Six Winter Safety Tips for Dogs

Our cockapoos love snow days and we follow some safety tips when taking them outside to play during the cold winter months here.

1.  Prior to walking the dogs, help protect their paws by coating them with a small amount of paw protectant (natural cooking spray also works). There are also paw protectors available like these breathable mesh boots here.

2.   Clip away hair between the toes to minimize the snow collecting there.

3.   Keep warm water and towels near your door for a quick clean-up when you return from your walk. Salt and grit are dangerous to your pets so make sure you rinse and dry their paws after winter walks and check their pads to make sure they are not damaged.

    

4. Dogs lose their scent in cold weather. Keep them secure when outside. It may also be a good idea to dress them in a reflective vest like the one shown here which is windproof.

5. Take precautions when on ice. Dogs can easily slip and break bones too. Every time Motley goes out in the snow he comes in looking like this.

As you can see our little Monroe is quite the clown and he's always interested in quieting Buddy down but I don't think Monroe pounding on Buddy's back, with his paws, will do it.

6. Keep a close eye on them when they are outside as things like antifreeze used in internal combustion engines, HVAC chillers, and solar water heaters are toxic to dogs.

Want to see how Monroe warms up when he comes inside. Click here.

Buddy typically buries himself under this throw when he comes inside from snow.

Dogs and Hypothermia page is here.

You can find our February 2019 winter walk here. It was a short one due to extreme temperatures.