How about dipping your dog's feet in a pan of water (to get up between the toes) and then wiping with a dry towel?

I have no experience living anywhere with cold winters (and never will ;-) ), my suggestion comes not from experience but from just thinking about what you're trying to accomplish.

^^ That's a thought, but I'd have to keep a pan of water in the mudroom, which is small. I have a sink in there, so I could simply dampen a towel -- although that may not get between the toes good enough.

This is an issue that I'm very irritated about right now.

I have two dogs - 3 lb and 10 lbs. My neighbor has a dog. My dogs (especially the 3 lb) LOVE to run the fence line with the neighbor's dog. It's fine - except when the ground is wet. While they haven't created a dirt trail along the fence line, their paws get dirty - I think mostly due to the black mulch that is over in a corner landscaping bed along the back part of the fence.

I have tried MANY things to help with this issue. Special dog washing things on Amazon. Paw wipes. Little rubber booties for the dogs. Damp towel.

I've also used three plastic bowls in a line - just water (to remove quite a bit of the mud/dirt/mulch) - soapy (with a little dog shampoo) - just water (final rinse) + a towel to dry paws off afterwards. Works - but a pain to do because some days it's multiple times.

SO - the best thing for me has been carrying them straight upstairs to the guest bathroom that has a tub/shower combo - and use the hand held shower to quickly wash off paws. I typically wait until the end of the day to wash the tub (vs. just rinsing it out). It is a PITA - and makes me unhappy (and them unhappy).

When I just don't feel like going through the paw washing - I take them out to the front yard. Makes Baxter (3 lb) very unhappy because he loves his buddy next door. I'm actually doing that right now. Luckily, it's 50 degrees out - so I don't have to get all bundled up!

I only have to worry about when they run the fence - the rest of our yard has nice grass = no mud.

My SO was supposed to have our landscaper make a small trail along the fence line - but that hasn't happened yet (although we've spent a TON of money on landscaping in back yard and front yard) - but he's not the one dealing with the paws (he just opens the door and doesn't think about it).

I was supposed to already have a renovated laundry room that included a doggie shower for baths - which would be great for rinsing off paws. I've been waiting to do that until after my kitchen renovation - but it wouldn't be that large of a project - so, I'm thinking about pushing it ahead of the kitchen.

Sorry about the long rant. It's just a touchy subject for me right now. . .

I assume your dog(s) must be larger - if I had a good sized laundry sink, I'd just put them in there one at a time.

I did purchase some long runner/mats that I put out when it's dirty paw time - they look odd but it helps cut down on what gets brought inside when SO's letting dogs in and out. I have taught my 3 lb dog to "wipe his paws" on these - he's pretty funny. However, my 10 lb dog doesn't do that - and she tracks in WAY more mud/mulch pieces than little Baxter.

Muddy foot prints/pieces of mulch all over the wood floors - that is another touchy subject. It's as if my SO just doesn't notice it. But why should I be surprised? He REFUSES to take his shoes off inside the house EVER! I feel like I'm cleaning my wood floors all the time - WAY more than when I was raising my two daughters.

okay - now I'm really finished ranting.

"He REFUSES to take his shoes off inside the house EVER!"

No shoes inside the house rule over there. DH is the one who started it when we first got married LOL!

I don't really have much a problem with her tracking in debris, it's the salt residue -- toweling off her feet and legs just doesn't do a good enough job at removing it. Same with muddy situations, though that's less of an occurrence than the entire winter-long salt saga.

ETA: She's about 45 lbs. Too big for me to comfortably and safely lift her into the laundry sink and back out, she'd fight me the entire time.

Pet safety alert - unless specifically formulated as pet safe, salt or salt melt is very damaging to animal's skin and if they lick that stuff off it's so harmful. Elmer has the right idea, always soak or wash paws with plenty of water before it dries between the toes.

My dream is to have a back door off of a wooden deck ( as opposed to next to the gravel driveway) with a dog wash adjacent.

i do have towels by the door and sometimes I use a whisk broom on the paws but they are still tracking in lots of dirt.

@porkchop_z5b_MI - my ex was fine with no shoes in the house. My girls always took their shoes off. I was engaged a few years after my divorce - he had no issue with my preference for no shoes in the house.

However, my SO just cannot do it. He didn't grow up in a "no shoes" household - but neither did I. I even purchased him nice slippers. Nope.

He will walk in after snow blowing the driveway - and instead of taking his boots off in the mudroom area (right next to garage door), he will walk across the wood floors - and finally take them off after he's already brought in debris/salt residue/pieces of ice.

He is a great guy - and does so much for me due to my health issues - however, I cannot get him to (i) take off his shoes, and (ii) put glasses/dishes directly into dishwasher vs. leaving them on counter or in the sink for awhile. There are some other things -but those two bother me the most!!!

FYI - I believe the doggie wipes did help with the salt residue - that just was a rare issue for us.

i have a muddy mat and it's great. since i live on sand, i don't have mud but the danes big feet still track stuff in. i ordered the XL since my dogs have such a long stride. anything smaller and they'd step over it before all 4 feet landed on it.

these are machine washable/dryable and come with a 60 day money back guarantee. i have it right inside next to the dog door.

https://buy.muddymats.com/product/muddy-mat-fg?utm_source=MM_GG_Brand&utm_campaign=C6&utm_medium=C6AG1&utm_content=Brand_Search&nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ag%3A21931080386%3A168682051097%3A792852955858&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=go%20muddy%20mat&nb_ti=kwd-2491762768927&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=p&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=21931080386&gbraid=0AAAAABrxSJjXM7zIEKMHu37X2MwebOZwp&gclid=Cj0KCQiA4pvMBhDYARIsAGfgwvwtqdcokB4CMDY-7yutWV3kZBtfkvZpPvzwHzqGjEzBwo7llcBOAt4aAnZDEALw_wcB

Chewy paw washer

I looked at this paw washer on chewy.com & it’s pretty highly rated. Large size fits 3.5” paws. It’s made by Dexas Popware for pets & the large size is $20. Worth a try. @dani_m08 - it sounds like it might be a huge labor saver for you too. The petite sized cup is $15. As for your SO & him tracking in mud & debris - he sounds unteachable but maybe he’d at least learn to slip on those paper booties contractors wear when entering customers homes….

