has anyone out there managed to train a dog to wipe their feet!!!!! how many more times must i mop the kitchen floor and hoover mud off the carpet, this wet weather is depressing me.

Shadow can't help being a long haired GSD with massive feet, but he LOVES water and mud!!
I could do with one of those foot and mouth welly troughs to make him wash his feet and legs before he comes in.

I wish I had had him as a summer pup, all that traipsing in and out every half hour or so.

Have you tried one of the Dirt Trapper doormats, they're washable and invaluable in this sort of weather!

LIndsay

no I havn't but I will certainly consider giving them a try

My Friend has a border terrier and she lifts her feet up for wiping its really funny to see,I second the dirt trapper rugs really good and a must in doggy households (and caravans)

Are they like a proper doormat or are they disposable? I have heard them mentioned a few times but not looked at them. I have quarry stone floors, do they slide about? :-)

My late Boxer (RIP) louis.
Did wipe his feet it was so funny. There was a big mat at the patio door
and if he forgot my dad would shout Back and wipe your feet and he did.
I have never managed it with any dog since. But he was a wonderful
lad. If my dad got a tissue from his pocket he would think it was to wipe his lips and go and present himself for cleaning.

Hi I have just been sent to samples of the dirt trap. I am going to buy to as I live on a farm (disused) but the dirt and mud that not just Molly my Boarder Collie brings in but me my husband and the cats. I agree this weather is drivng me up the wall hovering up the mud when its dry! Molly holds up her paws for drying too when I catch her first!

The ones I have from the Turtle Mat Co. are like normal doormats but in a different material; you can choose size, colour etc.

I believe they have 2 types of backing, we chose the one with a non-slip backing and find it works very well. It 's quite big and we can shove it in the washing machine, and it dries quickly:)

Lindsay.

Leigh the dirt trappers are brilliant they dont slide I have quarry tiles in the kitchen and Minnie My pup likes to paddle in the water bowl so the floor is constantly slippy I have the turtle ones and some cheaper type I got from SKC but cant remember what they were called,anyway they arent cheap but well worth buying.

Leigh, No idea what usual price is and if this is the original but I got an email with this link on it today with a sale price [link http://www.pets-pyjamas.co.uk/ppshop/product1.asp?GroupID=19&CategoryID=2&DeptID=56&mscssid=&search_sku=I0080]dirt mat[/link] - think they have the size wrong on it though ????
Sounds like it might be time for me to get one too but must admit when Sam comes in he lays down on his towel until we clean him up - not sure the pup will co-operate quite so willingly for starters though ! (5 weeks to go :D)

Leigh. I have a Dirt Trapper. They can be washed in the machine and air dried. They are fantastic and when my old one recently had more chew holes than material I bought another. My dogs all sit when they come through the back door until I tell them they can go, ALL the dirt and wet is left on the mat. I have wooden floors and there is not a trace of wet as they leave the mat. However squashing five dogs on one mat is tricky, Nico tends to sit on one of the wirey Hungarians.
Diane

Thanx for the feedback. I will add it to my Crufts shopping list :D

Can't claim to be a clever trainer but my Cocker spaniel naturally stamps her feet when happy (quite common in cockers) so taking advantage of that fact I always halt her on the back mat when it is wet out side and give her an enthusiatist greeting which gets her going!! She's a bit dim and never seem to question why she is being greeted so much after being out for 2 minutes or why I dont bother when it is dry.:)

:D creates a lovely picture in my mind !!!!!

The Turtle Mat Co. usually have a stand at Crufts and have special offers, I got mine there last year and swear by it! Wash it in the machine when dirty, tumble dry it and it's back in use in just over an hour!

Regards, John

My pup whizzes round the garden comes to the back door looks at the mat and jumps over it and skids into the kitchen!! I am glad we have wooden floors downstairs!! LOL

I also have the turtle mat and think it is brill other day though my Nan was round so in comes my Border Collie feet tummy hind legs covered in mud he jumped the mat run straight into front room jumped on my Nan's lap result Nan covered in muddy footprints.
Lucky my Nan loves dogs and found it funny.

Karen

I have two turtle mats that my Mother bought in the mid 60's - still going strong through a cocker spaniel, a corgi, a rough collie, 2 springer spaniels, a hairy lab mix, a black lab mix and a springer collie mix.......

We had a dog flap for our Weimaraner so he could come and go as he pleased. When we were out he was shut in the Utility so muddy paws were at least contained in there. When we were in however, he'd get up to go out and it became a familiy tradition to shout 'Go and wipe your paws!' as the flap flapped and he came back in. He would promptly go back and stand on his dirty old beanbag and wait patiently until tolf to come off.

