Having a dog in the winter

[ERS-One]

Originally Posted by sj_faithful

Another thing, I heard that dogs should avoid walking on salts in winter. Is that true?

Yes, especially females.

[quigboto]

Originally Posted by sj_faithful

Wow he is cute and awesome in snow! No boots on him either. I definitely feel a lot better now.

Another thing, I heard that dogs should avoid walking on salts in winter. Is that true?

Thanks. He's cute, but he's a handful. Salt should be avoided, fer sure, but salt is a bit unavoidable unless you can get your dog to wear booties (Which I can not) so I try to steer him clear of undissolved salt, and keep an eye on his pads. He's never shown any ill effects, but if you can get the dog to cooperate with booties, I would definitely recommend it.

[sunnyandcloudydays]

Originally Posted by ERS-One

Yes, especially females.

Just like in warmer climates Anti Freeze Coolant is murder on pups
in addition the salt can be hard on their pads and they sometimes lick the pad which is not a good thing . I have always just walked by dog thru snow before i go in the house and this way I know the majority of the salt , anti freeze is off their pads and wont harm them.

[pvande55]

Try to train your dog to wear boots in the winter. It will save a lot of possible injury.

[Mt-7]

Quickly and believe me they learn...LOL!

[Haley Wood]

FWIW, I put waterproof coats on my dogs in the winter, esp in the rain in Portland, but also in the snow in Denver because it's SO much easier to clean them up when they get home. Just wet paws and legs rather than the whole wet dog (esp with the golden). It's less for them, and more for me, just because I hate wet dog, but I'd do it for them if they needed it (the old guy does because it helps with his joints). When I lived in Mpls, I had a basset, and he was so low to the ground in the snow, that he risked frostbite on the sensitive parts, and we had to dig trenches for him so he could go out in the yard in the snow. Usually the only part of him I could see was his tail, and let me tell you, that dog went pretty darned quickly in 30 below!

[Drover]

Depending on the breed, you probably won't need to do anything to/for your dog. Their paws are fine -- the pads are designed to handle all kinds of abuse including snow and cold. The only thing that causes issues is sidewalk salt. If they have any cracks in their paws the salt can be painful. They'll limp on the affected foot for a bit, then the stinging stops, and they start walking normally again. Their coats are far more insulating than your skin, so their bodies are not as bothered by cold either. When I had beagles I had little winter doggie coats I could wrap around them. But I didn't bother unless it got down to the teens or below, because they weren't bothered either.

[Drover]

Originally Posted by sj_faithful

Awesome. Thanks for everyone's feedback!

BTW, my dog is a miniature long-haired dachshund.

Your dog will probably be fine without a coat. The bigger issue will be finding a place to walk the poor critter when there's more than 2 inches of snow.

[Gunner0325]

The salt is ok on their paws...Only a couple times during the winter where that was a problem...it can get stuck up in their pads and you have to dig it out for them. You most likely won't need boots for your dog...some people just prefer it

[hhkb]

The salt+deicing stuff can be quite brutal on a dog's paws. I was under the impression this was the main reason people put booties on their dog. It certainly irritates my dog's paws, but I don't bother with the booties (he prefers the snow anyways :-)).

Nice thing about the dog in winter is it forces you to get outside!