Keeping your dog and home clean and safe can be challenging. Our canine friends bring lots of joy and, sometimes, even excitement in our lives. They offer us unrivaled loyalty, admiration, and affection.
Some of them do things for us like fetch our newspapers or shoes and guard our homes. But, truth be told, they aren’t the tidiest creatures alive.
In this article, we are going to discuss how you can effectively clean up after your dog. These are tips that can help you and your dog maintain a healthier life. They can also make your life a little easier.
Keep your dog washing outside when weather permits on in a protected area if you have one.
The primary reason why dogs make such a mess in your home is that they have a lot of pent up energy and simply do not know what to do with themselves.
One preemptive measure for minimizing this pent up energy is to have your dog become tired from walking and exercise. Another option is to do your grooming outside.
It comes in handy to have an area outside where your dog’s crate is protected from bad weather. Being able to use the crate to calm down an excited dog or where he can stay while air drying is a real benefit.
Using a covered porch, carport or even a garage is often preferable to grooming them inside the house, This is especially true for larger dogs and ones with long, heavy coats.
Keep dog toys put away after playtime
Leaving toys lying around is begging for an accident to happen. It is easy for someone to trip over a dog toy and break a bone.
Dog toys can quickly become bacteria-ridden, especially when they are left lying around for a long time. It is very important that we keep those toys clean and disinfected.
Using warm water, you can scrub the grime off of plastic dog toys. You can also soak them for an hour in water mixed with vinegar to disinfect the toys. Rinse the toys thoroughly and repeat this process once a week or so.
Regular Dog Grooming Helps In Keeping Your Dog and Home Clean and Safe
A smelly and dirty dog can literally rub off on your home. Aside from preventing health issues, bathing and brushing your dog regularly keeps them and your home clean and smelling good.
As per the frequency of grooming, it will depend on the breed, their coat length and texture and the recommendation of your veterinarian based on potential skin conditions or allergies.
Of course, their lifestyle plays a role. Dogs that play outside and get dirty and then come back inside will need more frequent bathing than dogs that do not play outside.
Dirty dogs make keeping your dog and home clean and safe more difficult. Every time you walk your dog outside, they are exposed to outdoor dirt.
This dirt can accumulate on their paws so make it a habit to clean them after you get back from a walk outside. This prevents them from bringing outside contaminants into your home.
Some owners of dogs with long hair will actually wipe off their behinds as well if the dog defecated outside. This is important if they have loose stool or long hair that easily catches the feces.
Dog-Proof Your Home
Canvas drop cloths and washable rugs are great items to help keep the inside of your house easier to clean. Anything that is easy to wash can help you in the long run.
Furniture can be wrapped with durable cotton canvas cloths to prevent much of the damage that daily exposure to dogs can cause.
Puppies, especially when teething, love to gnaw on furniture, shoes, etc. Sometimes, we have to resort to using a crate to confine them when we cannot be around to correct bad habits or to protect our homes.
Even the puppies themselves are at risk of serious injury or death. Chewing on an electrical cord could be fatal. This is 100% avoidable.
Many people leave their cell phone chargers plugged in without thinking of the risk. This is a potential death threat to our canine friends that can easily be avoided.
Be sure that you do not have poisonous plants inside your home, or even in your yard, for that matter. Don’t leave out grapes, chocolate, cat food or other edibles that your dog might find tempting but that are not safe for him to ingest.
If you want to know more about household plants that are not safe for dogs, read this.https://happymutt.org/which-potted-plant-kills-dogs/
Even house cleaning products can be dangerous unless you are using non-toxic cleaners. See our post on this topic https://excellentdogsclub.com/cleaning-products-that-can-harm-your-dog/
Think of dog proofing your home much like childproofing it. Better safe than sorry.
Cleaning your home
A good quality vacuum cleaner with a high-grade filter is an essential cleaning tool for a dog owner. This is especially true if anyone in the family has allergies. The use of the upholstery tool for suctioning between cushions is very helpful.
To clean places where your dog sits or lies, wear wet rubber gloves and slip your fingers into the crevices to slide out clumps of hair. Simply rinse off the hair but be careful not to clog up your sinks.
Confining your dog to areas of the house where less damage can be done is always an option. Decide which areas work best for sharing with them and be consistent about enforcing this rule with both canine and human family members.
Dogs that are regularly groomed and exercised are less likely to cause problems in the home. Loose hair that is brushed off when grooming does not end up on your couch. Well-exercised dogs are less likely to become bored and start scratching or digging into furniture or carpet.
Where your dog sleeps is important
His bed needs to be one that is easily cleaned and disinfected and should be done so regularly. Otherwise, fleas and mites may become unwelcome guests in their beds and in your home.
Materials that be washed and sun-dried is best. In between washings, sprinkle baking soda to keep down the doggy smell.
Feeding your dog
When possible, outside areas like an utility room are great places for feeding our canine buddies. It is even more ideal if there is a sink available for washing their feeding bowls.
Hot water and dishwashing soap keep down germs and smells associated with dog feeding. It helps keep them healthier as well.
Placing feed and water bowls inside plastic trays helps to protect the floor. If you are forced to feed in a carpeted area, this is even more important.
The tray should be washed in a solution of bleach and hot water once a week or more often if needed. You may want to uses disposable trays instead.
When possible, limit feeding times to when you are able to clean up immediately after they finish. Encourage or actually train them to complete their meals in a timely fashion.
When you must leave for work after feeding, it is very helpful to clean up before leaving when you can. Wet dog food poses more of a problem when left for long periods of time than does dry dog food.
If you are going to be gone for many hours, leaving dry dog food and clean water is often necessary. It is not, however, the ideal situation.
Dog outerwear
Sometimes the weather outside can get pretty extreme, both hot and cold. The winter season is the time when you should invest in outerwear for your dog, especially small ones.
Some doggy boots will keep the dirt or snow away from their paws. This not only helps your dog feel safe, but it also helps you keep things tidy in your home.
In the summer, hot pavement can burn their sensitive paws. Tiny pebbles can get in the crevices in any season. Be sure to check them periodically for ticks.
In the winter, your dog is at risk of both frozen fur and frostbitten paws. Keep your dog safe and clean at the same time by a quick evaluation of their coat, skin, ears, and paw pads after a trip outdoors.
Keeping your dog and home clean and safe is an important part of owning a dog. It really isn’t that hard to do.
Photos Courtesy of Pixabay and my private photo collection.
