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?
If yoo don't want to bother with the tub (a pain, but works best), keep a short bucket of water and a big THICK towel by the door -- Jazz only "fought" me the 1st time -- she "got it" after that.
Oh and.... SHAVE the tummy -- what a MAJOR improvement!
I use a soft bristle brush similar to this to break up the snowballs as Teddy comes through the garage. This gets the majority of the snowballs and then I just let her dry naturally with fleece and towels to soak up the rest of the wetness.
Yes. Any soft bristle brush will break the snow up. You actually are brushing just the snow. It is amazing how much you can remove and that will result in much less water in the house as your doodle dries.
Romantically, looking at the pictures of your doodles with snow balls on them, is wonderful. But reading the posts, I can see is is actually quite a problem. Is this only a heavy snow thing? Is it a common thing to all dogs or is it doodle coats that make it such a problem? Does this happen if they just go out to pee or if they are out longer?
Nancy, too funny. I have heard it is the coat and certain coats more than others. It can be a horrible problem in the paws when it gets caught in the webs-but I just reach my warm hand on the paws and gently work out the snowball stuck in there.
I hate SAND on doodles. SAND now there is another discussion all together. That I can't deal with. Stay Warm Nancy.
It doesn't happen immediately but if they stick their faces in the snow, walk in deep snow or roll in it, it surely can happen. I let them drip dry, sometimes in their crates. Usually the air in the house is so dry in the cold weather that they, their belongings, etc. dry quickly.