Bloody weather. Tricks to prevent my house becoming a Tough Mudder course?

[DeathByPuppy]

Hi all

I’ve got a 14 week old lab who LOVES mud, water and general filth and unfortunately for me (but brilliant for him) there is LOTS of it about at the moment. My back garden is a quagmire and even if I stuck to walking him on pavements there is still a lot of wet leaves and muck about the place that he manages to get covered in.

Dogs get lucky and wet. I accept that. How best can I prevent my house and car from becoming filthy mudholes during these boggy wet months, until spring shows it’s face? Currently I’m wiping his feet/legs/belly with a towel when he gets in but it isn’t very useful and he seems to still be filthy.

I thought about a putting the hose on low and giving him a quick wash off when we got in but he’s scared of it, plus I think it’s a bit chilly. Though he happily wades into muddy streams and deep puddles without a backward glance, so perhaps it isn’t the temp.

How does everyone else manage the relentless mud during wet winters?

[DeathByPuppy]

That ‘lucky’ should say ‘mucky’

[StrongTea]

Just a nightmare. Have got a big piece of vet bedding on floor at back door. Gets some of the muck off.

[CornishPorsche]

We have an 8l Mud Daddy www.muddaddy.co.uk/collections/all for our fox-poo rolling mutt.

BTW when your dog starts the rolling, the answer is to spray them with white vinegar, let it soak in a bit, then wash them in the bath / shower etc with plenty of dog shampoo. It takes the stench out.

Also, cheap quick drying dog towels from B&M etc - I have 3, with one living in the car and 2 on rotation at the house.

[Nigglesmiggle]

I’m seriously looking at those all in one suits you can get. Even a fleece one would contain a lot of the mud and could hose that down instead of the dog
You used to be able to get dog sack type things to put them in in the car-would work if you have one that sits still in the car

[Nigglesmiggle]

Like this!

[Ellybellyboo]

We’ve got towels by the back and front doors and wipe her feet as much as possible when she comes in

We’ve also got a couple of big towelling zip up bags for the car.

www.amazon.co.uk/Towelsrus-Towelling-Dog-Size-Regular/dp/B07BL19FC1/ref=mp_s_a_1_3?hvlocphy=1006657&hvnetw=g&keywords=dog%20dry%20bags&hvadid=259136620792&qid=1579001872&gclid=EAIaIQobChMI4JPjqYCD5wIVibPtCh0lxgIFEAAYASAAEgI80_D_BwE&hydadcr=14408_1763459&hvpos=1t1&hvdev=m&hvqmt=b&hvtargid=kwd-298562122556&adgrpid=61736820628&hvrand=748396751724723787&sr=8-3&tag=mumsnet&ascsubtag=mnforum-21

[FacesLookUgly]

Micro towels are the best, imo. We have a few so I can throw a couple on the dog bed and tell them to get in it. They lie on the towels which soak up the grot.

They are also better at this than vet beds so I throw a couple on the boot floor so when the dogs get in the car, the same thing happens. My car is always covered in mud, though. I washed it at the weekend and the droplets of it were everywhere where he'd shaken inside the car.

We also have a roomba and braava which go around every day. This has probably made the biggest difference to general dog mess levels in the house.

At 14 weeks he will be nervous of the hose but time and patience may help him get used to it if that's something you want to do long term. You can have warm water taps on the outside of the house so it's not so cold.

Our garden was at its worst the first winter with a puppy. Subsequent winters have been better and we make a point to use a high quality feed and seed on the lawn over the summer so that the grass is at it's best for winter. More grass tends to = less mud.

Plus, eventually you learn to reluctantly accept the mud.

[DeathByPuppy]

His car crate is lined with vetbed, @StrongTea. I really rate it. Plus it’s the only bed that he doesn’t eat . I’ve got a turtle mat thing at the back door, a big one, but it does next to bugger all. I’ll try the vet bed option.

I’ve seen those muddaddy things @CornishPorsche but thought they might be a bit of a QVC/teleshopping gimmick. Interesting to hear that you rate it. Top tip re the white vinegar. Thanks.

I’m laughing at the idea of him in a dog sack @NiggleSmiggle but he’d freak out in one.

I have ordered some ‘drying gauntlets’ (aka long gloves) from Ruff and Tumble, the people who do the drying coats. So we’ll see how we get on with those. I think he’ll be better with gloves than a big flappy towel.

[dontknowdontknow]

Hose! Just get over it! You only need to do legs and a quick spray of under carriage. They soon get used to it. I also bath mine a couple of times a week using the overhead shower attachment and lots of shampoo. I take them up with a lead on and keep it on.

