Hey all...

So... John and I had wanted to put a fence in the yard once the spring came. However, we just found out that the landlord isn't going to pay to seed the yard or anything... meaning the yard is just going to be mostly mud, some moss, some grass and mostly gross. Thus, I can't see the logic in spending $100+ of my own money just to seed the damn thing and then $500+ for fencing, even if we can take it with us, when the house is not ours.

That brings me to my question... anyone else deal with a muddy yard (and therefore muddy huskies) and how have you coped? Is there a cheaper/temporary fix that you've found works well enough? Any method of cleaning the dogs before they come inside other than the water pan, a towel, and constant laundry?

Thanks for the advice!

i think alot of people use hay to put down on the ground. i think you are stuck with the water pail and towels and wash for now, we have weeds and mud and stickers in our yard and we have not come up with any thing yet but when we put in the deck it helped clean the feet before they got into the house. do you think you and John will be able to get a house any time soon?

Hay is an excellent idea but you have to make sure that it isn't stuck to their paws along with the mud!
We have a similar problem in our garden Tori - although we do have some lawn our ground gets very muddy and waterlogged when it rains (which being the UK is does a lot!). We are lucky in that our dogs have to come through garage/utility area before getting into the house from the garden so I always have plenty of towels down - I have also taught them to wait and have their paws wiped before they enter the kitchen!
Good luck although I am sure you won't need it because I know what an excellent listener Koda is and I am sure Hailey is following suit.

Heh, we only have this problem for maybe 15 days a year. Colorado air dries things out with a vengeance. That mud pit pic I posted last week is crusty dry dirt now. I only have one tip that works for me in keeping them out of the mud... Get the run out. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.

Is there a way you can confine them somewhere until their hair dries? From my experience, sled dog hair dries clean. No work on my part once they're in the garage. Except vacuuming the dirt up.

When Rodney comes in from digging I throw him in his crate for a good 20 mins and he cleans himself! :-)