Autumn has arrived and we’re heading into those wet & muddy months. At this time of year, I’m often asked what the best way is to care for dog training dummies, particularly how to clean them when they get dirty and smelly. So here are my top tips for keeping your dummies in good condition in order to prolong their life.
Traditional canvas dummies
If cared for correctly, and provided your dog isn’t a chewer, canvas dummies should last for years. They generally pick up some dirt but in normal use it should dry & fall off. During winter however they can become very heavily soiled and slimy. If they do, don’t be tempted to put them in the washing machine on a boil wash or, as someone once told me, put them in the dishwasher. I have also heard of people putting them in the microwave in order to sanitise them. Some canvas dummies however contain plastic inners or pvc backing on the material. This could melt or start to release chemicals at high temperatures.
Instead, simply scrub the dummies in a bucket of cool water. Don’t use any strong-smelling chemicals such as washing powder or gel, as the scent will remain on the dummy and may put your dog off retrieving the item. If you do want to put it in a machine rather than hand washing it, then pop the dummy in a washing bag (you can buy specialist washing bags for machines) or an old pillowcase and wash on a cold, delicate wash. It’s also advisable to pop in a few old towels or something similar as a few 1lb dummies spinning round your washing machine will be noisy at best and could damage the machine at worst.
Once you’ve washed the dummies, leave them to dry thoroughly before storing them somewhere dry and where air can circulate around them (hung up on hooks or in an old wine rack is ideal). Airtight containers are not advisable unless you know the dummies are completely dry as any moisture can cause mould to grow on the canvas.
Check any canvas dummies regularly for signs of wear and tear and discard any that are damaged or that have gone mouldy.
Fur items
For any rabbit fur items, simply wash these in cold water only. Again, leave them to dry thoroughly. Don’t be tempted to speed up the drying process with a hot hairdryer (this could melt the glue) however, you can fluff the fur up once they are dry using a hairdryer on the cold setting.
Alternative dummies for winter
On really muddy days I often switch to PVC canvas or plastic water dummies. These are great because they can simply be washed under a tap and wiped clean (this also makes them great for any beach training sessions). The orange or white versions are great for muddy conditions (white is easy for the dog to see, orange is more challenging) as both can be clearly seen by you. Dokkens are also great at this time of year as they are made from a hard foam which is easy to clean but you can also have scent applied.
I hope that has covered any questions that you had around care and cleaning of dummies but do please get in touch if you have any further queries. You can find all of the alternative dummies for winter/muddy conditions on our website in our Speciality Dummy section.
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