[DeathByPuppy]

That’s good to hear @FacesLookUgly. We do use good quality grass seed already but the garden is east facing, so not ideal in terms of aspect. The dog has a penchant for digging. I’m in the process of clicker training him away from it but it’s a process that takes time and in the interim we have yet more mud to deal with [head in hands emoji].

We spot clean the floor and mop every other day, plus baby gates to contain him.

[LickYouLikeACrispPacket]

I find the only way to stop it is...

Wipe off visible mud/water with handtowels. Makes a big difference.

He lies in the utility room behind a big dog gate when he comes in from any walks/after garden visits on vet beds and we put towels over the top to catch the worst of the water and mud initially and then strip it back to the vet bed after a while but he stays in the utility until he’s dry.

Hoover, mop, Hoover, mop etc. The only downside of having a big smelly lab!

[DeathByPuppy]

Thanks all, some good tips.

[CornishPorsche]

We bought the Mud Daddy from a local pet food place. Our old dog walker has one in her car, and it was such a great idea we got one too. It holds just enough to clean legs, underside and paws on about 3 med - large dogs unless they have been wallowing....

I would highly recommend one for muddy buggers like my girl.

[FacesLookUgly]

Have you thought about one of these...

[Nojeansplease]

Ours is much smaller but he’s not allowed in without having face and paws wiped with an old black tea towel. We have loads since we redecorated so I can have them on rotation and they seem to soak pretty much everything up!

Luckily he hates mud and at 15 weeks we are struggling today with the house training as he refuses to go outside!

[myown2feetaregreat]

I purchased a giant flexitub (available in all hardware/garden centres)
half fill with hot water and leave by the back door prior to walk.
On return water will be warmish , dunk dog in tub , clean towels at the ready just inside door.
For shorter walks use warm water.
My friend goes one step further and takes a giant bottle of warm water and her flexitub in the car when out walking with her dogs , dogs then jump into car onto clean towels.

[LochJessMonster]

I have the ruff and tumble towel coat, expensive but saves my walls!
I put it on him in the car and it keep the water and mud from spreading, plus when hes in the house and shakes it doesn't fly everywhere.

I have a stack of towels handy and roughly dry his legs and belly where the towel doesn't reach. Its important to train them to stay nice and still during this, otherwise it'll be a battle!

For really muddy walks, I fill a bucket up with warm water and wash his legs, then towel dry them.

In the Winter, I have a permanent towel as a doormat.

[StillNotANewUser]

For really muddy walks, I fill a bucket up with warm water and wash his legs, then towel dry them.

This - each leg in turn in a bucket of plain warm water, wring them out and towel dry, then just rub the rest with a towel.

[Witchonastick]

I bought a blaster. Expensive, but I can’t recommend them enough.
I have a very large hairy dog and live rurally, so mud is part of everyday life.

Quick blast with the hose to get the worst off, then use the blaster. All the water and remaining muck is literally blasted off and he’s pretty much dry.
Just don’t use them indoors!

[Witchonastick]

And no wet smelly towels to deal with either!

[SutterCane]

I do as myown2feetaregreat does. Bucket of hot water and a sponge by the back door before we set off then everyone gets their feet (and any other muddy bits) washed off before they're allowed inside. They're whippet so have super short coats and they dry really quickly so a towel on the floor inside the door is all that's necessary to dry their feet enough to keep the kitchen floor clean.

They only ever get a proper bath on occasions when they've rolled in something revolting, other than that it's just a rinse off with clean water and they're good.

[DeathByPuppy]

Thanks for the tips, they’re really helpful.

I don’t really want to get into the habit of full blown regular baths. I don’t think they’re that good for dogs like labs with ‘waterproof’ double coats,. Plus, I don’t really want him in my bath or shower, as lovely as he is .

[PseudoBadger]

I’m a meanie and hose my BC. He hates it, but likes walks so....

[longearedbat]

I have been making free use of the village pond! Fortunately she likes water, so we walk in and I carry her out ( toy poodle) to avoid the mud at the edges. It is a relatively clean walk back home from the pond. I have also hosed her off - the weather hasn't been that cold here, and she is already wet anyway, so she might as well be clean and wet rather than dirty and wet.
We are going for a 'wade' at the moment, rather than a walk; everything seems to be underwater or just liquid mud. I was looking at my trainers this morning and can't imagine I will be walking across the fields in those in 6 months time; hopefully.

[SalamanderingAbroad]

We’ve been babysitting a retriever 7 months old who is used to the hose as he gets hosed at doggy day care. So I’d sa6 they get used to it.