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Paws

How to Clean Your Dog's Paws After a Walk

To clean your dog's paws after a walk, wipe each paw with a damp cloth, including between the toes and around the pads, then dry it with a towel before your dog heads into the house. On most days that is all it takes, and once your dog is used to it, it takes a minute or two. On muddy, snowy, or salted-sidewalk days, add a quick dip in a shallow bowl of lukewarm water before the wipe.

Set up at the door

Keep everything within arm's reach of where your dog comes in, so you are not chasing a muddy dog across the floor to find a towel.

A small stack of wiping cloths. A Paw Wipe Cloth Set gives you several, so there is always a fresh one while the others are in the wash.
A Pet Grooming Towel for drying paws and lower legs.
A shallow bowl or tub for heavy mud.
A few small treats.
A mat or old towel for your dog to stand on.

Wash paw cloths and towels after muddy days, separately from your kitchen towels, and let them dry completely before they go back in the basket by the door. A damp cloth left in a pile starts to smell within a day. Having enough cloths to rotate means you are never tempted to reuse a dirty one on a clean paw.

The routine

If your dog is new to this, build up slowly: touch a paw and reward, then hold it for a second and reward, then try a single wipe. A week or two of short practice is faster in the end than a daily wrestling match at the door.

Ask your dog to sit or stand on the mat. Pick up one paw, supporting it from underneath. Lift it in the direction the leg naturally bends, rather than pulling it out to the side.

Wipe the top of the foot, then the pads, then gently spread the toes and wipe between them, where grit, burrs, and salt crystals collect.

For heavy mud, dip the paw in the bowl of lukewarm water, swish it briefly, then wipe.

Dry each paw with the towel, pressing rather than scrubbing, and get between the toes. Fur between the pads that stays damp for hours can irritate the skin, and on cold days wet paws chill fast.

Give a treat and move to the next paw. Using the same order every time helps your dog learn what is coming.

Winter salt and summer heat

Road salt and de-icers can irritate pads, and you do not want your dog licking them off later, so rinse and dry paws after walks on treated sidewalks. In summer, hot pavement can burn pads. A common check is to hold the back of your hand on the ground for about seven seconds; if that is uncomfortable, it is too hot for paws. Dry or cracked pads are worth mentioning to your vet before you reach for any product.

What to avoid

Household disinfecting wipes, alcohol, or cleaners not made for pets. Dogs lick their paws.
Scrubbing hard on the pads.
Forcing a paw your dog keeps pulling away. Sensitive feet are common. Go slower, even one paw a day, with treats, until handling feels normal.
Leaving paws damp, especially in winter or on dogs with long fur between the toes.

What to check while you are there, and when to see a vet

Wiping is a good moment for a quick look. Healthy pads feel firm and slightly rough, with no cuts or cracks. See your vet if you notice limping, a cut or tear in a pad, swelling, redness or a bad smell between the toes, a split or bleeding nail, something lodged in the foot that you cannot easily remove, constant licking or chewing at one paw, or a dog that suddenly will not let you touch a foot it used to allow. Those are not cleaning problems.

If long fur between the pads keeps collecting mud or ice balls, ask a groomer about trimming it. Trimming close to the pads with scissors at home is easy to get wrong.