# How do YOU wash their feet?



## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Everyday my dog's feet is so dirty from going on walks and stepping on pee grass 

I wash them with shampoo and warm water everyday...

Is there an easier way to do this? How do you ensure your dog's feet are clean in the house?


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

...I don't. I wipe their feet off with a towel when they come in and am done with it. Unless they're really mucky (thud, I'm looking at you), at which point I use a wet wash cloth before they jump on the furniture. 

I mop a lot, though!

(I will add that we are a family who wears our shoes indoors and have no carpet, so if the dogs' feet aren't worse than our shoes, I don't actually CARE.)


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## Kayla_Nicole (Dec 19, 2012)

I only clean her feet with shampoo and water if she gets seriously muddy. Otherwise I just wipe her with a towel when we come inside.


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## Kobismom (Dec 17, 2012)

We throw Kobi in the bathtub and use water to rinse off his feet when he's really bad... Shampoo him down about every 3-4 weeks.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

I usu keep an old towel near the door to do dry off wet, muddy feet-- if I think the feet are really soiled (saw them step in a pee puddle etc...) I do wipes with a few baby wipes (we never did stop buying baby wipes after our daughter was born, shes 10 now LOL, they have so many uses...)...


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## schmikry (Nov 19, 2012)

We just keep a towel by the door and wipe off his feet every time we come in. Unfortunately, this isn't super effective, as our carpet ends up looking very dirty and we have to vacuum almost daily. However, I think anything else would just be too time consuming and so this is the method we are going with for now.


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## PatchworkRobot (Aug 24, 2010)

I think you just need to accept that dogs are creatures that don't wear shoes and whose feet get dirty, lol
I had to get over some OCD cleaning habits once I got dogs and am a much less stressed person because of it. 

You could try baby wipes.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

If they're just wet, I wipe them off with an old towel. However, I imagine with the spring thaw his feet will be getting a LOT worse, so we got a Doggie Foot Bath last time we were in the US. Wasn't planned or anything, just saw it at Target and thought it was kind of awesome. We're working on positive reinforcement with it now while its still cold enough to be not muddy, with the end goal of things being less difficult come springtime.


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## TorachiKatashi (Sep 29, 2010)

Candydb said:


> I usu keep an old towel near the door to do dry off wet, muddy feet-- if I think the feet are really soiled (saw them step in a pee puddle etc...) I do wipes with a few baby wipes (we never did stop buying baby wipes after our daughter was born, shes 10 now LOL, they have so many uses...)...


I've never had kids but there are at least three containers of baby wipes around my house, plus a big box of refills.


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## Canaqua (Sep 27, 2011)

I don't. If they are tracking in lots of mud (mostly in the spring), I wipe their feet off with a towel, so I don't have muddy footprints all over the house. Otherwise, I just let them be. I track in all kinds of stuff myself (horse manure on boots, among other things!), so a little pee doesn't bother me. I'm not licking the floor (though I do observe the "five minute rule"...if it's been lying on the floor less than five minutes, it's still edible). We're all very healthy here, no illness at all this winter (knocking on wood right now!), I think the germs are largely responsible for that .


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Kayla_Nicole said:


> I only clean her feet with shampoo and water if she gets seriously muddy. Otherwise I just wipe her with a towel when we come inside.


This is what we do - dry towel for regular foot cleaning, foot bath if she's really muddy. We do try to keep her out of the mud as much as possible, but that's not an easy task.



PatchworkRobot said:


> I think you just need to accept that dogs are creatures that don't wear shoes and whose feet get dirty, lol
> I had to get over some OCD cleaning habits once I got dogs and am a much less stressed person because of it.
> 
> You could try baby wipes.


I've gotten much more tolerant of crud tracked through the house, but I absolutely _hate_ dirt in the bed.



Candydb said:


> I usu keep an old towel near the door to do dry off wet, muddy feet-- if I think the feet are really soiled (saw them step in a pee puddle etc...) I do wipes with a few baby wipes (we never did stop buying baby wipes after our daughter was born, shes 10 now LOL, they have so many uses...)...


