One of the good things about warmer weather is that the snow melts and sunshine ends the rainy season. However, while still in the middle of spring, those April shower can create some decidedly muddy roads, which seldom bode well for pet parents.\u00a0 From November to May, many of us find ourselves mopping up the floor after going on a walk, and trying to get the muck of our dogs\u2019 feet. Here are a few helpful tips to literally save for a rainy day.<\/p>\n
Train your dog to accept paw handling<\/strong>. Holding a dog\u2019s toes, and rubbing\/cleaning between them can be very uncomfortable for a dog. \u00a0Some trainers use toe-massaging to teach their dogs to get down when they jump, so we know this feeling is fairly unpleasant.\u00a0 The best way to train your dog to accept paw handling is to start from an early age.\u00a0 This will not only be crucial for cleaning up mud-caked feet, but also for nail clipping, hair trimming and any paw buffing you will need to do for the future.<\/p>\n Trim those fuzzy toes!<\/strong>\u00a0 In the wet season and winter months, it seems counter-intuitive to trim down any fur that might help a pup\u2019s paws stay insulated. However, this will save you lots of work if you stay on top of feet grooming. Keep the fur clippers nearby and snip down the hair between your dog\u2019s toes. Dirt, pebbles, grass and mud will cling to the hair, causing it to get matted or to harden. This clean-shaven option will make it much easier to clean the pup\u2019s paws.<\/p>\n Wet wipes<\/strong>. If you neither have a suitable water bucket or the space to set up a cleaning station, keep a box of wipes by the door. When return with newly muddied paws, a few damp wipes can be a good method of removal for soil. \u00a0This is particularly helpful if any dirty water or mud splashed up on the pet\u2019s legs and underbelly, since you can wipe the fur down without having to get your dog completely doused with bath water.<\/p>\n The bucket method.<\/strong> \u00a0Perhaps the most efficient way to remove both wet and dried mud from canine feet is to use a warm bath.\u00a0 Before you head out for your outing, fill a small bucket with very warm water, with a thick towel below it.\u00a0 That way when you return from a walk you can dip your dog\u2019s dirty feet into the bucket of pleasant warm\/tepid water. Here you can work through the mud until the pup\u2019s feet are clean and can be wiped with the towel before he has a chance to go running around the house. When in doubt, try rain boots.<\/strong> If you and your pet are determined outdoor-adventurers, and the region where you live can always count on a daily rainfall, you might have to rethink your dog\u2019s wardrobe. Investing in some decent doggy rain boots will eliminate the need for regular paw cleaning, and all you will have to do is wipe off the boots before tomorrow\u2019s excursion. \u00a0If this seems like the most efficient option for you, suit up with boots!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" One of the good things about warmer weather is that the snow melts and sunshine ends the rainy season. However, while still in the middle of spring, those April shower can create some decidedly muddy roads, which seldom bode well for pet parents.\u00a0 From November to May, many of us find ourselves mopping up the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":3456,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[23],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tips-and-how-tos"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/muddy-dogs.jpg?fit=4272%2C2848&ssl=1","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p5xKys-TJ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3455","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3455"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3455\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3456"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3455"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3455"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.petrofile.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3455"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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