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I thought about this question a while ago and have yet to find an answer. We have a small two person tent, just enough for my wife and I, and our dog. The issue is drying said dog when it is raining. Even with a towel his fur is too long to properly dry, here is the little demon:

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He is only 14 inches (35 cm) to the shoulder but the amount of fur is ridiculous. Even with a coat it seeps through. In about two years this won't be an issue as he will grow a waterproof overcoat, but until then he is equivalent to a sponge. I am sure some of you go camping with dogs so the question is:

How do you dry a dog when they are soaking wet?

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  • Apparently cordless hair dryers are a thing...
    – requiem
    Jan 26, 2016 at 21:38
  • I love our fluffman.
    – Aravona
    Jan 26, 2016 at 21:40
  • My dog never comes inside the tent in fear of him chewing the down sleeping bag in the middle of the night or something of that nature. he usually gets carabinered to the tow hook of my car on a 30ft lead or same setup with a couple cams, ice screws or some sort of anchor. He went for a swim once in a lake and when he got back on the beach he rolled around and was covered in sand, I had to put him back in the water haha
    – AM_Hawk
    Jan 27, 2016 at 19:25
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    A Shetland Sheepdog. Personally I would think a working breed from the Shetland Isles would be quicker as well. About two years for a male to get a full coat, up to four for a female. While he looks quite full coated in the picture the middle has yet to come in properly.
    – Dynadin
    Jan 28, 2016 at 5:50
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    The Shetland Sheepdog is counted as the 6th most intelligent breed in the world. Him however ... I'm wondering if he pretends to be stupid so he doesn't have to do anything.
    – Dynadin
    Jan 28, 2016 at 19:17

2 Answers 2

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One very helpful thing is to brush him while you're towel drying. The brushing will help separate the hair to keep it from matting and will allow more air drying to occur.

Also, if you use chamois leather to dry him off initially it will keep you from soaking a towel right away. The chamois will absorb a lot of water, but is easily wrung out to absorb more. This trick will get him mostly dry, and then you can finish drying him with a towel if you'd like.

One last thing I'd suggest is a small bottle of deodorizing spray. I have a St. Bernard and the wet dog smell can be overpowering in a small area, but the spray will help mask some of the lingering smell. This of course is optional.

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If you are backpacking or trying to travel light, bring a separate tent for the dog. There are lots of small tents built with this in mind. Even a small tarp will do the trick, if you aren't worried about bugs. A patch of grass under the tarp will make him perfectly happy. (You'll need to use a tie-out if you go with a tarp, of course.)

For car camping, we have a ridiculously large Coleman tent that has a screened-in porch on one end. That's where the inevitably wet and muddy (and covered in deer poop if she can find any) dog sleeps. My dog is a husky who can take a full day or more to dry, depending on the weather, so separate sleeping arrangements are essential.

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