What do your doodles do... in the winter

[Stacy]

I'm a broken record. If I've said it once, I've said it a million times. I hate winter. It's not my thing. And it's been an extra snowy one this year. Right now it's 15* F and feels like 3*. Yuck. But here we are, having a staycation until Feb. 5th and we're not bored, exactly. Any time I'm off work I'm a happy camper. But I wish it was go for a walk weather instead. The girls are pretty good at couch potato-ing, and frankly so am I. But people must do things in winter. Give me some ideas! 

The girls don't seem to mind the weather, but even if I was warm enough I wonder if their feet would be okay to go for a walk. I thought about buying myself one of these - But then I think I need to get the girls snowsuits too! And boots. And hats... So mostly we are just snuggling under the electric blanket watching the Ted Bundy Tapes on Netflix and waiting for spring!

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Oh Stacy, I hear you!  I live here in your neck of the woods too!  Zoey loves the snow and doesn't seem to mind the temps.  I keep her hair longer in the winter. I am careful about cleaning her feet for fear of the salt.  So I put on all 3 layers plus coat and go ahead and brave the conditions.  Luckily my road is a "snow route", so it is clear.  But that means I have to walk on the street itself instead of the sidewalk.  They are just too icy.  I even have those Yak Traks to keep from slipping, but this retired body does still not want to fall on concrete!!!  Needless to say, our walks are not as long as usual.

We go down into the basement sometimes to play fetch.  I open the garage door to the basement and leash her up and walk inside.  (She looks at me like I'm crazy! lol)  We do her training commands.  She is enrolled at doggie daycare, but has only been twice.  I just don't like to leave her somewhere else.  Some days all we have is Home Depot to walk up and down the aisles. I got some of those puzzles and do nose games, but I don't want to stuff her full of treats.  I try to do aerobics for myself, but she thinks that is playtime and pesters me too much.  

I hate winter too. This too shall pass!!    :^)

[Stacy]

You are a better person than I am going on any walk in the cold. We need to work more on training when it's like this. I just get into a rut of hiding out on the couch when it gets like this. 

I'm like you, I get nervous leaving them with strangers. An indoor dog park would be great. We could all go and play with the other dogs together. We have a really nice dog bar here that I've been wanting to try, and they claim to have covered areas and propane heaters, but I'm holding out for actual nice weather. It seems like we haven't had nice weather in forever.

[Barbara, Zoey and Zeke]

Did you mean they actually have a dog "bar" in Independence?  I know there is one in downtown KC called the Bar K.  It's a combination bar, park and coffeehouse with music.  We haven't been, but my nephew talks about taking theirs.

[Stacy]

Yes, it's in downtown KC not Independence. I moved the the Kansas side a few years ago, so happily I'm not in Independence either!

Bar K sounds like the place to be. They serve food and adult beverages. They have dog adoptions and grooming and live music. They have a yearly subscription cost, I think it's 265/year for the first dog. Or you can pay per visit. 10/first dog and then 5/dog for the rest (I'm going by memory, so that might not be 100% accurate.) It's free for the humans, so if you want to invite someone dogless they don't have to pay. I've really been meaning to get there, but first it was rainy and then it was cold, or it was a weekend and I thought it might be unbearably crowded. I will get there though!

[Maryann,Roo and Tigger]

i live in sunny Southern CA, but we had a solid week of hard rain.  During the rain we played indoor fetch with soft toys, hide and seek (I hide).  I used to have one husky who really understood the game and would "hide" under the bed with his head.

It's tough when you cannot get outside!!

[Stacy]

I would love it if they played hide and seek! Maggie knows when I'm leaving the house and puts her head under the bed like I can't see her there. It's so cute, but I swear she lives to make me feel guilty about that. 

It is hard when you can't get out. Today's adventure was a quick run to the grocery store and then we went through the car wash. Maggie doesn't seem to care if we just ride and don't go anywhere fun. She just likes to go.

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

It was -40 with the wind chill a few days earlier this week.  Needless to say it was quick potty breaks only for Riley - we play fetch indoors and do training when it's too cold out or freezing rain etc.  which happens pretty frequently around here in Jan/Feb. :p

Our house is well set up for fetch with a nice clear alleyway from the front door to the back of the house so she can get up to a decent run.

[Stacy]

Oh my goodness - keep that cold to yourself! That sounds terrible! Your house sounds great. The girls don't really play ball. Katie will chase it, but she'll never bring it back. And Maggie's kind of meh about toys. They do have a whole toy box that is empty right now because they love to take the toys outside but they expect me to retrieve everything. I'm holding out until they aren't buried in snow before I go on a scavenger hunt. They do both like stuffies, but Katie kills everything in 30 seconds and then tries to eat the stuffing, so I don't buy them very often. 

[J and Riley (and Luna)]

Have you tried empty plastic bottles (big ones)?  Riley loves them because they are noisy, crinkly and they "run away" when she pounces on them.  They only last about a week at most before they have to be recycled but they are good for those days you really can't go outside.

[DonMarie and Picco]

You probably don't want to hear from me because I love winter and the snow!  We get snow off and on in town but up in the mountains, about 30 mins away, we get lots so we put on booties, snowsuit on Picco and head up to snow shoe or walk the trails.  If its too windy or rainy it's the only time we don't get out then it's wrestling or playing ball indoors.

[Stacy]

I have a cousin who likes the snow and cold. I do not understand her at all. I don't want it to be 110 degrees out, but I would take that over cold any day. I am just not wired for cold! So far neither one of the girls seem to be affected by the cold. Granted, we don't stay out very long at one time, but they're big (ish in Katie's case) and very hairy and I think they're warm enough. I'm not, but I think they are. I wish I could find a reason for them to need snowsuits, they would be so cute! But until we can figure out how to keep me warm there's no reason to try to keep them warmer. 

[DonMarie and Picco]

The snow suit is mainly for keeping the snowballs from taking over his body!  Picco is a snowdog, loves to roll around and play but the snow likes to cling to their hair then the cold really sets in.  And also coming in the house of car then getting everything wet!    

I know you are on the other side of the state but but my in-laws are in SE MO and whining about the snow and cold.  They got more than us!