What else do you do with baby wipes? I'm a little afraid to buy them - don't want to tempt fate.


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## ThoseWordsAtBest (Mar 18, 2009)

CptJack said:


> ...I don't. I wipe their feet off with a towel when they come in and am done with it. Unless they're really mucky (thud, I'm looking at you), at which point I use a wet wash cloth before they jump on the furniture.
> 
> I mop a lot, though!
> 
> (I will add that we are a family who wears our shoes indoors and have no carpet, so if the dogs' feet aren't worse than our shoes, I don't actually CARE.)


That's basically how we roll. We have a absorbent mat to roll out by the door when it rains, and I'll wipe with a towel, but we have hard wood floors. I clean Jonas pretty well with a wet towel because he likes to sit on the couch but otherwise run on through, I'll follow you with the swiffer.


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## TorachiKatashi (Sep 29, 2010)

CptJack said:


> ...I don't. I wipe their feet off with a towel when they come in and am done with it. Unless they're really mucky (thud, I'm looking at you), at which point I use a wet wash cloth before they jump on the furniture.
> 
> I mop a lot, though!
> 
> (I will add that we are a family who wears our shoes indoors and have no carpet, so if the dogs' feet aren't worse than our shoes, I don't actually CARE.)


I have a sneaking suspicion that Thud is going to grow up into one of those dogs who runs out very quickly to do his pee in the middle of the night, and comes back to the door covered in mud from head to toe.

So look forward to THAT.


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## Miss Bugs (Jul 4, 2011)

I don't do anything.. lol if their feet are caked in mud I wipe them with a towel, or I leash them to my deck till the mud falls off then let em in, otherwise I really don't care! (but no, I do not wear shoes in the house, that simply isn't done in these parts, you do not wear outdoor shoes inside a house, church or school, I find the very concept horrifying lol)


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

TorachiKatashi said:


> I have a sneaking suspicion that Thud is going to grow up into one of those dogs who runs out very quickly to do his pee in the middle of the night, and comes back to the door covered in mud from head to toe.
> 
> So look forward to THAT.


Grow into? Thud does that NOW. I have bathed him about 10 times for every one bath anyone else gets. It's... like he's got dirt magnets in his fur or something.


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## Candydb (Jul 16, 2011)

cookieface said:


> What else do you do with baby wipes? I'm a little afraid to buy them - don't want to tempt fate.


They are just great-- for counter/ car wipes, get rid of sticky messes, a quick hand wipe when you dont have access to a Bathroom- even use in a pinch if you dont have a sponge to wipe out a dog/ cat bowl-- we have open packs in our garage, both cars, kitchen and bathrooms (and I carry mini packs in my bag...dog bag -- I have sanitized my dog enough to get her in the car after an unfortunate roll in human poop with nothing but a plastic doggie poo bag, babywipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer!!! Love my baby wipes....


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## moluno (Apr 29, 2009)

Yeah we don't really do anything. If it's muddy outside then we just keep a towel by the door and wipe their paws when they come in. But that's basically the only time we worry about it; unless their paws are visibly gross and full of gunk, no biggie.


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## Damon'sMom (Aug 2, 2011)

If needed we use waterless shampoo (for dogs) or baby wipes.


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## DaisyDC (Feb 24, 2013)

Canaqua said:


> I don't. If they are tracking in lots of mud (mostly in the spring), I wipe their feet off with a towel, so I don't have muddy footprints all over the house. Otherwise, I just let them be. I track in all kinds of stuff myself (horse manure on boots, among other things!), so a little pee doesn't bother me. I'm not licking the floor (though I do observe the "five minute rule"...if it's been lying on the floor less than five minutes, it's still edible). We're all very healthy here, no illness at all this winter (knocking on wood right now!), I think the germs are largely responsible for that .


