Many breeds of dogs come naturally well equipped for cold weather. If you have a husky you know this first hand because you watch your pup light up at the sight of snow and prance around with his big fur coat while you stand there with chattering teeth waiting to get back inside. But not all dogs are made to live in a cold climate. If you have a dog with short hair and no undercoat, you need to be cognizant of the fact that she can and will get cold. Just because dogs have fur doesn’t mean they aren’t affected by dropping temperatures.
Probably a lot of people are just keeping their pups inside and only sending them out for quick potty breaks. But if you are still braving the elements to take walks like us, there are precautions to be taken with short, thin furred dogs. Make sure to have a nice warm weatherproof coat. We love our Ruffwear K-9 Overcoats because they are thick and durable but incredibly easy to get on and off and not at all restrictive of movement. They are a little pricey but you can find discounts on baxterboo.com and if your pup is full grown this coat should last a long time so it’s a wise investment. Sometimes coats just aren’t enough so you can layer a hoodie underneath. I’ve talked several times about our obsession with Zack & Zoey hoodies you can find on both Baxter Boo and Amazon for excellent prices. We also have snoods for our dogs, which are basically just dog scarves. I ordered one for each dog from Sirius Republic via Etsy and they are wonderful. They are made with double lined fleece so they are super soft and warm and water repellent. Finally, you might need boots. And that goes for dogs even with nice fluffy winter coats. It’s not so much their feet getting cold as it is them taking a beating. The snow and ice can be rough on tender paw pads and salted streets and sidewalks can quickly turn ugly if the little grains get stuck up in between paws. Can you imagine walking around with salt rubbing in between your toes? I purchased these on super sale last year and they fit very true to size. The only caveat is that they are a bit of a pain to put on and you have to wrap the Velcro super tight to get them to stay on. Oh and Ares only likes to wear them on his back paws because he’s a weirdo.
The first time I put the boots on Ares and Chaos they walked like they didn’t know how. We were just inside trying to get them familiar with wearing them and it was quite a funny sight. But what was even more interesting was as soon as we got outside they walked completely normally. And then eventually Ares managed to get his front boots off and refused to put them back on. The boots have the added bonus of keeping your dogs’ paws clean and dry so they aren’t tracking icky slush from the streets inside and they are washable. If you do a lot of walking outside in the winter like we do, these boots will probably serve you well if you can get your dog to agree to wear them. Treats also go a lot way with new gear (especially turkey dogs!).
Now with all that being said, be wary of furry little con artists. Out on a walk this week I realized that I had been duped but good by a certain Boston Terrier but I’m not surprised I fell for his trick. This is how is went down. We are out and all of a sudden Ares stops in his tracks, starts limping on his front paw and crying in front of a building at NKU. Keep in mind this dog only likes to wear his boots on his back paws. So I try to look at his paw and he yipes but I can’t see anything wrong with it. He will not walk so I start to get worried something is really wrong. I feel horrible because we’ve been walking through the snow for a week and maybe it’s all my fault and we should have stayed home. I picked him up, all 30 pounds of him, and start walking because what else am I going to do? He completely relaxes in my arms and starts snorting his happy snort which is like a snort/purr. And then the second we get over to the hill he starts squirming to be put down. I try to do it gently, since he’s all hurt and everything, but he springs out of my arms, lands on all 4 paws without so much as a blink and starts bounding through the snow. Then I smack my myself in the head because I realize my dog is a manipulative genius and I’m an idiot for falling for this. The whole sidewalk outside the bank of Kentucky center was covered in salt, all down the walkway and through the parking lot. That’s where Ares “got hurt” and where the salt stopped at the foot of the hill is where he was magically cured. Are you kidding me? This cannot be real life. I guess since we’ve been walking still everyday he figured out where the salt was so he devised a plan to get me to carry him over it. And it totally worked. He was probably snorting to himself the whole time like hahahaha she bought the whole I’m hurt bit and I don’t have to walk my precious paws on the salt. Insert evil snorts here.
Needless to say he’s either wearing all his boots or mama is not carrying his cute little butt no matter what. (okay unless he REALLY does get hurt).
