Cold weather doodles!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

It has been unseasonably warm here in southern Wisconsin (yay!!!!) but I'm afraid temps will probably start to dip soon and before we know it snow will be here. I'm wondering if anyone still takes their dogs for walks during the winter months. If so, do you use dog boots or sweaters and how long do you walk for? Yeti's coat is medium length I would say. We are hoping to let it grow out during the winter then cut it short again once spring is here. This will be yeti's first winter and my first winter with a dog so any stories & suggestions would be great!!

[Murph and Me]

The Murph LOVES the cold and snow. We just got him a haircut and he won't get another till St Patrick's day. The biggest problem in the snow is the snow clumps in his paws if the hair gets too long long so I keep his paws well trimmed and slap on Mushers wax on them before going oot in the snow. I live in NYC and by the harbor and it gets damn cold in the wind so I'm dressed like an Eskimo while Murph gives me a look if I cut the walk short. No coat for him needed. He would stay out for hours if I let him. And if we get snow he has died and gone to heaven. A complete lunatic with his girlfriend in the snow. Though I wonder if I'm the lunatic going out for hours at a time with him.

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I'm in the Chicago suburbs, and Jack and I still walk every day in winter. We walk every morning, and then I usually move his evening walk to the late afternoon when it's still light out, to avoid slipping on unseen ice in the dark. He has never worn a coat or any type of garment, even in the coldest weather. Cold doesn't seem to bother him. However, when it's bitterly cold, (subzero windchills, lol) we keep outside time very brief, basically potty only.

[DonMarie and Picco]

Picco loves the snow! He must take after me on that!  I have to watch when he plays because he will grow snowballs and when they melt he will be soaked and cold.  He scared me once when a pup and half his face was covered with packed snow!  If it gets really cold out below freezing we take shorter walks or none at all. I have Ultra Paws booties - Snow & go boots or Traction boots. Both work well, inexpensive and stay on pretty good.  I tried some heavy duty durable boots but they were so stiff he wouldn't walk in them so if you are looking for some then that is something to be aware of.  I haven't tried Mushers wax but heard good things about it.  I knitted him a sweater but only use it on those really cold walks.

[Stella]

I'd say I think depends a lot on the size of your doodle and the type of his coat. My F1 has a more labbish coat and appears oblivious to the cold! He loves nothing better than lying outside on a snow bank! My multigen is very thin skinned and does not have an under coat, he really feels the cold. I'm in Canada and we go for a walk every day, until it gets to -35C and then it is potty breaks only outside. Down to -15C or -20C without a wind chill, my F1 comes on walks 'naked'!! Below -10C my other LD needs a coat. Below -20C they both wear boots so we can walk longer without their feet freezing. My multigen is very curly and gets snowballs building up all over his coat, so I actually keep him clipped pretty short otherwise he's wet and drips all over the house, or I have to melt them off in the shower - no fun for either of us!!

[Sue]

I live in Milwaukee, so I know cold, but really they don't need sweaters or coats. My 2 had these on for about 5 minutes and were panting, lol

I do like finding bright colored coats and sweaters for photography purposes only, not because they need them.

I don't think Kramer has ever been cold even on the bitterest days of winter.

[DonMarie and Picco]

Yeah!  2 inches of snow this morning!  At least till the sun comes up.....

[Rosie's Family]

Good topic, we had our first snow on Thursday and so far Rosie seems good with it. We have decieded to get wax for her feet though.

[Wendy and Myla]

We live in Beautiful British Columbia, Canada!  Myla absolutely loves the snow, I'm honestly not sure if she likes it better than the lakes and rivers or not.  She loves it outside, snow or shine!  In the winter, she goes snow-shoeing with DH just about every other day and always leads the way unless the snow is very deep (virgin snowshoeing) and then she will go behind DH but very unwillingly.  She does not wear any clothing or footwear - we find that the footwear does not let her grasp the snow - but what we have found is that when her fur is longer, she gets ice-balls in between her toes and stops to chew them out. What we have found is that when we keep her underbelly and legs and toes clipped very short (we do her grooming ourselves) she can move way more freely in the snow.  We tried wax but found it didn't make much difference at all and she definitely doesn't like it on her feet - she would be licking it constantly, snowballs or not.  This is just for snowshoeing.  When we go for walks, Myla is fine BUT the salt on the roads is irritating for her and if I don't rinse off her feet when we get home, she constantly licks them, which is definitely not good.  So again, the short fur around her feet is definitely better for her.  Myla spends a lot of her day outdoors - she just comes to the door and barks when she wants inside.  She seems to be outside the same amount of time, winter or summer, unless it's raining and then she's inside all day long.  She absolutely hates the rain - go figure!!!!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Oh thank you so much!!

[Stephanie and Ragley]

Ragley loves the snow! I do put boots on her whenever there is snow or whenever there is salt/chemicals on the road. I, too, have found that all of these things cause irritation to her paws. The snow gets stuck to the hair between her toes and forms little ice balls. I have Muttluks boots for her and they are wonderful! I don't find that she gets too bothered by the mild cold, but when it dips into the 20's or lower is when I will usually put her vest on. She has a fleece loose wave coat and the wind cuts right through it. Now that we live up in Ohio and will be visiting Cleveland some through the winter, I am thinking of getting her something that is even a little more insulated.

For the most part, she is totally fine without it, though!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

Oh my gosh she is so sweet!!!

[Haley, Yeti, and Phin]

So far yeti has loved our couple of cold days! And I agree I'm sure he will love frolicking in the snow as well!!