Are you me? I figure nothing the dog's got on her feet is as bad as what I'm tromping in from the barn with me, so unless there are glomps of mud falling off either of us, I just don't worry too much. But we've also got mostly tile floors, so they're pretty easy to clean up, too. Today she was a filthy mess from running around at the muddy park and splashing in the stream (which I also tromped through, in my boots); I wiped her off before I threw her back in the car, then again when we came through the door, but otherwise, she does a pretty decent job cleaning herself off.


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## KodiBarracuda (Jul 4, 2011)

Canaqua said:


> I do observe the "five minute rule"...if it's been lying on the floor less than five minutes, it's still edible.


Um... I'm pretty sure its the five *second* rule. After 5 minutes I cant imagine how many germs got the chance to stick to it. I mean, after five minutes, whats another 10 or 20? And soup? Soup has a 0 second rule (for me at least). Ice cream follows the soup rule, it picks up everything that was one the floor. 

Anyway, we don't clean the dogs feet, the walk out, and they walk in, we don't have a lot of wetness period, and if we do, its sand, it falls right off when they jump onto the porch, one of the only pluses about living out here.


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## sassafras (Jun 22, 2010)

We have a back porch/mud room they walk through to get back in the house, which gets off most minor stuff - snow, wet, a little bit of dirt or mud. Anything more messy I just wait and vacuum or mop at the end of the day. If someone gets poop or something else gross on their feet I baby wipe before they come in.


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## briteday (Feb 10, 2007)

We have all hardwood floors. There is a throw rug at each entrance and I have a 6' runner that I bought at Home Depot. When it is wet out I put the runner down where the throw rug ends and direct them onto it as they come in. It's easy to throw the runner in the wash after the latest rainy day, an then I just keep it rolled up behind a chair near the door for the next time it's needed. 

If one of the girls comes in having walked in real ick we too have kept buying baby wipes...our human child is 21 now! And on the note of the runner, I have a neighbor who has carpet and just stocks up on beach towels at the thrift store, using them in the same way I use the runner.


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## Graco22 (Jul 16, 2007)

Unless its caked mud, which is rare in our yard, I dont wipe feet. They come in and go to the garage or basement until the feet dry. My dogs are bathed weekly, so dried mud gets washed off on Fridays.


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## alexlucas (Feb 4, 2013)

PatchworkRobot said:


> I think you just need to accept that dogs are creatures that don't wear shoes and whose feet get dirty, lol
> I had to get over some OCD cleaning habits once I got dogs and am a much less stressed person because of it.
> 
> You could try baby wipes.



lol! I also use baby wipes but only when my dog's feet are really muddy.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

KodiBarracuda said:


> Um... I'm pretty sure its the five *second* rule. After 5 minutes I cant imagine how many germs got the chance to stick to it. I mean, after five minutes, whats another 10 or 20? And soup? Soup has a 0 second rule (for me at least). Ice cream follows the soup rule, it picks up everything that was one the floor.
> 
> Anyway, we don't clean the dogs feet, the walk out, and they walk in, we don't have a lot of wetness period, and if we do, its sand, it falls right off when they jump onto the porch, one of the only pluses about living out here.


lol. Germs can't jump. Plus, Mythbusters totally Busted this one.  There are just as many germs on something that's been on the floor for even a fraction of a second as there are on something that's been on the floor for 5 seconds... or 5 minutes. Think about it like this.... you drop something into a pile of craft glitter - does it matter how long the thing is in the craft glitter? Not really; its going to be covered in craft-herpes the instant it touches the glitter regardless. And since the doubling time of most common bacteria is 20-60 minutes, its highly unlikely that the number of germs will be significantly different between 1 second and 5 minutes, since you also have to take into account that bacteria will also be dying off during that time.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

gingerkid said:


> lol. Germs can't jump. Plus, Mythbusters totally Busted this one.  There are just as many germs on something that's been on the floor for even a fraction of a second as there are on something that's been on the floor for 5 seconds... or 5 minutes. Think about it like this.... you drop something into a pile of craft glitter - does it matter how long the thing is in the craft glitter? Not really; its going to be covered in craft-herpes the instant it touches the glitter regardless. And since the doubling time of most common bacteria is 20-60 minutes, its highly unlikely that the number of germs will be significantly different between 1 second and 5 minutes, since you also have to take into account that bacteria will also be dying off during that time.


