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Updated April 18, 2024
When most people think of a company like Tractor Supply, the term “Tractor Supply Pet Wash” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind. After all, isn’t Tractor Supply nothing more than a trumped-up feed and seed store?
The reality is, that Tractor Supply is just that, with a splash of “pet store”. Tractor Supply caters to the crowd that wants to raise chickens while treating them as pets or involving their canines in a pseudo-farming lifestyle.
Tractor Supply is a competitor in the dog food and healthcare industry that lacks the ever-expansive, commercially massive aesthetics of a Pet Superstore. The focus is on rural pet owners. This makes it the perfect place for an RVer to give their dog a good wash.
In this article, you’ll learn about Tractor Supply’s Pet Wash stations. We’ll show you what to expect, how it works, and more. So if it’s time for your four-legged friend to get rid of that dirt from three campgrounds ago, join us as we walk you through the store, to Tractor Supply’s Pet Wash Department.
- Do Dogs Enjoy Getting Bathed?
- Can You Wash Your Dog in Tractor Supply?
- How Do You Use a Pet Wash Station?
- How Much Does a Pet Wash Station Cost?
- What Equipment Does Tractor Supply Offer?
- What Dog Shampoo Does Tractor Supply Use?
- How Often Should I Bathe My Dog?
- How Much Is It To Get A Dog Groomed?
- Is It Worth Grooming Your Dog Yourself?
- Final Thoughts: How to Find a Local Tractor Supply Wash Station?
- Related Reading:
Do Dogs Enjoy Getting Bathed?
Whether or not dogs enjoy getting bathed boils down to the dog in question. Some dogs absolutely love it. You will find yourself having to restrain them from jumping into the bath or under the garden hose before you are ready.
Others will need to be dragged out from underneath a kitchen table or, even worse, from underneath a bed. Dogs that hate baths will resist with a fervor they never exhibit when you’re training them, even if you bring treats to the table to lure them into the water.
With time, patience, and training, you can eliminate much of the craziness that bath time may bring.
Can You Wash Your Dog in Tractor Supply?
Not only can you wash your dog in a Tractor Supply, but you can also do it yourself. Not everyone’s dog likes baths, and it would be especially hard to bathe a dog when surrounded by strangers and other pets.
The pet wash station is an enclosed, clean room that includes all of the necessities for bathing your dog. Each bathing station includes:
- An all-purpose and specialty pet shampoo
- Various conditioners
- medicated sprays
- Brushes and combs
- Grooming tables
- Industrial blow driers
- Waterproof aprons for your use
How Do You Use a Pet Wash Station?
A pet wash station in Tractor Supply is very simple to use. Everything is right there in front of you—the tub, shampoo, conditioner, a tub bottom that adjusts for height, and hot or cold water options with an attached hose.
All available soaps and conditioners are in large, gallon containers with push-top dispensers. This means you can keep one hand on your dog while using the other to gather soap. Using the station is simple, straightforward, and designed as a DIY setup.
- Set the tub floor to the appropriate level, based on the height of your dog
- Open the tub door and walk your dog up the stairs and through the door
- Close and latch the door (the door has a rubber seal)
- Turn on the water and use the attached hoses to wash and rinse
- Use the shampoo and conditioner dispensers as needed (Tractor Supply doesn’t limit you)
- Turn off the faucet
- Grab the supplied, disposable towels to dry off your dog
- Collar, leash, and open the door to let your dog out
- Use the provided blow driers to fluff and completely dry your dog
I use the word “dog” here as an all-encompassing term for pets. At the end of the day, Tractor Supply provides these pet washing stations for just about any pet you own. However, there are a few exceptions—goats, pigs, dogs, cats, ferrets, and just about any furry animal you can own.
How Much Does a Pet Wash Station Cost?
One trip through the Tractor Supply Pet Wash Station with one pet costs $9.99. If you are a part of Tractor Supply’s “Neighbor’s Rewards Club,” it still costs $9.99, but you get every fourth wash for free. Buy three, get the fourth free.
Still, even if you’re not a member of the club, $10 isn’t bad. Especially considering the cost of pet shampoos and conditioners these days. Also, with the number of issues pets often have with their skin, this is still a great deal! Washing your pet with cheap, generic shampoo can clean the dirt off but damage sensitive skin.
To top it off, you’re not just paying for specialty shampoos and a quick bath. You’re paying for a less back-breaking experience. Washing a pet in your RV saps the fresh water tank. It’s also difficult to do inside, even if you have a bathtub. Even monster RVs don’t always have monster bathrooms to move around in comfort when it’s time to wash Fido.
There’s also an industrial drier, combs, and brushes (some of which feature a design that removes dead hair, and dandruff, along with redistributing the natural oils on your pet’s body). Not bad at all for $10.
What Equipment Does Tractor Supply Offer?
Though we’ve listed most of it above, Tractor Supply’s equipment is often more extensive than just what it advertises. The room itself is a contained glass room. So you’re walled off from other customers and pets, both of which might be stressful for your dog to be around while getting a bath.
The tub is stainless steel, and the drier is an industrial-level drier with an extension tube for a spot or quick drying. The shampoos and conditioners are lined up in dispensers close by and in easy reach.
There’s also a separate grooming table with included nail trimmers, scissors, and a first aid station with styptic powder in case you trim the nails just a little too far. If you’re worried about that, among other things, Tractor Supply team members with experience in bathing and grooming are on standby to answer questions and offer advice.
