Should You Wash Your Dog’s Paws After Every Walk?

Ezra and I have a daily walk routine. But now that winter is here, I’ve been cautious about walking on the roads because of salt. I try to avoid the salt on the roads where I can, but when I can’t I will wipe down his paws. Luckily, Ezra and I only walk once a day because otherwise I’d be wiping down his paws all day long.

But then a friend mentioned she washed her dog’s paws in the tub after every outdoor activity. It got me thinking, should I be washing Ezra’s paws more? To help figure it out, I polled 905 dog owners in over 20 Facebook and Reddit groups in December 2022 to identify typical paw washing routines. I asked them if they wash/rinse their dog’s paws with water before coming inside after every walk. This post will cover the survey results.

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Why should I care about cleaning paws?

Paw health is important to your dog’s overall health. Making sure your dog’s paws are clean is one component of paw hygiene. Dogs do a great job of keeping clean by licking their paws and even sometimes chewing on the nearby fur or their nails. There are many ways that the dog owners can contribute to paw health; however, the main reason any dog owner would wash their dog’s paws is to prevent them from tracking in germs that can get their family or dog sick.

Dogs (and your shoes) can track lots of different germs into your home that may cause disease. A good example is C. Difficile bacteria, which causes colitis in humans. It is not a zoonotic disease, but it can get carried into your home if you or your dog recently visited a hospital.

In most cases, if your dog is carrying in germs via their paws, you are likely also carrying in the same germs on your shoes. Generally, you can prevent illness in your household by:

1. Preventing your dog from stepping in or rolling around in feces, salted/sanded roads, or lawns sprayed with pesticides.
2. Providing your dog with proper veterinary care, including staying updated on vaccines.
3. Regularly washing your hands, especially after handling fecal matter and petting your dog if he shows signs of illness.
4. Establishing a regular cleaning routine in your home, including washing the floors and cleaning anything your dog may touch.
5. Ensuring you are up to date on vaccines.
6. Cleaning your dog and yourself after entering environments with sick people or animals.

Ultimately, dog paw washing is a necessary for your household’s health. But washing paws doesn’t need to occur after every walk if the dog owner practices proper hygiene, keeps their dog out of unclean environments, and ensures they are updated on vaccines.

Do dog owners clean paws after every walk?

The short answer is: No. Of our survey sample of 905 dog owners, 295 (32.6%) do clean their dogs paws after every single walk.

That is a higher percentage than I expected, but still not a majority. The responders who clean after every walk do a combination of rinsing with water, washing with water and detergent or disinfectant, or wiping with a wet wipe. 184 of responders (62.4%) who clean after every single walk use a wet wipe over rinsing/washing with water.

This is not to say that the 610 responders who don’t clean after every walk do not clean at all. The survey results suggest that dog owners overwhelmingly care about paw cleaning – 67.4% of dog owners clean their dog’s paws under specific situations. Here are the results:

Reason #1: Paws are cleaned if they are dirty or muddy.

Unsurprisingly, the main reason a person may wash their dog’s paws with water is if they are dirty or muddy. If the dog walked through the mud or through rain puddles, 300 responders (33.1%) indicated that they would clean off the dog’s paws before coming inside. Me too!

How they clean depended on how dirty the paws are. If they are really dirty, they wash with water. Many responders suggested Mud Buster or Paw Cleaner to more efficiently wash paws with less mess.

Reason #2: Paws are cleaned after every walk.

It surprised me that 295 responders (32.6%) said that they always clean their dog’s paws every time they come in for a walk. The main reasons responders cited for this are:

1. The dog has severe allergies, even to grass.
2. They live in a city like New York and don’t want to track gross city germs inside.
3. They don’t allow shoes inside their homes, so it’s only fair that dog paws are cleaned too.
4. Their dogs are allowed on their furniture and beds and they want to be germ-free.

A lot of people in this category wipe their dog’s paws to save on time instead of a full wash/rinse with water. They may wipe paws with disinfectant wipes made for babies or dogs or they may just wipe down with a wet towel. Burt’s Bees pet wipes was a wet wipe recommendation. I use them too and they are great.