I'm married to a chemist (which only matters because he's a scientist). Every time you post I make him read it, and he has a little moment of delight.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

CptJack said:


> I'm married to a chemist (which only matters because he's a scientist). Every time you post I make him read it, and he has a little moment of delight.


Other than my FI (and work), IRL people usually interrupt me when I try to be science-y... I guess I take it out on you guys, lol.


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

gingerkid said:


> Other than my FI (and work), IRL people usually interrupt me when I try to be science-y... I guess I take it out on you guys, lol.


I love it when you're science-y


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## Abbylynn (Jul 7, 2011)

A clean towel at the back door. If they are too muddy into the tub for just a foot wash. Baby wipes are also good for those times they need a sanitary touch up!  I clean the Boy's privates every night after taking off their belly bands if they have soiled themselves. :/


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## chubby (Aug 18, 2011)

Thanks everyone!! The responses here are awesome.

I guess since it's getting to spring eveything is melting = lots and lots of mud for butters to get dirty in! Had to give her a full wash yesterday it was so bad. Muddy Buddy.

I think I'm going to go with the towel for normal, and then baby wipes for 'semi' dirty. I guess there isn't really an alternative to super muddy paws besides rinsing them  Her feet just smell the worst!

Thanks everyone!!


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## Selah Cowgirl (Nov 14, 2009)

How about just plain muddy?


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

gingerkid said:


> lol. Germs can't jump. Plus, Mythbusters totally Busted this one.  There are just as many germs on something that's been on the floor for even a fraction of a second as there are on something that's been on the floor for 5 seconds... or 5 minutes. Think about it like this.... you drop something into a pile of craft glitter - does it matter how long the thing is in the craft glitter? Not really; its going to be covered in craft-herpes the instant it touches the glitter regardless. And since the doubling time of most common bacteria is 20-60 minutes, its highly unlikely that the number of germs will be significantly different between 1 second and 5 minutes, since you also have to take into account that bacteria will also be dying off during that time.


I actually knew this! Go me. Thanks for posting so I didn't have to go find a link explaining it. 

As for the original question, sometimes having little dogs is great. I just pick them up and rinse their feet in the bathroom sink. If they're really dirty (sometimes Crystal gets gritty wet city dirt all over the underside of her body), I put them in the bathtub and do a quick rinse.


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## Laurelin (Nov 2, 2006)

I don't wipe feet at all. If their feet are really muddy, they get thrown in the bath tub and I'll just let the water come up to about belly level. Then rinse them off. If they get into something nasty, they get a bath. I can't imagine wiping their feet every time they go into the yard.


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Laurelin said:


> I can't imagine wiping their feet every time they go into the yard.


Me. Either. At all. Even kind of. I'd rather just mop at the end of the day. 

I do keep them off the bed when it's icky, though.


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## Crantastic (Feb 3, 2010)

Yeah, I only rinse when they get muddy, really. A little bit of normal dry yard/sidewalk dirt doesn't bother me, but mud tracks across my floor or on my furniture do!


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## CptJack (Jun 3, 2012)

Crantastic said:


> Yeah, I only rinse when they get muddy, really. A little bit of normal dry yard/sidewalk dirt doesn't bother me, but mud tracks across my floor or on my furniture do!


I need new furniture. I kept meaning to get it and putting it off because of puppies. Then Kylie ate the loveseat and I was glad. ...Maybe next spring. >.> (I do not let muddy feet on the furniture though, no. Old or not, there are limits).


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## cookieface (Jul 6, 2011)

Laurelin said:


> I can't imagine wiping their feet every time they go into the yard.


Everyone is different  I can't imagine mopping my floor every day or sleeping with (more) dirt in our bed. Wiping Katie's paws seems much easier.