What Dog Shampoo Does Tractor Supply Use?
Tractor Supply mostly uses the shampoo brand Bark to Basics. But it’s also common to find Espree, Burt’s Bees, NaturVet, Vetericyn, Zymox, or Bobbi Panter. If you have your own shampoo that you prefer to use with your pet, you’re more than welcome to bring it in and use it.
Tractor Supply will also allow you to pull a shampoo from the shelf, use it to bathe your pet and pay for it on your way out the door. The $9.99 price tag remains the same, however, even if you bring in your own shampoo. Purchasing and using a shampoo off the shelf is added to the cost, and, of course, you get to take the bottle home.
How Often Should I Bathe My Dog?
How often you should bathe your dog generally depends on the dog and the coat. Some dog breeds have more sensitive skin, and you can’t bathe them very often, or you have to use a very specialized shampoo. Thick coats, medium coats, and short coats dictate bathing frequency as well.
For dogs with medium to heavy coats, it’s the generally accepted rule that you can bathe them once a week to as little as once a month. The frequency of bathing dogs with heavier coats is often dictated by their outdoor activities and how dirty they tend to get.
Dogs with short coats can get a bath once a week. A large part of the bathing frequency is dependent on the breed as well. Some dogs have a thick, insulative layer, and bathing them too many times strips away the essential oils their skin produces.
The best advice, in terms of bathing frequency, is to ask your veterinarian based on your breed or your puppy’s mixed-breed parentage. If you have a pure breed, it’s much easier to pinpoint information on them.
How Much Is It To Get A Dog Groomed?
The most basic dog grooming session, which will typically consist of bathing, brushing, a decent nail trim, ear cleaning, and perhaps a little scissor work, will cost up to $100 per session, perhaps as low as $40. It really depends on who is doing it and the extent of the “basic” grooming services offered.
Then we get into specialized dog grooming, which is more like a combination of costs, depending on what you want to add to the basic grooming service. Getting a haircut, especially one that requires a lot of finesses and work around the eyes, ears, nose, etc, can cost up to $100 all by itself, sometimes more.
There are also mobile dog grooming services available, so you can keep your dog at home while the professionals come to you. This is a good idea if your dog is a little high-strung and more comfortable in a recognizable environment.
If you still prefer to groom your dog as a DIY endeavor, there are grooming stations in most areas, some of which are surprising, like Tractor Supply.
Is It Worth Grooming Your Dog Yourself?
It is worth grooming a dog yourself if you know what you’re doing and your back can handle it. Believe it or not, a simple bath for a large dog can be a real backbreaker. Bathing and brushing techniques, along with the right kinds of brushes, soaps, and grooming tools are available on YouTube or the web.
When it comes to the type of grooming you might conduct for a dog show, that depends on your personal expertise in the matter. In most cases, this will require a professional dog groomer, most of which are fairly expensive.
Huge dogs, such as Mastiff breeds, Great Danes, and Saint Bernards, may require professional grooming just because they are far too big for you to handle on your own. Again, it depends on your own capabilities and know-how.
Final Thoughts: How to Find a Local Tractor Supply Wash Station?
RVers have several options at their disposal for locating Tractor Supply Pet Wash Stations, including RV Life Trip Wizard and Tractor Supply’s own Store Locator. Both are simple online tools that require a bit of information for either trip planning or just finding a Tractor Supply Pet Wash Station close to you.
There’s a lot to love about the RV lifestyle, especially if it means going on many adventures with your pet. But, RVs aren’t always the best for bathing dogs due to tight quarters, inadequate equipment, or the need to go easy on your freshwater tank.
That makes Tractor Supply an easy and affordable solution. You can get a professional wash done, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg to do it.
Related Reading:
– 10 Best RVs for Traveling to Dog Shows
– Is it Safe To Leave a Pet in an RV?
– Are Dogs Allowed In RV Rentals?
– How To Install An RV Doggie Door
– 11 Essential Dog Accessories for RV Camping
Thomas Godwin – Author and Part-Time RVer
Thomas Godwin is a full-time freelance writer with a BFA in Creative Writing, a U.S. Marine, and an avid outdoorsman.
Thomas’s love for RVing began at an early age spending time camping in the family vintage Airstream.
His background and education in writing, combined with his passion for the outdoors, can be seen in publications such as Camper Smarts and Vanlifers, as well as multiple animal and outdoor recreational publications.
When he’s not writing, he’s raising chickens and Appleyard ducks. Thomas also constructs teardrop campers (attempting to anyway) and kayaks the Blackwater River with his wife, two daughters, and his Dobermans.
What a great service for Tractor Supply to have! A Dog Washing Station. I’m no longer a pet owner but plan to let my friends and family know. I used to bathe my Sharpei weekly. He had so many folds that would collect debris and skin oils. Making a smelly dog. It was a chore to lift a 50 pound dog into the tub, get all the supplies needed and try to dry him before letting him out of the bathroom. In the meantime, he would shake and get everything wet in the bathroom then of course the bathroom would have to be cleaned. I loved my dog and would do anything from him. Our dogs love us unconditionally and give us companionship that is much needed. So the convenience of a Dog Wash Station at Tractor Supply is a much needed service.
Thank you for thinking of our pets as well as the owners.