Never ending mud from the garden

[Dogdilemma2000]

Can anyone advise how to manage this better?

Our garden is r terraced so patio first, the. Steps up to a massive lawn. It’s hard clay soil and we are in a very wet part of the country, and it’s utterly waterlogged.

Add onto this large excitable dog doing zoomies and digging and it’s turned into a mud bath that looks like a herd of hippos have run over.

DDog needs more access to the lawn than average as she has underdeveloped bladder. She loves being outside in all weather, but of course she brings the mud with her.

This last week I’ve put an old hard shell paddling pool in front of the back door so she has to walk through it to get in - a lot less mud, but constant mega wet floors.

when it stops raining (hahaha) we are going to dig in French drains, plant a couple trees that should drain water, and probably put down a couple grass mats.

Any other suggestions to save our sanity?

Get rid of the dog! Only joking, I understand your pain. We have 5 cats who put wet paw prints all over the kitchen at the moment. At least your dog doesn’t get on the worktops! I’ve taken to putting cardboard over the wrk surfaces and I could have shares in all purpose cleaner!
Short flog confining the hound to the house or getting doggy welly boots I have no suggestions.

The bath is a good idea, but you'll just need to stock up on those quick drying towels and dry the dog each time. Mine hates it, but it's non-negotiable.

Make sure to hold the towel on the underside of the paw to soak it all up, as the fur between their toes holds a LOT of water.

I have umpteen of these. They soak up a lot of water, dry quickly and don't seem to hold stains in the wash.
https://www.bmstores.co.uk/products/super-absorbent-microfibre-pet-towel-grey-390671

Oh, and a spray / quick dry mop. Mine lives next to the back door.

The pool is a good idea. We have two golden retrievers and a muddy garden. A super absorbent door mat helps - but put down old towels just inside the door as well.
It helps if I trim the excess fur off their paintbrush grinch paws too.

We have ornamental fencing around the large patio by the back door so that in the wet months the dog can only access the patio . Admittedly we didn’t do it because of mud but because when he was a pup he dug up and chewed a daffodil bulb almost resulting in his demise . Our dog will happily poo and pee on the patio but if your dog needs grass you could always create some kind of doggy grass tray .

Oh my! I forgot about cat paw-prints. We had 3 cats when I was a kid!

Not getting rid of dog though. Will move to a dryer country first.

We have fencing around the borders for the same reason- dug up and nearly ate a tulip bulb two weeks after we got her. The patio is pretty old and tired, I could put fake grass on it I guess and see if she will toilet on it, not sure she would be satisfied confined to patio in her current crazy teenager state mind. She’d probably knock the fence down.

We have water trapper mats . They’re pretty ugly and they only do so much towards reducing the mud. I’ll see if I can find a link.

We have mats and towels by the back door and have trained the dog to wait outside the door when he wants to come back in. He then knows to step on the mat to wait and we dry him off there.

@Dogdilemma2000 our fence is metal and concreted in

We have towels by the back door also, and he’s only allowed in on our command. Then I get him to ‘spin’ on the mat (usually a treat or three us involved) and this usually cleans or dries his feet.

I’ve got to say that I refused to get a dog until we moved to Australia for exactly that reason, I knew I couldn't cope with wet muddy dogs for a lot of the year. I am now a besotted dog owner.

I got a dirt catching mat and put it by the back door.
That worked well until she got bored and chewed it. (She has lots of walks and nice food she was just being an arse 🫤) So now my house is muddy, I have to wait for it dry and hoover it every day.

Combo of a corridor of towel on the floor, spins at the door and spray mop by the back door.
I'm moving on to a clover lawn to try snd reduce the bare patches of lawn and therefore muddy bits. My grass is particularly poor this year which doesn't help.

Do you live in my house, OP? 🤣🤣

Fence off the lawn with something she can't easily destroy, and limit access to it.
Turtle mat by the door - they really help.

@Dogdilemma2000 I have always had the exact same question. I have tried everything.I have even bought last week - one of those things you put paws into and twist, which was fine, if he could stay still. But this does not take care of the underbelly (hairy springer). I either pave the lawn in concrete or get over the dirt I think! He isn't allowed on couches/upstairs, he has his own beds but this thick layer of dirt coats everything in the house. I got him groomed tightly but it's like trying to push a wave back to sea.

We had patio/fake lawn put down on half of our garden, then a big fence across the middle. The dogs are only allowed on the real grass when it’s dry (or snowing!)or I have time to properly clean them to save the mud being dragged in. It works really well!

Same problem. My dogs wait by the backdoor whilst I sponge bath them outside and then we dry off and they come in. It is a pain for about 7mths of the year. I would love a hot and cold outdoor tap and a shower base for outside!