Winter essentials - the kit I couldn’t be without!
Link in the height of the December snow, 2022!
Winter can be a lovely time of year for walking - the picturesque frost and snow, the crisp air, and often the lack of mud due to the frozen ground, what a treat! Each season brings its own pros and cons for dog walkers, and at this time of year the only downside to this kind of weather for me is navigating the cleaning of dogs after a walk when the temperatures are so low. In this post I’m going to talk about some of my recommended equipment that I’m making particular use of at this time of year, hopefully to give you an idea of why I like it so much as to actively recommend it!
The Dexas Lidded Mudbuster
My 3 paw-washers: on the left, the Dexas Lidded Mudbuster in size large, and on the right my two off-brand paw-washers, the blue size medium, and the pink size small.
The what? The Dexas Lidded Mudbuster is a paw-washer, essentially a sturdy plastic cup with a soft silicone insert that lines the cup, featuring gentle bristles for cleaning. There are plenty of knockoff versions available on places like amazon, and I even picked two up in Homesense for about £4-6! However, as is often the way, you get what you pay for, and for me purchasing the original paw-washer, made by Dexas, has been well worth the money. They introduced a lidded version following the success of their initial creation, and really that has been the game changer.
To use the mudbuster, you simply fill it up with warm water and gently dip your dogs feet in, allowing the soft bristles to help remove dirt and debris - and don’t worry, I did of course immediately stick my own hand into this thing upon buying it to verify that it is indeed extremely gentle! None of my dogs mind using it, even those who are a little fussy around their feet, and it can actually reduce handling time for those dogs as you’ll need less time spent scrubbing at their feet with a towel to remove dirt!
Check out those bristles - don’t worry, they’re not at all as ferocious as they look!
The lid really comes into its own in winter, as it helps to retain the heat of the water held inside. For me, this means that I can fill it up with hot water before leaving for pickup before a walk, and by the time I’ve finished the walk about an hour and half later, the water is the perfect temperature to dip muddy, cold paws into for a quick and easy clean! At a time of year when it’s so cold that really using water of any temperature is best avoided, this is the most efficient and effective way for me to get my dogs clean after a muddy walk. It’s super quick and also saves on water waste, as prior to this I would be filling up a large plastic basin to accomplish the same task. Obviously, if you’ve got a dog who charges through the mud and puddles with glee and can’t seem to avoid getting dirty no matter how hard you try, this probably won’t be enough, but if you’ve got a dog who generally keeps fairly clean aside from their feet and legs, then I can’t recommend this enough. Even if you do have to do additional washing, I still would absolutely recommend adding this bit of kit to your household.
The other major thing about the lid is that it makes the paw-washer portable - bung it in the car or a backpack and take it with you for a day out, and know that you’ll be able to have clean paws getting into the back of your car or walking through your front door when you come home. And trust me, this thing is definitely water tight. Not only have I taken it (full) in my car many a time, I’ve also unfortunately fallen over (I slipped on ice) whilst carrying it (full) and although it flew into the air and landed heavily on the pavement, skidding for a few feet, not a drop was spilled! Safe to say I can’t say enough good stuff about this piece of equipment.
The large size is suited to dogs like Labradors (tested on Big Rocco and Link), Golden Retrievers (tested on Fernando) and Greyhounds (tested on Regan). However, it can also be used on medium dogs (tested on Miniature Labradoodle Bonnie) - the bristles do less work, but you can get more of the leg in so long as they are tall enough to comfortably have their leg lifted to the height required to dip it in! Otherwise, the medium is good for medium-size dogs such as Bonnie, and the small for anything smaller, from Elsie & Violet (Parson Jack Russells) to Crumbs and Moo (Chihuahua x Jack Russells!).
Holding the small size for reference!
Nobleza Microfibre Drying Coats
These microfibre towelling coats come in 4 sizes, from small (Elsie & Violet; Parson Jack Russells, Baby Rocco; Cockapoo) up to extra-large (Fernando; Golden Retriever), and are an amazing bit of kit to have on hand for the cold, muddy winter months.
Bonnie and Violet in their drying coats, size medium for Bonnie and size small for Violet!
The coats go over the head, and have a section that comes up under the tummy and fastens with velcro along the dog’s side. The neck can be left open or can also be done up with velcro to cover the dog’s neck and even ears if they are super soggy! They’re very soft and comfortable, and the microfibre material quickly wicks excess moisture away, as well as taking up residual dirt and debris from the dog’s coat.
I make use of these coats during clean-up, after my walks. I have an outdoor space where I do this before returning the dogs home, and so it’s important in winter especially to ensure that the dogs aren’t getting too cold whilst standing still, particularly if I have a full house to get through, or one particularly dirty dog who needs extra time and attention! These coats mean that I can wash a dog down and pop the coat straight on their body before drying their feet and legs, or in an instance where we’ve been rained on and they’re already soaked, the coat can go on right away. The added benefit is that, as I say, the coats aid the drying process and also take up some degree of dirt, so I can spend less time trying to dry them off with towels and get everyone home and cosy a lot quicker!
For full reviews on these items, as well as links to purchase them (non-affiliated, I just like them!), head over to my Recommended Equipment page. The right gear can make any season easier to tackle, and so I hope that you might find this helpful as a point of recommendation, or just to get some ideas about things that could make you and your dog’s lives easier!