Proven Ways to Keep Your Dog's Paws Clean
June 05, 2011, By Tom McNulty 1 comment
When you come right down to it, our planet is one big ball of dirt. On windy days, that dirt becomes dust. Rain turns into mud that’s bound to get inside your house—especially on shoes and paws.
While you, a human, can take care of your own footwear, your dog needs you and your opposable thumbs to keep mud where it belongs: off his paws and outdoors.
The Grooming Solution
Prevention is the best cure, and one kind of prevention starts with well-trimmed paws. “Rounding the paw means cutting fur short both between pads and on top of the paw,” says Dana Harrison, a groomer at our local PetSmart who has kept my landshark Coco looking like a show dog for years. “Rounding paws minimizes dirt that gets onto a dog’s feet and makes them easier to clean.”
The Tough Love Solution
Then there’s the authoritarian kind of prevention. Kathryn Newman, owner of Augusta Dog Training in Minneapolis, issues specific commands to her canines. “When I say ‘wait’ at the door it means ‘stop and stand,’ so they don’t sit in more mud or a puddle on the floor,” she says. Her dogs also know the words “mat” or “blanket”—the places they go to be wiped down.
The Shampoo Solution
“For shows, I use waterless shampoo, which you spray onto the dog’s coat and paws, massage in, and towel off,” says Kathryn. “It pulls out debris and mud without a bath.” Pet stores usually stock several waterless and self-rinse shampoo brands, and this approach sounds fast, easy and unfussy enough to earn a place in the Clean Like a Man Hall of Fame.
The “These Boots are Made for Walkin’” Solution
My vet, Dr. Brek Perry, confided that in inclement weather, he makes his black lab wear booties, especially after his wife has just cleaned the house. This might work for others, but I dismissed this idea out of hand because if I ever tried to put footwear on Coco, she’d rip my arm off and bury it in the back yard.
NEXT: Other Solutions
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