I thought I would throw this out there for all you to pick at. Perhaps some light can be shed on this subject.

My female Malinois is 2 years old. She loves the water, and has some moderate exposure to slippery flooring. Recently it snowed pretty good. Her kennel is on dirt with a tarp over it, and her dog house inside it. As the snow melted and water drained into her kennel area it has become quite muddy as could be expected. My dog is typically a dog that will be pacing back and forth, rarely in her dog house. As this mud has developed she is now spending most of the time in the dog house. As I call her out she seems as though she is very concerned about the mud, as though she doesn't want to get dirty (though I realize this is not the case, it seems appropriate to mention) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> . She has recently been ignoring me when I call her unless she sees that I am opening the kennel door, at which time she hesitates about walking in the mud. She will tip toe around it, then go out the door and act as if the mud was never there.

If the dog is in drive the mud is not an issue, only when nothing is happening and in her kennel. Any thoughts as to why this mud might be bothering her? It has been suggested that I need to expose her more to slippery and wet surfaces......

She sounds smart to me. If she's outside all day, and gets wet and muddy, that means she's wet and muddy all day. Why not stay warm and dry in the kennel instead of tracking the mud in and then also laying in mud?

I think I'd get some kind of material down so her kennel drains alot better. Wood chips? Sure other people that are keeping their kennels dry will have suggestions.

I'd work on the mud issue separate from the kennel. Why not find some muddy area and have a rousing game of tug in the mud WITH your dog. Or have a game of fetch where your dog has to go thru the wet and the mud? Make it fun, and with a toy, and have both of you a mess so it's normal. Then DRY OFF YOUR DOG, and put her in her now non-muddy kennel, and see if this all helps.

I think your dog is just a clean lady like dog, I had a German Shepherd like that and she like to stay clean, does not like to step in mud or water puddle but when I switch her on then it does not matter, I only noticed this with my female dog, my male dog never give a crap about when they step on, even my face if I was sleeping on the ground.(-: