too.
They are also great for your carbon paw-print as their whole product range is responsibly sourced and sustainably made.
So why do we love their dog towels so much ?
Headline features include drying hand pockets and a hood, which helps you dry your dog without getting wet yourself. This was a game-changer for us ! We loved the pockets, they made drying quick and easy.
DotDotPet's towels are soft and absorbent which you'd expect but they're also light enough to throw in a dog walking bag for a quick dry after a sudden downpour or dip in the river !
Made from sustainable materials (45% bamboo, 35% polyester & 20% cotton), the towels are available in two sizes, so you have a choice depending on the size of your dog -
đž Small 50 x 50 cm (pink & purple)
đž Large 75 x 75 cm (orange & purple)
Buying Options
We'd love to know if you'd recommend any other portable dog washers
Thanks for stopping by and reading our article on the Best Portable Dog Washers for 2024.