4 tips for keeping your dog gear organized
One of the biggest pain points I have as a dog mom is feeling like there is dog stuff EVERYWHERE in our house. In order to combat this issue, I came up with some ways to categorize and organizing our dog clothes, toys, supplies, and gear.
I started thinking about how I organize my own closet and applied similar principles, such as rotating clothing seasonally and store accessories in bins.
My two biggest goals when organizing are:
- Have a place for everything so I can easily find it later
- Be able to quickly access what I use frequently
None of my organization tips below require you to have a Pinterest-worthy space or matching bins. You can certainly make it that way if you choose, but you'll see that I've personally chosen function over fashion when it comes to my organizational strategy ;-)
Without further ado, here are my top four tips for keeping your dog stuff organized!
Tip #1: Organize similar items together in bins
I have found that categorizing similar items helps remind me what I have and know where to look when I’m trying to find something. Categorization may look different depending on your pup’s needs, but here are a few of the ways I organize my own gear:
| Medical |
Store any medications, supplements, flea/heartworm tabs, salves, sprays, etc in one location and clean this out once a year to get rid of outdated medications. Because this is usually a big box of random stuff, I try to keep this bin larger than the contents, because it rarely stays organized. |
| Grooming |
If your pup requires a lot of grooming tools, you may want to have a separate grooming bin, or if you have minimal items, you may include it with your medical supplies. |
| Enrichment / Food toys |
Pups love enrichment, and keeping all of these toys in one spot may remind you to use them more frequently or in rotation. |
| Daily use | Keep a small open bin for daily use items that we frequently need for walks and neighborhood outings, such as my essentials pack/treat pouch, tennis balls, training clickers, and extra poop bag rolls. I keep this bin small so that it doesn’t become the dumping ground for everything pulled out of other bins. |
| In season |
Keep seasonally relevant gear grouped together and easily accessible (see below on section about hanging gear). |
| Off season |
Rotate clothing, bandanas, and gear seasonally as needed. For example, I store the pups’ winter shoes, the gloves I use for walking in the winter, and our darker bandanas in a separate bin during the summer. |
| Toy rotation |
Pups love new toys, but they also love toys they haven’t seen in a while! Consider having a bin where you store part of the toy collection, and periodically rotate a toy or two out. |
| Infrequent use |
Reserve a bin for items such as extra harnesses, leashes, camping gear, etc that may only be used sparingly. In order to avoid this from becoming a catch-all for random stuff, revisit this bin yearly. If you haven’t used it in a year, it’s likely time to pass it on to a pup in need at a local shelter or non-profit! |
Tip #2: Store your gear close to where you’ll need it
Now that you’ve got your dog gear organized into categories, consider storing it in the closest spot you’ll use it, as opposed to all in one spot.
Here are some examples:
Kitchen
Our enrichment toys are stored in a kitchen cabinet because that is where I fill them and wash them.
Garage
Most of our daily use gear and supplies are stored on an easily accessible shelf in the garage. All dog bandanas and clothing are stored in the garage, because that is also where we stop to put their harnesses and leashes on whenever leaving the house.
Living room
We store our grooming brushes and sprays in the living room because this is almost always where we brush our pups. Because this is a task that often gets forgotten on busy days, I keep these brushes out and visible in a corner instead of tucked away in a bin or cabinet and forgotten.
Car
Long lines, hiking leashes, and travel water bowls are stored in a bin on the floor under the dog seat cover in the car.
Tip #3: Hang clothing, bandanas, and leashes
Hang gear on hangers or racks that easily allow you to see everything and access it easily. We use a mix of 11” toddler hangers that have adjustable clips work for bandanas and hooks for jackets, harnesses, and leashes.
Tip #4: Store off-season gear (including bandanas!) separately
In my first tip, I suggested organizing your gear seasonally and by frequency of use. For example, if your pup typically wears lighter bandanas in the summer, store the darker ones away for a few months!
Depending on how large your collection is, you may want to consider storing your off-season bins and infrequent use gear in a separate location. Or, if in bins, at the bottom of the stack. If you need a reminder on when to switch everything around, consider swapping out your bins twice a year when the time changes!
Have fun organizing your gear!
I hope these tips help keep you and your pup’s gear organized and ready for adventure! If you have any other ideas or ways you keep your dog’s supplies and gears stored, drop them in the comments below!
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