Best way to get ice balls off doodles?

[Diane Hinson]

Help needed!  My 2 goldendoodles have been in and out in the snow all day.  They love the snow but they are in misery when they come in -- just covered with ice/snow balls -- all over their paws, legs, bellies.  We try, but we cannot get them off.  For a while, they cannot even sit or lie down.  Then they melt and they leave puddles all over the house.  By the time they are dry, they want to go out again!  Anyone have any tips?  

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

What is a paw plunger? WTD? Are u being silly or am I just clueless?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Okay, I'm clueless. Okay, I'm lazy. Not doing this either.

[Diane Hinson]

A paw plunger looks like a big mug but has bristles on the inside. It is a lifesaver when they come in from playing in a muddy yard -- their paws (and legs) go from mud to (almost) clean. I bought mine from fetch.com. Kayla (our calmer 3.5 year old) stands calmly as we take one paw at a time and plunge. Ginger (the less calm 1.5 year old) is more of a challenge, requires treats.

Too much work for ice balls,though -- and, like I said, their paws wouldn't fit in at twice the diameter!

[Noble Vestal Labradoodles]

just let them melt, trying to towel dry them can cause mats, blow drier works ok but who wants a blow drier on the counter next to the back door all day for 3 months

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

LOL My dog would bite the blow dryer cord. Forget it. JUST MELT. This all is too much work for me.

[Debbie and Thomas]

I hear you are getting a wee bit of snow today!! As a Canadian doodle owner, I guess I should know what the answer is to your question, but I'm with Joanne on this one. Just let it thaw on its own and keep your mop handy. If they are uncomfortable walking when they come in keep a bowl of warm water near the door and dip the paws, then towel dry. As for the rest of the body, I just give mine a rub down with a towel. No snow here this year... Hooray!!

[Michele Barton]

I was having a hard time with this too, but today I tried combing the ice balls out- works pretty good.

[shelly]

I'm laughing here on Long Island... we were all ready for a foot of snow, and all I woke up to was light flurries falling - no accumulation... I'm a bit disappointed, bet Tori is too. I won't let her know how much fun her "doodle friends" had today. But my DH was happy - no shoveling to do.... maybe Wednesday. We'll see....

[Michele Barton]

I'd be happy to send you some snow! We got about 3 feet, with 5 foot drifts. I've never seen so much snow. I'm going to be combing out ice balls for months!

[Ann W]

I used my slicker brush to knock down the ice balls on Sadie .Then I blew her. I have a metro dog dryer and it has been getting a major workout.

[Donna K & Quincy]

I've found that the best way to deal with snowballs is to prevent them. That's why with almost 20inches of new snow here in Torbay I resorted to making a homemade snowsuit. Just a wind jacket and the legs from a pair of wind pants. The only snowballs were on his feet. Hey necessity is the mother of invention. Only took about 20 mins to make. Quincy could move around well and it did't bother him. Easy to put on as the coat zips up his back. See photos on my page.

[Diane Hinson]

Thank you for all the suggestions. We have tried all sorts of things today -- brushing them out, in combination with a hair dryer; toweling them dry; and just letting them melt. We got close to 30 inches of snow! Our mid-size doodle is not even that tall, so she has been bouncing around like a bunny in the snow. The only thing we have not tried is the bath or hand shower because they don't stay inside long enough to dry off, and then they would truly become icicles. We do have a paw plunger (LOVE it for mud) -- but their paws actually won't fit in it with all the ice balls!! We have used every beach towel in the house today and dried them all twice! I guess we will just go with the melting approach from now on ;-)