Jeep survey reveals we spend 70 hours a year cleaning our mucky pups

A survey of 2,000 dog owners by Jeep reveals approximately 1 hour 20 minutes a week is spent cleaning up after muddy pups, whether that be physically washing or just cleaning up after them, equating to approximately 36 days during the average dog’s lifespan.

On a weekly basis, 61% of dog owners find themselves giving their dog a thorough clean at least once, while 35% clean their car in the aftermath of a muddy dog walk on one or more occasions.

Owners of a Jeep Wrangler have an advantage when it comes to mucky pups in their cars. Taking a look underneath the floor mats they will discover a number of plugs which can be removed to allow water to drain. Whilst this feature is typically used when off-roading, it also means any seriously muddy floor pans can be carefully hosed out and drained ready for the next ‘Paw X Paw’ adventure.

Jeep worked with forensic soil experts at The James Hutton Institute to investigate which dogs pick up the most mud on their daily walks. Paw-ticipants were instructed to go on 3 walks with their owners then tasked with collecting the mud picked up by the dog post-walk. The mud sample was then sent back to the Institute to be weighed.

A sample of 30 dogs from around the UK took part in the challenge, from small breeds including Chihuahuas, to canine giants such as Great Danes as well as ‘wildcard’ mixed breeds, from the well-known Cockapoo to a more unknown Lhasa Apso Cross.

Lilly may not have been a winner in Jeep’s awards, but she could do with mud flaps.

The first-of-its-kind study revealed the muddiest and most explorative adventures can come in all shapes and sizes, with Ollie Mo the Yorkshire Terrier taking acclaim as the ‘Paw X Paw’ Muddiest Dog of the Year. Ollie collected a greater proportion of soil compared to his own body weight than any other dog, gathering 14g of soil on his walk. He was followed in second place by Evie, a Bearded Collie, meanwhile, Houndslow, the Saint Bernard, picked up the most amount of soil, 42g of his weight.

To celebrate the muddy dogs that took part in study, Jeep has created a muddy dog’s calendar which can be downloaded for free here: https://www.jeep.co.uk/news/muddy-dogs