can't stand the mud.....

Steely

Active Member
Yes, literally and figuratively, however we will not go into the figurative aspect at this time. :sad-very:

I have 3 dogs, and my backyard is a mess. They tear it up in their playing and romping, and then come inside with their muddy paws and track muddy clumps all throughout the house. There is some landscaping in the back, but the dogs have created this muddy runway where they have torn everything up from playing and roughhousing. I feel like they need to go out there and play because I do not have the time to walk all 3 of them every day (don't get me started on why I have 3) and they need to run off their energy.

I know I cannot get grass to grow there, so how do I repair my backyard so my house stays somewhat clean?
Gravel, that sounds like it would look tacky, but possibly work?
Wood chips? Maybe.
More landscaping, nope.
Dog boots......yea right.

Any ideas. The inside of my house is starting to look like the outside. Muddy. :sick:
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Wood chips might encourage them to dig underneath. My Jack Russell has to examine everything in the yard on a regular basis. Same with gravel. How about Astroturf? I landscaped an apartment yard with it once, and just hosed off my Lhasa's "business."
 

Jena

New Member
i think i'm liking the gravel idea. yet i don't own a home......so what do i know??? LOL i just know gravel sounds like hmm that might do the trick!!
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
Not everybody's a digger, but KTMom has a good point about the gravel/woodchips.

Maybe just DON'T let them in the house when it's muddy? Or put a dishpan of water on the back porch and dip their paws in it before they come in. I know that's 12 paws you have to deal with, but maybe better that than the headache you're getting from the muddy paw prints.
 

goldenguru

Active Member
How about cement an area that they can romp in? Then it can just be hosed off.

You're a saint for caring for three dogs. One is my limit - 4 muddy feet is enough to contend with. :)
 
F

flutterbee

Guest
You can keep diaper wipes by the door and wipe their paws before they come in. If you can get them to stand still long enough.

Otherwise, I vote for gravel. The wood chips just scatter with rain, wind and dogs romping.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
Same thing here cept there are 4 dogs. Normally I don't even think about the back yard which resembles the Gobi desert, cept when rainy season comes. The Jack Russell is a digger in pools of water always with the thought, I am sure, that there is something at the bottom there and every time comes in covered in mud up to her nose (see my avatar). The big dogs come in and am thankful I ripped up all of the carpet and replaced with tile and laminate wood - I just have to follow along behind them with a swiffer mop (after I beat them to my bedroom door where their thing is to wipe themselfs off on my bed if my door isn't locked)

The Jack Russell is grabbed and thrown in the tub numerous times during the day and hosed off - getting her out of the tub is a chore because, of course, there is WATER in there.

I am seriously thinking this summer of just getting that fake grass when I finally decide to landscape the back. I can't even plant anything as they dig everything up.
I figure they would have a harder time making holes in the yard

Marcie
 

Steely

Active Member
Well, as a last resort before gravel I purchased doggie shoes. And OMG I can't stop laughing. If I only had a video, it is the most hilarious thing I have ever seen my dog do. I only put them on one dog, so I would see if they would work. You are supposed to get the dog used to them by wearing them for long periods of time - and he is cracking me up. He is running like a deer, kicking up both his back feet in the air because he does not like the way they feel on his feet. He runs forward, and then his back feet fly up in the air. Sometime one, sometimes both. It is hilarious. Now I am making him wear then inside to get used to them, and he sounds like horse, clomp, clomp, clomp. God its funny! Now he won't get up, because he doesn't want to walk that way and he is whining at his feet, and the other dog is looking at him like he caught the plague. Geesh.

I will try the shoes on one dog, and if that works than the other. If not gravel it is. And of course, in all of this I got dog poo on my shoe and tracked it in the house. Now my day will consist of cleaning, cleaning, cleaning - and chuckling every time my dog morphs into a gazelle.
:cool_dog::rolleyes:
(OK now he is running through the yard and house as if his feet are special and give him super power.)
 
Last edited:

Jena

New Member
Steely that is funny and a much more inexpensive way to go!! LOL you should take a video.... :)

Sometimes it' s the little things.
 

Fran

Former desparate mom
Steely, I have a small box of rag towels by the back door, diaper type wipes and spray on dog cleaner. I clean their 4 large paws each time. I also keep a swiffer wet jet near by for quick clean up. They aren't allowed out of the kitchen with damp feet.

They actually stand and wait for me to clean their feet.
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
He is running like a deer, kicking up both his back feet in the air because he does not like the way they feel on his feet. He runs forward, and then his back feet fly up in the air. Sometime one, sometimes both. It is hilarious.


:rofl: On Dasher! On Dancer! On Prancer and Vixen!
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
I hope you got pictures of the doggie boot adventures! I tried to put little yellow socks on Katy once but she wasn't having it!

I know exactly what you mean about the mud though. I have a covered concrete porch going all the way across the front of the house with 5 steps going down to the yard. The area right at the bottom of the steps is solid mud! My mixed breed, Freebie, stays out on the porch on a tie-out while I'm at work and Wednesday I already had her out there when I was taking Ragan (one of the Bostons) outside on a leash. Just as I was going down the steps with Ragan, Freebie decided to go up the steps at the same time. Just as I took a step, her tie-out caught the toe of my shoe and I went down in the mud on both knees and both elbows! And I still had ahold of Ragans leash and she was practically dragging me through the muddy yard in her never-ending quest to find the perfect place to pee!
 

gcvmom

Here we go again!
I went down in the mud on both knees and both elbows! And I still had ahold of Ragans leash and she was practically dragging me through the muddy yard in her never-ending quest to find the perfect place to pee!

:rofl: O :rofl: M :rofl: G :rofl: !!! :rofl:

I think I peed my PANTS!
 

klmno

Active Member
That is hilarious!! Can you get a mini video and post it here? I'm dieing to see!! I thought about getting some for my dogs but I figured they'd break their necks tripping and sliding on the wooden stairway.

I was wondering if you had gravel in some areas and mulch in others, would they do their business in the mulched areas and you could still walk in the gravel areas without stepping in anything?
 
F

flutterbee

Guest
We definitely want video.

I might have to buy some for my dogs just for the entertainment value. :D
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
Scotch tape on the paw pads. Works great for cats...my Jack Russell won't hold still long enough for me to try it with him.
 

donna723

Well-Known Member
Is anybody else old enough to remember "slipper socks"? We used to get them when we were kids. They're like thick socks but with a soft sole on the bottom with non-slip material on them.

Did you know they also make them for dogs now? Besides keeping their feet warm, they help them get traction and keeps them from slipping on wood or tile floors!
 
Top