What is a Dog Shower?
A dog shower is a built-in shower for bathing dogs or other pets. These dog showers are built the same as a normal shower but often smaller and can be located in a laundry room or other space within the home besides the bathroom.
Dog showers are a growing home design trend that does not surprise me one bit. People love their pets and want to keep them clean without making a mess in the bathroom. This issue is where the dog shower came from because it adds convenience and separation between the human bathtub and the dog. Dog showers are the new must-have for pet owner home design.
I am Jorge Fontan, an architect in New York and owner of Fontan Architecture, an NYC architecture firm. At our office, we work on various projects, including residential design. And I am now seeing more people interested in dog showers or bathing stations. The dog shower trend will certainly continue to grow as more and more people hear about the concept.
Building a Dog Shower
Building a shower for a dog is no different than making one for a human. The plumbing is all the same, and they both need the same waterproofing. Licensed contractors and plumbers should perform this work. You may need permits based on your local regulations. In New York City, we need permits to add any plumbing fixtures to a home.
The picture below is of a dog shower in a Brownstone we gut-renovated in NYC. We put the dog shower in the laundry room. This location was convenient because our new laundry room had plenty of room to fit it, and we planned ait s a wet area already.
Dog Shower in a Laundry Room
Why Install a Dog Shower?
A dog shower’s main benefit is having a dedicated bathing facility for your dog. You do not need to mix the people bathing and animal bathing. You can have these in a separate space, such as a laundry room like the one in this post. Having a dog shower can make your life easier, and avoid tons of dog hair in your bathtub.
Dog Showers
I think dog showers are going to continue to grow in popularity, with more people adding them to their homes. If you are already planning a home renovation, that is a great time to do this to make it easier. We added the one in this post while gut-renovating a 5,000-square-foot brownstone. It is always easier to add things when you are already building or renovating than after you are done.
Thank You for Reading Our Blog Post on Dog Showers?
I hope this was helpful. If you want to speak with an architect about a potential project, contact us at Fontan Architecture directly.
This post was written by Jorge Fontan AIA a Registered Architect and owner of New York City architecture firm Fontan Architecture. Jorge Fontan has earned 3 degrees in the study of architecture including two degrees from the City University of New York and a Masters Degree in Advanced Architectural Design from Columbia University. Jorge has a background in construction and has been practicing architecture for 20 years where he has designed renovations and new developments of various building types.
