How To Create An Outdoor Dog Shower For Less Than £50
Walking your dog in the winter weather can get seriously messy. The rain, wind and darkness means plenty of mud for your pooch to roll around in, amongst other things. There’s nothing worse than having to bathe your dog and then clean the entire bathroom. We’ve got the perfect solution- an outdoor dog shower.
What you’ll need
- 8 corner connectors
- 4 pipes 24 inches long
- 4 pipes 18 inches long
- 3 pipes 9 inches long
- 2 pipes 4 inches long
- 1 pipe 2 inches long
- 1 T-connector
- Hose adaptor
- Drill and small 1/16 inch bit
- Marker
How to make it
- Start by evenly marking each pipe to make the holes for the water. The space in between each hole marker should be roughly 3 inches. Drill the holes being careful not to drill all the way through the other side. Make sure you have enough space at the ends for your connectors.
- Make two rectangles using the 24 and 18 inch pipes. Ensure the holes are all facing inwards so that the water can spray that way.
- Connect the 4 inch pipes to the T-connector and the 2 inch pipe to the bottom. Attach the hose adaptor to the end of the 2 inch pipe.
- Construct a cuboid shape frame by fitting together the rectangles with the 9 inch pipes. Use the pipes with the hose adaptor fitted as the final side to the frame.
- Attach the hose to the adaptor and turn on the water. Let your dog enjoy his/her new shower!
These measurements are for a medium sized dog. If you have a small or large dog, simply adjust the length of the pipes. If you have a low water pressure, cover some of the holes so that the stream isn’t too weak to reach your dog. This shower is great for reaching the places you usually miss, like your dog’s belly. Both of your hands will be free due to the free standing frame so it’s easier on your arms and back. It’s also quicker than usual showers because it gives an overall rinse in one go!
You can find PVC pipes and fittings in any DIY shop and they are really inexpensive. Remember, this is something you’ll be using in the garden, so it doesn’t need to be pretty!
For a real luxury optional addition to your dog shower, why not plumb in a thermostatic inline valve to an outdoor tap for a warm spray on those cold winter days? This will take the price over £50, of course, but it will be a great investment to your outdoor tap for future use.
Other dog showers
If you need an outdoor shower for your dog but don’t have the time, space or resources to make this one, there are plenty of products you can buy to attach to your regular garden hose to make a shower for your dog. Adaptor shower heads are a good way to turn your hose into a shower and are usually cheap to buy. You can also get ones that make the water warm which would be useful for these colder months.You could also sit them in a large tub to avoid water-logging your grass.
Alternatively, you could buy your pet a ‘Woof Washer’ which attaches to your hose and showers your pet in a similar way to our DIY frame. It’s a hand-held device and works better for smaller dogs, however it is adjustable. The product also has a shampoo setting which will dispense soap automatically.
