Here’s what you can do to keep your house clean with a dog.
The fall is a lovely time of year, with the leaves changing colour and falling off their trees. The smells of cinnamon and nutmeg in cooking brings a warmth to all homes. It’s truly a wonderful season, yet it turns quickly into wintertime… the season of very messy doggies! In preparation for this wonderful, but muddy season, here are some things you can do to keep your house clean with a dog.
Keep your pup nicely groomed
This is especially important for breeds with longer coats. In the fall and winter, dirt, mud and leaves can be easily caught in your dog’s fur, so be sure to give them a daily brush. Another thing you can do is to keep your dogs paws nicely trimmed. The bottom of their paws can grow a fair amount of fur, so keeping that short can reduce the amount of dirt that’s tracked into the house. Check out these tips on grooming and bathing for more ways to keep your dog nicely groomed!
Sweep the floors often
As your dog sheds their summer coat to prepare for the wintertime, there will likely be fur everywhere. Even when you keep up with grooming, some stray hairballs can appear in dark mysterious corners of the house. I find a daily sweep up goes a long way in keeping things tidy.
In the wintertime, if you live in a neighbourhood where the streets are salted, salt crystals can be tracked into the house and accumulate around the shoe rack. Vacuum cleaners can miss these, so you can use a broom to clean up and save your floors from the salt!
Keep and old towel handy
When it begins to rain and snow more often, you’ll want to have a towel handy to keep your dog from tracking mud around the house. I find that old beach towels are perfect for the job.
Before you head out for a long outing, lay down the towel on the floor next to your door. This way, your dog can walk right onto the towel when they walk in. Once their paws are on the towel, have them stay put while you wipe their paws.
If your dog is completely soaked, use the towel to dry them off as much as possible. Then, either give them a bath or let them dry off in their room or crate.
Get your dog some booties!
If you’re unfamiliar with dog clothing apparel, booties are little rubber/fabric boots you can put on your dog’s paws. These are great for puppies to protect their paws from salted streets in the wintertime. They also keep your dog’s paws clean, so if your dog will wear them, these little shoes are a great choice!
Cover furniture or keep it off limits
Letting dogs on furniture is a tough choice. Some people have no problem with it, and others would rather keep their dogs away from their nice leather couch.
If you’d prefer your pups stay off furniture, be sure to consistently correct behaviour when they try to climb onto it. If you don’t mind your dogs joining you on the couch, you can get a dog couch cover. This will prove very useful if your pups should ever hop on the couch with muddy paws! In our home, we use bed sheets to cover the futon cushion, which are easy to change and keep things clean.
Do you have any tips to keep your house clean with a dog? Share them in the comments below!
Speaking of fall, are you looking for inspiration for feeding your pup? Be sure to check out these fun fall leftovers for dogs!