Cold Winters (boots? coat?)

[Sara & Trix]

Hello!

I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba (in Canada) and it gets very cold here.  Already this weekend, we will hit the -30 mark with the windchill.  This is Trix's first winter and we've only had a little snow so far, but she goes nuts in it!  Having lived here my whole life, I'm used to the cold and anticipate walking her twice a day on the days she dosen't go to daycare.  

I've never had a dog before, so I guess I'm just afraid of missing any signs that she is getting too cold and then have her suffer (frozen paws or ears are my biggest concern).

My preference would be to not have to put a coat or boots on Trix.  I've crocheted her a simple black sweater if need be (but I prefer my doodle naked). 

Do dogs show signs when they are too cold? 

She's a very lean 30lbs and her coat was just cut to about 1 inch (in case that matters!)

Thanks!

 

  

[Stacy, Bruno, Molly and Gracie]

I was thinking about this: 

http://www.baxterboo.com/dog/supplies.cfm/reversible-dog-snowsuit-r...   mostly b/c the snow balls up and Bruno cannot even run and it takes forever to just let it melt so I end up putting him in the shower to melt all the snow. This is what he would look like last winter

[Donna K & Quincy]

This pic is exactly why we use a rainsuit and boots when we are playing in deep snow. The snow balls form really quickly and spoils Quicy's fun. Putting him in the shower does melt the snowballs but then he takes a long time to dry and can't go outside playing again. Slipping on the suit and boots takes about 5 mins but saves hours of melting and drying time. We don't use the suit all the time just in deep snow or when it is wet and slushy. We use the boots when we are walking on the street after they have been salted or sanded.

 

[Donna K & Quincy]

http://www.doodlekisses.com/video/after-the-storm?id=2065244%3AVide...

This is why we wear a snowsuit.

[Sara & Trix]

OMD!  I can understand how that could bring a fun snow romp to an end!  I never envisioned that it could get that bad.  I love a naked doodle, but I think I'd consider a rainsuit if this became a normal accurancewith Trix.  Oh the curse of having a beautiful fluffy coat.

[Katie, John & Parker pup]

haha! OMD!! That is a lot of snow! I have never seen that happen before! This will be my first winter with a dog...I grew up in Bermuda so our dogs never had to worry about snow, but sand is always a hassle!

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

in case anyone forgets, -30 celcius is not the same as -30 farenheit. It doesn't actually get that cold!

 

I too enjoy a nice walk in the cold as long as I'm bundled and there's no wind. But a brisque walk at -30 will set off my asthma :(  I wish we had an indoor dog park.

[Sherri, Sophie, Winston, & Kitty]

OH! I thought it was a much bigger difference.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Actually, it does get THAT cold... it gets to -40 C here, which is the same as -40 F :p

[Janel and Sophia]

Hi Sara,

Having lived in Winnipeg( Winterpeg) for the last 35 years, I know how cold it can get......  By the way I now live in BC..  much warmer....

Sophia is now 5 months old and this week was the first time she ever saw snow.  She LOVED it, but alas it did not love her as much.  After a 1/2 hour she was covered in snowballs.  Quite funny to look at, but I am sure it did not feel great.  I too was wondering what to do about it.  Sophia rarely gets cold and seems to love it outside, but  she does have a full shaggy coat.  I think I am going to try and find the mushers secret as Arron suggested.  If anyone else has ideas let me know, please

[Janel and Sophia]

Thanks for the web site Andrea..  will order it today!

[Sara & Trix]

So I went to Pet Value and they only had a knock off of the Musher's Secret.  I then saw a display and a sale sign for plain black thick fleece boots.  So I bought them!  I put them on Trix this morning and she actually didn't react much to them.  They stayed on for the entire 30 minutes she played in the snow.

Guess I found my solution for now!

And as for my naked doodle issue - my DH said it best ''if you're naked and wearing a pair of boots, you're still naked!'' ;)

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

Glad you found something for Trix's feet!  That is really good that she left them on! Good girl Trix!