Muddy Paws

loobyloo2

Just wondering how you all manage to keep your floors reasonably clean after all this rain recently!
I have 2 large shaggy dogs, and will be collecting a 3rd this weekend that will be staying for a month.
I have the 'Dirt Trap' mats at all the doors, and whilst they are great for human feet, dont seem to be quite up to the job with muddy paws. Larger dogs tend to be over them before their feet touch the mat.
I can get them to sit while I clean them up after a walk (or paddle in most cases), but often leave the back door open for them to enter as they please, which is rather like a yo-yo all day.
With all the rain we have had, and the fact that I have wonderful London clay in the garden, they do make rather a mess on the wooden floors.
Will I be resigned to putting up with this for ever?
What do you do?

lostinrates

loobyloo2 wrote: »

, but often leave the back door open for them to enter as they please, which is rather like a yo-yo all day.

We have found this to be the biggest problem. Close the door. Not only will your heating bill go down, and it be greener, but you can limit mud. They can go out for periods to play, you can provide places for them to sit outside. When you are ready to let them in dry feet and have a damp mop ready. Getting it while its still fresh and wet it easiest and very quick. I now ONLY leave the door open while airing the house for the morning ''big'' mop and hoover in the rain/cool weather.

gettingready

Just floors? Lucky you.....

With a 35 kg long haired GS who will not miss a puddle/lake/any water I have muddy floors, muddy setees, muddy bed......

Love them - put up with that, huh?

Penny_Watcher

*Pulls up chair and watches for replies whilst waiting for the floors to dry after today's mopping.*

We used to have a terrible problem with this until we put a gravel 'trap' between the muddy garden and the back door. The dogs have to walk over this before coming into the house. It doesn't catch all the mud by any stretch, but it's 100% better than it was.

foreign_correspondent

My mum has taken to putting an old white sheet on the floor inside the front door - when she brings her dog in, she makes her walk up and down the sheet till her feet are dry! It works and now the dog tends to have a roll on it too - saves quite a lot of paw marks on the carpet when it is wet outside!

I have a cheapo cotton ikea carpet runner in my hall, which does the same sort of job, but the sheet is easier to wash!

pinkneonmartini

Bob Martins Bath Wipes!!!! I swear by them! My Spike is a digger! so he's constantly covered in mud, and isn't afraid to jump in rivers (which is why we now walk in the woods, lol)

but seriously! The wipes are brilliant, i rush him straight into the kitchen and pin him til i've wiped him clean, if he's wet then he gets a quick towel rub down, but otherwise he's good to go, and they make him smell lush!

lisawood78

Hmmmm, our Danes come in through the kitchen (hard floor) but the rest of the house (rental) has PINK carpets all through and it is a nightmare to keep clean.
Yes, we can stop them in the kitchen and wipe paws but it is never that effective and if i bring them in one at a time, the other one inevitably runs back out when I let the 2nd in.
I'm sure there is a good solution, but I haven't found it yet, and with feet as big as they have I'm just going to have keep on Vaxing.
We did try a paw plunger but ended up wth peed off dogs and wet floors and clothes, so no good there.
Dog wellies?
:-)

loobyloo2

Hi All,
I seem to have lost my 'THANKS' button! I will find it somewhere, and thank you all, but in the meantime, I will thank all of you who have replied here.
:beer::beer::beer:

loobyloo2

Whehey, found it.
So, it seems I'm definately not alone on this one.
I dont mind the floors so much most of the time, but with Christmas coming, and an extra dog, it can be a bit of a nightmare I imagine.
I spent today washing all the rugs, apparantly they are more absorbant after several washes, somehow I don't think it will be much better.
I like the idea of the gravel, but would that attract the neighbours cats?
i suppose it will be imposible to have a lovely clean house, and big shaggy dogs!

Sublime_2

Its just our kitchen floor that gets muddy. We get muddy prints on there, especially just after cleaning. :rolleyes:

I get him to go to his bed for 1/2 hour (which has a clean throw on it) with a chew.

lostinrates

Re turtle rugs, we have enough to have one set down, one set in the wash, they dry VERY quickly, I rotate them daily when its wet.

I often put a decorators cloth down from door in to extend the cleanliness of the turtle mats. Also a towel by the door. I open the door a crack and let one dog inon to the towel (the towel is slightly to the side of the door, so they can only step n the towel, IYSWIM) then wipe feet, then repeat with next dog, and last dog, when its really bad or when we have company coming and I want to minimise moppings. It takes moments. The rugs only absorb when they are clean and haven't already reached capacity, why we rotate them so often, but when they are clean and dry we do find them very effective (and that they are quick to dry is vital.)