Dirty Feet....Any tips?

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Oh my.....this is the result of less than a 10 minute potty break outside with a little bit of playing.  This is going to be a LOOONNNGGGG winter if I don't figure out a routine to deal with the muddy feet running through my house.  Last winter, Kona only got wet feet from the rain and is great about sitting to have his feet wiped, but this year there is a lot of exposed dirt from me losing 4 trees and tons of plants to a gopher (that Maggie caught...Yay!) so now the dirt is turning into mud and doesn't wipe off easily.

 

Anyway...I'm dealing with this several times a day during the wet morning and evening potty breaks now that winter is here.  Any tips?

 

[Dawn Ross]

Try PAWZ - http://pawzdogboots.com/prod_boots/. One of my favorite bloggers, SugarTheGoldenRetriever.com, wears them all the time. I got a pair for Maya and they are great.

[Bonnie and Kona]

We have red dirt at our new house in Hawaii. The rain means red mud. YUCKO. I usually spray off their feet and dry them with a towel. Then I secure them on the back stairs and landing to let them dry more before coming in the house. It helps some but it's still a problem. 

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

I think I might have to try those!  Thanks for the tip. 

I have a small tin wash basin that I might have to just keep loaded with fresh water constantly.  I LOVE their furry feet, but man they attract mud!  A little bit of damp grass mixed with the SLIGHTEST walking in the dusty dirt and it just gets all up inside their cotton undercoat!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

I've read about this product (Paw Plunger)

http://pawplunger.com/

It looks like a doodle or a doodle wannabe on their website. Not sure if it works or not but Tara would not be thrilled with it and it would take some serious treating to get her to even try it.! LOL

For plan B- pray for a hard freeze! :)

[Gwyndolyn Morasko]

Very interesting!  (The dog looks like a Briard.  When I adopted Maggie, she was presented to me as a GoldenDoodle, but I had her DNA tested and she came back with lots of Briard and American Eskimo, so I did some research on Briards and that is what a lot of them look like) 

As for the hard freeze, I'd have to move back to Montana for that!  I live in Los Angeles county (Long Beach)

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I have the same problem and since I have a doggy door, it is all over my house!!!! What a pain.

[Jeanine Bandini]

This is my problem too! We live in NC and the "dirt" is red clay which stains! I dont think any amount of training would get Wally to put his paw in the Plunger (please someone let me know if they have achieved this!!) but I am going to try the boots. It is such a pain to clean him off for every 5 minute potty break he takes!! And yes, it gets on his belly too! We have tried to minimize the exposed dirt areas in the back yard and that has helped but he still goes through my flower beds!Let me know if the Pawz work!

[Bonnie and Kona]

What did you use to cover the red dirt with? We are trying to decide on mulch vs stones.

[Jeanine Bandini]

Actually we have lots of grass, stone and pine straw. I have tried to put mulch in the flower beds but that has been very expensive and not very effective.(and you have to do it 2 times a year) He loves the stone (I am assuming since it is cool). We had a large garden that we are taking out and I think that will help a lot.(once it is completely covered with grass or pine straw)  Sadly it takes a while for our projects to get completed!! Meanwhile, my neighbor has 2 small white dogs that never get dirty!!  I think my favorite is the pebbles and grass (we have bermuda grass) but he always finds the spots not covered!!

[Jane, Guinness and Murphy]

I'm thinking that since this isn't actually a training question you might get even more feedback if you posted this on the main forum. 

[Lynda Kamrath]

Yep, we have feet problems also.  When it is raining and wet here, the dogs go down in the dog run and come back up with very muddy feet.  We keep a towel at the back door and they know they have to have their feet dried off before they come in the house.  However, if the feet are muddy, we go to the laundry room (outside) and we have a pail that we dunk the feet into, one foot at a time.  Then I squeeze the water out with a shamwow.  Those little towels are super for drying off feet and for soaking up water after a bath.  You just squeeze them and they soak up the water.  My dogs can not come into the house with wet or dirty feet.  They know that and are quite cooperative.