# Dog gets wet and dirty each time he goes outside



## ASHDFLASH (Jan 23, 2015)

I have a 4 1/2 month old goldendoodle. I work from home and we have a huge fenced in backyard with a swimming pool. Our dog stays inside 90% of the day... Except for walks and going outside for potty duty or when one of us goes out with him to play with a ball.

Since I work from home.... There a times when my dog wants to go outside (not to pee/poop) but just to go outside. So I let him out to roam in the backyard. My desk is near a window where I can see him and keep an eye on him. But he has developed a couple of habits. He likes to lay down on the top step of our swimming pool. I don't really mind that too much because I just leave him outside long enough to dry out a little and then I get a towel to finish drying him off when he's ready to come back in. But he has also dug a hole in our backyard and not only is he getting wet in the pool he is also digging. So when he comes to the door he is covered in mud.

I had to give him a bath 3 days in a row. Any advice? Other than don't let him go outside unsupervised? 

We have such a nice backyard and I need to work so I want him to be able to go outside and walk around and investigate, lay on the back patio in the sun and fresh air....basically be a dog.

But this behavior of getting wet and muddy every time he goes out is causing all kinds of problems. He's getting my back door filthy wanting back in. I. Any stop work and give him a bath every time he goes outside and I know frequent baths are not good for their skin and coat.

Help!!!!


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## elrohwen (Nov 10, 2011)

He's very young, so I would say just don't let him outside unsupervised right now. He may grow out of the digging, or do it less if he isn't allowed to do it.

If he's digging in only one spot I would also cover it up to discourage the digging, and see if he stops when that spot isn't available.

Can you confine him to the patio somehow? Then he can go outside and lie in the sun without getting into trouble.


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## RonE (Feb 3, 2007)

This might not work with a golden doodle, but when a lab or a Plott hound get muddy, I find it best to let them dry and then just brush it out. 

To discourage digging, I have put bricks - or even dog poop- in the hole before filling it back in. Some people have had success with providing a cleaner alternative place to dig - like a sandbox. 

Only slightly off-topic but my two girls used to dig a lot. I looked out to check on them and saw what looked like an excavation to put a basement under our screened porch. I saw that one dog - the little one - was missing and I said, "Okay, where have you buried Zeke?" When he heard his name, he climbed out of the hole, where he had completely disappeared.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

This is getting to our muddy time of year. I just keep the dogs confined to one room till they dry off. Even the Shih Tzu x Maltese, I don't bath them, just let them dry and brush them. Susie, my Bernese cross, lies down when she comes in and when she dries she leaves dust pans full of dirt where she has laid to dry off. Just have to put up with it till summer comes.


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## Amaryllis (Dec 28, 2011)

Poodle fur sucks dirt in. It's not like regular fur.

I'd do a few things. I'd buy or construct a sand box for him to dig in, because sand can be brushed out of fur. You can bury treats and toys in the sand to encourage him to dig there. When he tries to dig anywhere else, lead him over to the sand box. If I couldn't confined him to the patio, I'd only let him out supervised until he's reliable about using the sand box.


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## OwnedbyACDs (Jun 22, 2013)

Dogs are going to get muddy, especially this time of year with all the rain (if you live in the south like I do) or the melting snow (for you folks in the north LOL). I would suggest cutting his hair short and getting you a good dematting brush. I have two double coated dogs and I have found that a good toweling off and a brushing is all they need.

As far as the digging, I have a digger that I never could get to stop, I can make her do it less with exercise and all that, but she will always have the compulsion to do it, and I have tried everything, those dang gophers are just too enticing LOL.


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## petpeeve (Jun 10, 2010)

ASHDFLASH said:


> Any stop work and give him a bath every time he goes outside and I know frequent baths are not good for their skin and coat.


 For that matter, neither is lying around in chlorinated pool water. 

Instead of actual baths I'd give him a quick rinse with straight water, a quick towel dry and a quick brushing each time he gets dirty. For now, until he gets older and gets out of that mischievous puppy phase. It'll save on shampoo, skin / coat issues, and if the dog doesn't appreciate the regimen so much ... well then, maybe he'll learn to stop making the pool and garden and himself into a mud pit. Eventually, lol.


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## lil_fuzzy (Aug 16, 2010)

I personally wouldn't let such a young puppy outside unsupervised. It's a great way to give them too much freedom to develop bad habits, as evidenced by the digging.


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## Jyoti (Aug 4, 2021)

Kyllobernese said:


> This is getting to our muddy time of year. I just keep the dogs confined to one room till they dry off. Even the Shih Tzu x Maltese, I don't bath them, just let them dry and brush them. Susie, my Bernese cross, lies down when she comes in and when she dries she leaves dust pans full of dirt where she has laid to dry off. Just have to put up with it till summer comes.


Thank you! That was the best advice! Have a husky and just got a puppy. When they play outside together the puppy becomes covered in dirt. They are having such a good time. Seems the manageable thing is to put her in the crate at night and wash out the base each morning. Seems to be puppy behavior that I don't want to be judgmental about. Ya know?


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## Lillith (Feb 16, 2016)

This thread is six years old, so I"m closing to further replies. Please feel free to join in current discussions.


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