Bles him! I miss him so....

Well those memories are yours forever Zicos Mummy :)

theres a company that sale second mats a the champ dogs show in the uk, which are good and you can put them in the wash,they donot slip and half the price of the companys that are named on this site.the man that sale look like del boy put they are ok,i have five of the mats,on tiles,the dogs all so sleep on them.

I can recommend this man too, I could him a local open show the other day and bought my 4th dirt trapper from him at a sily price of £10 for a 5X3 it a lovely dark blue plus this size fits great in my washing machine

I keep a towel on the floor just inside the back door.
Fortunately my hounds don't like getting wet & muddy !

Pam

Gosh how I wish. I always have a towel on the floor but my boys are very adept at avoiding it and me and only come after they've crawled up all the cream kitchen units and run all over the cream/wooden floor. I hate this type of weather:(

Pam n the dirty soggy boys

LOL

I bought a Turtle mat from Blenheim Horse Show (a great day out for humans and dogs by the way) in September. It was quite expensive and not a miracle cure but much better than nothing. It's got a non-slip backing. When we come in I make Thistle 'sit and wait' on it till I get her towel and she lifts up her feet in turn - bless her. Sometimes she starts 'grooming' me, ie licking and nuzzling, I sure she thinks I need cleaning after an outing. Anyway roll on on those lovely dry spring days when we don't have to bother about mud.
Jane

All the type of mats mentioned are very good, trouble is with my lot, if it's not nailed down it moves and I find door mats work best if left at the door. Jackie H

I have the same problem. Despite its nonstick back it still slides around the floor. Has anyone found a mat that doesn't slide - or a good way of securing them?

Joan
Take the rough with the smooth

I could put up with the mat just sliding, mine get taken to the dog beds, my bed, the chairs or scooped up into a bundel and humped. Jackie H

LOL!!!! Gina

Hi Joan,At manchester show a man was selling mats and they were really reasonable I got two for ten pounds and they definitly dont slip,he will probably be at most of the Big shows this year some are off cuts and you can have whatever size you like I think I have his number in my show bag Ill take a look and send it to you.

Yes please, I would be grateful for the number.

Joan
take the rough with the smooth

Until we finish our building work we can't do any work on the garden so it's pretty muddy right now. I've got 2 of those dirt trapper mats and although they take off the excess mud and water from the pads I still have to make my dogs stand and life a paw so I can thoroughly clean them otherwise I find the mud sticks to their nails and the mats don't help with that at all :-(

Joan, try Express Matting. Tel 0161 427 9797. Not sure if their webpage is off the ground yet, but their mats are brilliant and only a fraction of the price of Turtle Mats!

Try http://www.expressmatting.com/

Ian and Julie

Having chocolate Labs and dark quarry tiles we hardly ever notice the dirt !!!

Until they jump up !!

Snap on the dark quarry tiles :) But with 28 giant feet and 8 little ones, most of the house and most of our clothes are permenently mud coloured anyway:D A little mud is healthy ........

Mud is everywhere here at the moment. Molly has just come in from the field and brough it in with her! That's what I am about to do hover up the mud again!!

Would not change it for the world!

Julieann and Molly

I have to agree the dirt trapper mats are excellent because they do absorbe a lot of the dirt off the dogs feet, although i have three dogs a very long haired gsd a short coat gsd and a cocker spaniel i have just re-homed and there are sometimes i would just like to wrap them in a bundle of towels and not let them move, i just wish it would stop raining and dry out!!!

Hi! I have to agree that muddy dogs are a nightmare! I've got a long haired GSD and collie cross. the GSD seems to attract the dirt like a magnet and it's a night mare trying to get him clean! unfortunately, I also have a boyfriend who thinks muddy dogs should stay in the garden until summer arrives!!!! :o) we've only just bought the house and the back garden has no lawn - its just mud! the last few weeks with all of the rain its been a lake - the water was a foot deep across most of the garden! Unfortunately, the dogs loved paddling in it, so they've been permanently black!! I've just ordered some of the matts from express matting, so hopefully this will help a little! I've also found a great 'tool' for washing the dogs in the garden. its an attachment which fits onto the hosepipe and its shaped a bit like a hand, so as you wash the dog, it kind of scratches/tickles them. my dogs have an avid fear of the hosepipe normally, but with this on the end, they just stand there getting 'massaged' without realising they are being bathed as well!!! you can put shampoo inside the attachment too. i found it on www.petplanet.co.uk

Welcome to the forum Hev :-)