Ann R. Pedreschi
Holden, Maine
The trick to controlling most doggie messes is preventive maintenance. A good grooming every day just seven minutes of work not only lets you check your dog for tumors, ticks, or lesions, but eliminates a good portion of floating dog hair and helps control pet dander, which contributes to doggie odor.
Walk your dog in the rain or snow and let him swim in fresh water because this eliminates a lot of dander and the odor associated with dander. (If your dog swims in salt water, rinse him afterwards in fresh water because salt water increases oil and dander in the coat.)
Leather furniture doesn't hold hair like fabrics do, and wood or vinyl floors are by far the easiest to maintain when you have a dog.
Jan and Perry Trober
Bonne Terre, Mo.
Living with three Jack Russell Terriers that are white balls of energy and totally terriers, we understand the necessity of keeping our home from going to the dogs. Our dogs have a large fenced area in the country, compete in go-to-ground, and love to hunt.
To help keep our home clean, we have installed a baby gate between the tiled kitchen and the carpeted area of the rest of the house. This way, we can dry our babies when they are wet before they make that mad dash through the house and paw-print everything.
My husband also installed a utility tub with a dog sprayer in our laundry room so that we can wash or spray off the dogs when they are covered in mud.
Christina and Clarence Smith
Hurley, N.Y.
Our time-efficient secret to a fresh-smelling house is ceramic lightbulb rings. One with a few drops of fragrance oil can freshen multiple rooms all day. You can purchase a ring and oil set for about $10; one bottle can last months. You won't regret this new trick!
Lori Jayne Eliot
Windsor, Conn.
I've learned that towels are a girls best friend! On rainy days and during the winter, I spread a few bath sheet-sized towels on the floor by the entrance to our house. They soak up mud and snow off paws as we come in. Then, I always have a few more big towels waiting by the door to wipe off the whole dog. Duncan is trained to wait in the entrance until he's toweled off. Cleanup is easy as all the towels go right in the wash! I use towels in my minivan too saves the carpeting and seat covers.
I also use a fabric throw over the couch it picks up the dogs hairs and random spills and can go right in the wash. Underneath, the couch looks like new when company comes over.
To keep up with shedding, we have several serious grooming sessions each week. But I also brush him every night for at least five to 10 minutes, and it really keeps the shedding under control. It also means he's shiny and clean, and looks and smells great not to mention the quiet time together it gives us.
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