I was gonna say what Elmer said. That paw washer looks interesting though.

I’ve used the wipes, used to keep them in the car for after the dog park. They’re better than wet paper towels but not perfect.

Yea, Dani -- gotta take the good with the bad, don't we. He sounds like a keeper, even if a bit messy ;0p

I second the Muddy Mats. They really do what they advertise and remove all manner of dirt and debris as well as dry any wetness. They don't slip around, come in a range of colors and sizes and wash easily. I'd for sure repeat my purchase!

I have large WaterHog mats already.

I’ve tried paw wipes in winter and they definitely work better than a dry towel, especially for salt residue. Look for fragrance-free, alcohol-free ones with mild cleansers. Brands like Earth Rated and Vetnique do a decent job. I still keep a small bowl of lukewarm water by the door for extra dirty days and follow with a towel dry. If you’re ever doing crafts like paw prints, just make sure you’re using pet safe paintso their paws stay protected.

My sister has a paw washer like that (I don't know the brand) for her standard poodle, and likes it.

My first thought: I read Don Aslatt's book on house cleaning -- highly recommended, by the way. One of his big principals is, Place a several-steps-long mat at every door -- inside and outside; the idea being, this will STOP the dirt at the door /keep it from entering the house. He was talking about people, but it must be true for dogs as well.

I have tried MANY things to help with this issue. Special dog washing things on Amazon.

I've been thinking about buying one of those plastic "dip the dog's foot into this and slosh it around". Did it fail you? I'd love to know. My girl is 70 lbs -- I wonder if what works for a 3 and 10 lb dog is still true for my big girl?

My dream is to have a back door off of a wooden deck ( as opposed to next to the gravel driveway) with a dog wash adjacent.

If we're talking dreams, let's make it a patio instead of a deck -- less maintenance. And let's put a fence around it so we don't have to worry 'bout Pup-Dog escaping. Not that mine would escape -- she lives in terror of being more than 10 foot away from me.

these are machine washable/dryable and come with a 60 day money back guarantee. i have it right inside next to the dog door.

I'm going to check out those Muddy Mats. I have been looking at washable Ruggables, but I haven't bought yet.

I don't own a dog and never have or will but I have read seasonal warnings about the damage salt can do to them. For a dog lover I would have thought the danger to the animal would outweigh the danger to the house. Everything I've seen says rinse paws in warm water or put boots on them. I don't imagine a towel or wipe would do the job sufficiently thoroughly. This is a pretty comprehensive coverage of the issue:

Exploring the Dangers of Road Salt & Dog Paws – Vetericyn Animal Wellness https://share.google/xVzIAeBQjMJSYafa7

@Theresa Peterson .- I have tried one of those little cup type paw washer things. The problem was that I didn't want to just keep dipping each paw into water that was already dirty. So, I felt like I needed to change the water between each paw (or at least every other paw) x two dogs.

Now maybe if I purchased three of them + used them like I did when I'd line up my set of three little plastic bowls (initial rinse/soapy water/final rinse) maybe it would work better than the bowls did? Plastic bowls were pretty easy to rinse out and let air dry.

It takes less time to just carry them immediately upstairs (not let them walk on the wood floor/area rugs - just the long rug that I purchased to use at each door) and rinse their paws off together in the tub vs. rinsing/changing the water so many times.

Also, I found that if you didn't take the bristle thing out at the end of each day and throughly clean and air dry it, it would easily start growing some mold in the cup. Spraying the tub down with cleaning spray + rinsing with hand held shower takes less effort/time.

However, for a larger dog, it may be easier than carrying them upstairs! Also, if it was just to remove salt residue, I think it would work better vs. removing mud/mulch debris that sticks to their fur.

Here are the two rugs I purchased to use by the two back doors when the yard is wet -

I purchased long ones so that they will step on it multiple times when they run through the door (works by itself when their paws aren't caked with mud/black mulch debris).

Of course, if I could teach my 10 lb dog to "wipe her paws" like the 3 lb one does, it would cut down on the number of tub rinses!

Also in a salt-heavy winter state. I found wipes alone don’t fully remove that chalky residue. What worked best was keeping a shallow tray with warm water by the door and doing a quick paw dunk, then towel dry.

I live in NYC and the sidewalks are salt caked. I live in an apartment and keep in the hallway outside my door a tiny bottle of water and folded old bathroom hand towel. I pour a bit of water on to the towel and wipe down her paws, using a different area of the towel for each paw. She isn't a small dog, still I can get many paw wipes out of one hand towel. It has made a huge difference in reducing the salt on my hardwood floors.

@Kendrah That’s a good thing you do for your doggie. That salt is very harmful for their paw leather & if not cleaned as you do & the dog licks their paws to do the cleaning - well, that salt isn’t doing anything good for their mouths & innards either. They do make doggie boots for the purpose of protecting dogs paws from salted walks. When I first saw them I thought they were more over the top dog dress clothing but quickly learned they were practical. My dog is small enough that I can carry her across any salted parking lots or sidewalks we encounter.