Help with snow clumps

[Jodi and Stella]

We live in the mountains and just had our first significant snow since we got Stella. She gets covered with snow clumps! (AKA snow dingleberries) How do you doodle owners in snow country deal with this winter "phenomenom"

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

It melts in five minutes. That is the best we can do here in the Lake Erie Snow Belt in Ohio. Once it melts, your dog will want to go out again. So repeat, melt, repeat, melt, repeat. Use your mud room to allow them to puddle there... or get lots of rugs. Then repeat, melt, repeat, melt. It is a LONG WINTER!

[Jodi and Stella]

LOL... Thanks Joanne. I have a feeling you are right. I will try to keep a sense of humor about it as you do!

[Lisa, Daisy & Dexter]

We have a dish pan of warm water and a big dry towel waiting at the door, unlike Joan we have NO mudroom, just the garage entrance.

Daisy has learned to count cause we say one - she gives us a paw, two gives us another, three and four we just lift.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Joanne has NO MUD ROOM :) The water matted the paws last year on the doodles and I had to trim the hair off the feet--they looked like Poodle Feet :(

PLUS... in subzero temperatures ICE FORMS. My dogs go out every hour. Water and SubZero Temps on Skin is not a good combination.
So... melt, repeat, melt, repeat :) Water I have heard works for many though, just not me.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

For some reason my computer is not allowing me to search here on DK. Last winter many areas in the country were experiencing snow in areas that had never seen snow. This question was asked several times, however I can not find the discussions. There were several good suggestions in those discussions. This may help you.

For me, I just can't fight Mother Nature. Dog wants out, snow dingleberries, comes inside, melts, repeat, repeat, repeat... all winter long.

[Camilla and Darwin]

I bring him in the house and put him in the shower with warm water. It melts the clumps immediately, they I just towel and let him dry off like he would after a bath. Sure, he is still wet. But if we don't, it takes a long time for the clumps to melt and he spends the whole time trying to rip them out of his fur.

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Mut LOCKS --shoes for dogs. Not sure if I spelled this correctly.

Go to PetEdge.com I saw some boots and shoes for dogs who live in severe weather.

Look up the snow shoes they make for dogs feet. I have heard these are great. The Butt. the dingleberries on the butt.... not much you can do unless you put a snow suit on them and I do believe they make them too.

I work OUTSIDE all winter. I just would not be watering down my hands and feet because I have snow on them, just to go back outside a short time later! No Way for me.

Some of your dogs dry faster. Spud, an f1b takes hours and hours to dry. HOURS. Sending a damp dog outside in subzero temperatures could promote frostbite!

You may want to use a blow dryer. That was a suggestion last year. If your dog is not fearful of blow dryer, this might be good.

My dogs have a blanket they also use to warm up when they come in.

[Jodi and Stella]

She does have a snowsuit, it helps quite a bit (and is soooo cute on her!) (pictures attached)

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

She looks beautiful ! :) Stay warm. Stay Dry. Stella, have a lot of fun in the snow.

[Kami Allen]

That is just tooo cute!

[Suzanne/Paul Maffa]

OMG.......so adorable.....where did you get "this" snowsuit?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

MONTANA! Oh my doodles. Whatever you do, do not use WATER to warm up this dog. In Ohio, we rarely get below -5 degrees C. In the mountains of Montana, you are talking about -20 to -30 degrees C.

One of my foster doodles was adopted by a wonderful family who has a cabin in the mountains of Minnesota. They use BOOTS and Clothing to protect their dogs. Go enjoy some fun shopping to find your doodle some cool winter cloths.

How soon we forget about cold weather temperatures since it has been an exceptionally warm summer for many months. Please read about Frostbite and how to protect exposed paws and skin to temperatures, wet skin, thawing. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frostbite

If the dog needs to go back out you are running the risk of critically injuring its extremities.