Reason #3: They don’t clean their paws at all or don’t have a specific routine.

I also found it surprising that so many people don’t worry about cleaning their dog’s paws. Though a majority said they will if exceptionally dirty, 20.7% of responders don’t regularly clean paws. Here are the main reasons why:

1. It’s far too much work to wash their dog’s paws after every walk.
2. They don’t worry about shoes being worn in their house, so they are also fine with dog paws.
3. They are a multiple dog household and can’t commit to a regular cleaning regimen.
4. Their dog gets a bath every week/biweekly/monthly so their paws will get cleaned then.
5. They live in the country on an expansive property and don’t worry about salt or pesticides.
6. They clean their floors every single day instead of cleaning paws.
7. Their dogs do a great job of cleaning their own paws naturally so they don’t worry about it.

If they are exceptionally dirty, many responders said they will give their dog a full bath.

Reason #4: Paws are cleaned if they are wet.

A majority of responders in this category wipe their dog’s paws dry with a towel so they don’t leave paw prints on the floors or develop yeast infections. Some responders equated getting paws wet with tracking in dirt or some mud into the house.

One responder recommended the Norwex dog towel or pet mitt. They are made to help get rid of any loose fur or lift dirt too. A regular beach towel works great too.

Reason #5: Paws are cleaned if they walked on salted or sanded roads.

This was a big one. 10.8% of responders (98 people) wash or wipe their dog’s paws to clean off salt or sand before coming inside specifically for the health of their dog. Depending on where you live, salt or sand can be used to de-ice roads. Both sand and salt can get stuck in the fur between the dog’s pads and can irritate them.

While owners may use pet safe salt to de-ice their property, they cannot guarantee it’s used throughout the neighborhood. Dogs lick and bite at their paws when they clean themselves so many owners are worried they will ingest toxic salt.

Of these 98 responders, 80 clean with water instead of a moist wipe. Some responders keep a bowl of water and towel near the doors to clean off with. Quite a few responders suggested Mud Buster or Paw Cleaner to more efficiently clean paws with less clutter at their entrance.

Reason #6: Paws are cleaned by wiping them off a doormat.

19 responders responders (2.1%) had a routine with their dog that they have to wipe their paws off on the mat before coming in. The dogs were trained to do this on their own. One responder tricks the dogs into walking around on mats before coming inside because they do not like their paws touched.

Reason #7: Paws are cleaned once a night before bed.

10 responders (1.1%) wipe or wash their dogs paws every night because their dog sleeps with them. They are fine with the dog’s paws throughout the day but want their bedding to be clean when they sleep together at night.

Reason #8: Paws are cleaned if they walked on sprayed lawns.

9 responders (1.0%) said they will clean their dogs paws if they walked on laws that were sprayed with pesticides. This is another one that probably isn’t much of a shock because even humans shouldn’t be walking around in sprayed lawns. Once a lawn is sprayed with pesticides, no one should be walking in it for at least 24 hours. There are usually signs on lawns indicating it was recently sprayed to help avoid those yards. If you can’t avoid them, you should definitely clean your dog’s paws afterwards.

Reason #9: Their dog wears booties, so they don’t clean their paws.

7 responders (0.8%) said that they would clean their paws if they are dirty or walked on sanded/salted roads. They don’t because their dog will wear booties in inclement weather which prevents them from getting dirty.

I don’t put booties on my dog, but I love the Ruffwear brand. We buy their collars, harnesses, and some types of leashes from Ruffwear. If I did want to buy shoes for my dog, I’d probably check out these Ruffwear booties first.

Frequently Asked Questions about paw cleaning

The last thing you need to know about paw washing

Paw washing is a necessary part of ensuring you and your dog is healthy. But it most likely isn’t necessary for you to do everyday. The main reasons you would want to wash your dog’s paws after every walk is if they have:

• Bad allergies
• Walked through unhealthy environments.

Examples of unhealthy environments are a field covered in goose poop, salted/sanded roads, or lawns sprayed with pesticides.