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## LuvMyAngels (May 24, 2009)

I very rarely wipe Busters paws. If he's muddy enough that Im going to consider it he's too wet to air dry (Bus gets skin infections if he's not kept dry) so he's sent to the tub to be rinsed and then dried with the shop vac. If he's just leaving paw prints I dont worry about it. He's not going to track anything in that the rest of us wouldnt and the kids have done FAR worse to my floors than track mud/dirt in. If he steps in a pee puddle I figure he's already washed his paws before we get back to the house by tromping through the snow/grass. If he pees on his feet will rinse him. Poop or rolling in dead things gets him washed with soap and water.


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## MollieLoo95 (Feb 24, 2013)

We usually just wipe our dog's feet off with a damp rag.


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## starrysim (Dec 2, 2012)

cookieface said:


> Everyone is different  I can't imagine mopping my floor every day or sleeping with (more) dirt in our bed. Wiping Katie's paws seems much easier.


My thoughts exactly  Luna never gets past the front hall without going through the "feet" ritual, even if it's the middle of the night. She knows, and she waits patiently while we pick up each of her paws, say "feet" for each one, and wipe. Then we unclip her leash, say a loud "okay" and then she runs off. We do have several levels of "feet" cleaning - there is always a rag by the front door, but when it's wet or muddy, then I use wet paper towels. I imagine that we may need to carry her to the bathtub and rinse her feet when it gets really bad in the spring. Oh, and I also don't let her in the bed right after her morning walk, even though when she returns she runs right upstairs to give doggie kisses to whichever one of us is still in bed. I'm super picky about the cleanliness of my bed - DH must also wash his feet after wearing sandals all day in the summer, not sleep in a shirt he wore outside, etc. However, my standards have dropped since we've been living together, and have now dropped again since getting the dog.


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## KBLover (Sep 9, 2008)

Wipe Wally's paws?

Tch. Only way he gets his paws wiped is after a bath or he learns how to wipe his own damn paws on a towel LOL. 

Other than that, he knows how to clean his own paws. He grooms himself like a cat.


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## Kyllobernese (Feb 5, 2008)

It is still freezing at night so mornings, no mud. By the afternoon it is starting to get muddy so if my little dogs are really muddy, they stay locked in my "mud room" till they dry off. I have a baby gate up that keeps them from coming the rest of the way into the house. I do have them all clipped off short in anticipation of our muddy season which helps. If they are not too muddy, they just get their feet wiped. I have linoleum on my floors except for the living room which has a carpet down and they are baby gated out of there most of the time.

When I drive down to my sister's to go for our walks, I have crates in the Van to put them in for coming home as they are always muddy after running around in the fields. It is funny but we have always taken our shoes off when we come into a house, even when we lived in the city.


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## gingerkid (Jul 11, 2012)

Its starting to get really messy in the afternoons here... Snowball has gotten 2 1/2 baths this week (3 half baths, just the feet down and one full bath because he was getting smelly).

I thought I posted about this earlier, but we got him a puppy foot-bath when we were in Vegas in February, more out of novelty than anything else. Turns out, it actually works REALLY well, way better than just wiping his feet off with a towel, since you actually bathe the feet in a significant amount of water. I wasn't sure how much we'd actually use it, but I'm using it several times a week! 









Now, if only I could figure out how to keep his belly clean/dry.... Only thing I've come up with so far is putting on his winter coat.


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## JRW (Aug 9, 2012)

With Alfie it's a case of feet and belly I am afraid, he is a Shih Apso with short legs. I have to stand him on the drainer and I use a squeezy bottle I bought off EBay that has a pipe attached. I then towel him. If he is very bad I have to put him in the bath and use the hand shower. Other than that I use baby wipes


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## martini.lab (Apr 11, 2013)

I just wipe it with wet towel, if it is seriously dirty I do wash with warm water and soap. But most of the time just wet towel.


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## Flaming (Feb 2, 2013)

the bathtub we use is just across the hall from the front door so if it's bad enough then we use the shower head. If not too bad then a towel to get the wet stuff off, the rest comes off eventually and is swept up


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