Muddy paws

[Louise Perry]

Okay does anyone have a magic trick up their sleeves for coping with muddy paws when coming in from the garden? Now I admit that my lawn needs re - turfing but the caked in wet mud are unbelievable. I now have to have watering can and towels by back door and it takes ages! How do u lot cope with multiple dogs? 

[Delia Bryce]

Louise ..... I have huge bath sheets I got from tesco  but I cant keep in top of the muddly paws the towels are now mainly to prevent him from slipping on the floor ...... Wooden floor and a wet excited Irish dont mix but I am glad I dont have carpets down stairs ...... We are about to build an extension and will have tiles but they have a texture so he wont slip but as for muddly paws over 30 yrs of dogs and I havent found the answer - wellingtons might help but he just likes to chew them not wear them! Its just trying to catch him as he comes in to dry him off!  Will watch for others replies!

[silvia]

being curious, after reading this a couple of days ago i bought the paw plunger in internet... I admit  I was a bit skeptical (and thinking "well, it will be another of these expensive gadgets that do not work ;)" ... my husband also was laughing a bit ironically at me ..

 

But we dont have water outside, and  oh well, this little tool is just great !! Problem solved and no more tons of muddy towels : Oberon seems also quite keen to plung his paws inside if the water is a bit warm and I am surprised how clean they come out :)  I am sure you can do the same with some water outside, but in absence of it I found that with this little thing the whole procedure is not messy at all, no spills around etc  :)

 

 I admit I think I like it!

 

[Sue Paterson]

Back garden divided...dogs half is paved so no mud, just wet!!!

After field trips...outside shower ( so warm water) for bottom half i.e. feathers on legs and belly and a good towel down...into dog room with tiled floor and dirt trapper/Turtle mats and a cheap version bought at shows...all of which can just about fit in washing machine and tumble drier. Not perfect, but workable and the result of many years of problem solving multiple dog family! :-))

[Louise Perry]

Yes i have heard about the paw plunger but surely after one paw you would need to change the water and yes what a performance! We rent and have carpet downstairs but hopefully to change to flooring this year, so they are not precious but would be nice to keep my feet clean when walking around the house too. I do have the conservatory to sort him out in but just seems worse this year than ever. In fact it is worse since the groomer trimmed the bottoms of his feet i think - was a bit confused by what you meant sue about the hocks and feathers up to stop pads in winter. Do you mean keep them trimmed by pads or long? sorry to be daft but thats me, like my dog, hehe.

Emm fencing of the lawn in winter, nice idea but presumably quite expensive?

yes I do use the watering can after walks and then any ecess mud is on his bed usually as just shut lounge door etc.

yes I do admire you multiple dog owners and I am not really moaning but just think it is about time there was a magic gimmick in the market!!! hehe

 

Quite like the sound of a footbath too!

 

Thank you everyone for your help and lets hope it stops raining soon.

[Sue and Cash]

Mine can't really play in the yard much- it is small.  But does get muddy. I also keep the feet very trimmed which helps but mine get horrible muddy at the dog park.  I keep lots of quilts in the car and get him into the bathtub to rinse underneath him and his feet.  If really bad in the yard, I use a bucket and towels as well.  Five years ago we tore out all our carpets downstairs and put in laminate flooring.  I clean him at the backdoor best I can and then wipe up the rest.  Getting rid of carpet downstairs was the best move we ever made!  I don't freak out about it anymore.  And the damage is fixable quickly.   

[Louise Perry]

yes sue thats true a quick flick of the mop on the few mud prints and all forgotten I should imagine. will have to motivate my landlady sooner rather than later.

[KC and the boys]

:) That's the spirit!

 

[lyn hathaway]

ive more trouble with the oh coming in with mud on his feet louise lol.i think youll have to put up with it your dog will be happy running in though .

[Louise Perry]

Haha lyn, yes my hubby is just as bad and a year down the line I  will no doubt be like Finn and not care either. All part and parcel and the highs well make up for the lows...

[Sue and Cash]

I just remembered something you guys, we put mulch in places all around our yard where the dogs over the years have killed the grass countless times and left mud in it's place.  I used safe mulch, remember no cocoa mulch.  It raises the dog up on top of it.  Every spring we put down 10 more bags of it and then I have less mud to deal with.  I have had bad diggers over the years and they find the mud under the mulch, but so far Cash hasn't been too bad about it.  Perhaps you can mulch some of it?

[Ilona & Gina]

How we cope? With timberfloor and bedlinnen with a beautiful muddy pawprint pattern.

[Deborah Christopher]

We've had to get rid of all the lawn in the back garden and it's now block paved but somehow it's still muddy!!!  Have you tried the 'Magic Rug', you can buy them online and from garden centres, beware though they are VERY expensive but they do work.  They soak up water and mud from the feet instantly but your dog has to stand on it!!!  So if you can train your dog to stop on it or at least walk slowly they are good.  We ended up buying a very large one cos of the Danes.

 

We also have vet bed in the back of the car so that when we go out it soaks up most of the mud and water so they don't bring it in the house. Well not much of it any way!!