Dogs get dirty – out walking, playing, and just generally being dogs! We recommend five amazing portable dog showers to keep them clean on the go.
Most dogs love to get dirty – it’s a fact of life, when you’re a dog owner.
So, before you consider how to get your muddy dog through your house and to the bathroom without destroying your carpets on the way, what if there was an easy, convenient, safe way to wash your mucky pups before they set foot on your best rug?
Well, there is!
Check out our guide to the 5 best muddy dog washers – and spare yourself, your dog, and your lovely clean white bathroom any more stress.
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Our Recommended Portable Dog Washers
In our opinion, these are the outdoor dog showers that deserve your attention.
There's our overall favourite, the best value for money, and a great alternative for bigger dogs.
We review each in more detail down below.
Amazing Value
Hozelock PortaShower
OUR TOP PICK
Mud Daddy Portable Dog Washer
Great Alternative
Epocaspa Freshower
OUR TOP PICK
Mud Daddy Portable Washing Device
This portable dog washer from Mud Daddy comes in a range of volume sizes and is designed to clean your dog quickly and easily, before putting them in the car or allowing them back into the house.
It works in just 3 simple steps:
- Fill the tank with warm water.
- Work the pump to build up pressure inside the tank.
- Press the lever on the handle of the hose to get the water flowing.
The tanks come in a variety of sizes, ranging from 5 litres up to 12 litres. The biggest model thankfully comes on wheels so you don't need to it around.
The tanks themselves are also capable of insulating warm water for up to 2 and a half hours.
Packed with great features, check out the pros and cons to see if this is the right portable dog shower kit for you:
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line: Overall, this light, compact, portable dog shower is a great all-rounder, and easily makes the top of our list.
It’s quick and easy to use, designed specifically for washing your dog, and the tank is large enough to wash multiple dogs before needing a refill.
Remember, you can also use it to clean anything outside from horses’ hooves to mountain bikes.
Best Value
Hozelock PortaShower
This Hozelock unit from a brand you know and trust is compact, light and has a handy carry strap for maximum portability.
One of the top-rated choices on Amazon for owners of dirty dogs, this portable muddy dog washer is functional, very competitively priced, and has a generous 25 pint capacity, meaning you can do a lot of dog washing before needing to stop to refill.
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line: With a compact design and solid water pressure, this is a versatile portable shower for washing dogs and many other dirty jobs!
It's great value for money and earns our respect for being so competitively priced.
Great Alternative
Epocaspa Freshower
Another multipurpose portable dog shower, this model from Epoca combines performance and ease of use perfectly and is great for anyone living in remote areas or where they come into direct contact with nature on a regular basis.
A generous 7 litre capacity makes it more than capable of washing even the biggest of dogs. However, for the same reason it is also quite heavy to carry when full.
It has a well insulated water tank that keeps water warm for a few hours at a time and even comes with a shoulder strap to help carry it around.
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line: A solid alternative to to our last two recommendations. It's good value for money and capable of washing a lot of dog with its 7 litre tank!
Colapz Dog Shower Kit
If you are looking for a premium professional outdoor dog wash station, this Colapz dog shower kit, has it all.
Specifically designed for dog washing and grooming, this deluxe kit comes with a sturdy weatherproof carry bag, portable rechargeable battery, and a full set of dog-friendly washing attachments.
This could be the perfect tool to help you with a dog walking business, so you can wash off your four-legged customers before returning them home.
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line: If you are fed up with pumping your portable dog washer by hand, then this ever so convenient battery powered unit could be the one for you.
The pump is surprisingly powerful and once charged the battery will last a very long time. Despite the obvious draw back of an open water source, this unit makes for a great outdoor dog wash station and is worth the investment.
Delavo Outdoor Shower
This small 10-pint capacity unit is a handy space saving addition to your outdoor dog washing kit.
With its smaller capacity it might not be as suitable for large or multiple dogs as some of the other outdoor dog shower entries in our list, but despite its size, it can generate a powerful water pressure once pumped manually.
Pros
Cons
Bottom Line: It's the most basic portable shower on our list but that makes it really cheap too. This is the budget offering on the list.
Portable Dog Showers Buyers’ Guide
Hopefully, one of the high quality options from our list will suit your mobile dog wash needs, but what are the things you should think about before buying your portable dog shower?
Portability
Depending on where and when you want to wash your dogs, the portability of your chosen outdoor dog washing arrangements, will be more or less of an issue.
If you primarily wash your dogs in your back yard after they return from a walk, but before they go in the house, portability will be less of an issue for you.
If, however, you want to wash your dogs before they get in the car to return home, your unit must fit easily and safely in your car.
Remember, unless there is a tap available to you where you walk your dogs, you may also need to fill the water tank before you leave home, so you’ll need a closed, watertight tank.
If you intend to use any of these units to water your garden or use it literally ‘on the go’, look out for the models with shoulder straps, which will make it super easy to carry your unit with you and if you can, go for one of the smaller models to relieve the pressure on your back and shoulders.
Trading off the fact you will have to refill it more often.
Ease of use
None of the models mentioned above are ‘difficult’ to use, but some feedback suggests that without a trigger or ‘on/off’ lock, you might need three hands.
So, think carefully about whether you want to be able to control the water supply from the shower head as you wash your dog, or whether a constant flow of water works better for you.
Most of these units require manual pumping and some self-assembly.
While none of this presents a problem for the average, reasonably fit, healthy person, if you struggle with motility in your hands or strength in your arms, you might need help to assemble the shower, and prefer a battery powered option that doesn’t require manual pumping.
Insulation
Plastic is an insulator, so any hot water you put in the plastic water tanks will lose its heat more slowly, but it will lose heat.
So, how do you know if you fill the water tank before your walk, it will still be warm by the time you get back to your car.
This obviously depends on how far you’re driving and how long you’re walking for. Trial and error will probably be your only answer to this.
Actual insulation doesn’t appear to be a feature of any of the models we have showcased here, but lots of happy customers achieve this end safely and comfortably, by wrapping a towel around the unit for extra insulation, with the added bonus of being able to towel dry your dog too.
Recommended Reading: Check our guide to dog steps and stairs next.
Water pressure
Let’s face it, if you’re expecting any of these outdoor portable dog showers to give you ‘power shower’ quality water pressure, you’re going to be disappointed.
Once you come to terms with that, these outdoor showers will provide decent water pressure if manually pumped correctly to the right internal pressure.
Check our list above for more information on water pressure and whether you can be bothered to manually pump your shower or would like a higher performance battery-powered pump.
Water usage
All the units offer pretty good performance when it comes to water usage.
Many use significantly less water than hosepipes or standard pressure washers, but look out for on/off controls, as a constant flow of water could lead to wastage as you wash your dog.
Think about the size of tank you are likely to need too. There is a range of size options available in our list.
A large capacity may just lead to overfilling with water you don’t need. Around 10-15 pints should be enough to give one medium/large dog a good wash.
If your pooch is smaller or not as dirty, buy a smaller unit or try putting less water in the tank.
Attachments and accessories
All the portable dog showers in our list come with a basic shower head, which might be fine for you and your dog.
Only one of them comes with a specific brush for loosening dirt in your dog’s coat, paws, and pads. One of them also comes with three separate attachments, carry bag and a hanging hook.
Only you know how important having a full set of accessories is when thinking about your outdoor dog wash station. If portability is important, simpler might be better.
