[nagdu] dog winterization

[Doug Parisian]

Well, here's my 2.5 cents worth.

I live in Winnipeg Manitoba Canada which claims on average to be one of the 
coldest cities in the world overall during our winter.

Any booties I have tried on my five dogs have either had a tendency to fall 
off, or collect water when getting on and off various buses, or entering and 
exiting buildings.  Of course, that means they can freeze in our kind of 
cold.  We can get weeks where the temperature never reaches above minus 10 
Fahrenheit, and that doesn't count wind-chill.  The one positive is the fact 
that we don't experience a lot of freezing/thawing cycles.  By the way, our 
prairie summers can be absolutely scorching.

I've had my dogs working quite happily in minus 40 degrees; the real brutal 
part is waiting for traffic lights, especially on bare cement which tends to 
be a lot colder than a snow surface.  The same is true when waiting for a 
bus, unless one is able to use our several bus shelters, some of which are 
heated by radiators under the bench.  I have placed my dogs on these 
benches.  Unfortunately, being inside one of those shelters can result in 
missing a bus.  Depending on other shelterers to tell me when the bus is 
coming (my bus that is) is a little like Russian Roulette.  My eventual 
planned cell phone should help in that regard since I can then use the 
various transit tools for bus schedules and the like.

Anyway, I've never had a dog with injured or sore paws in 35 years; I make a 
point of a foot check including a wipe after each winter trip, especially in 
the fall and spring.  Maintaining a brisk pace in cold weather helps a lot 
as well; and if I feel cold, rest assured my dog will also feel cold.  Think 
of it; these animals don't put on extra clothing before leaving a 
temperature of 72 degrees into minus 20.  That in itself is amazing to me.

If you have a yard or safe play place, allowing the dog to spend supervised 
free time is a strategy I've found to be helpful by way of acclimatization; 
damn, this even works for me.

Doug: never lick a cold lamp post!
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert Hooper" <hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
To: "NFB-NAGDU" <nagdu at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Sunday, December 04, 2011 10:17 AM
Subject: [nagdu] dog winterization


> Hello All:
>
> I have a few questions regarding winter weather and dogs. Because I live 
> in Ohio, I experience all kinds of weather-varying from very hot in the 
> summer and very cold in the winter. Although we rarely experience 
> temperatures below 0 Fahrenheit, it is not uncommon to see regular 
> temperatures in the lower thirties, twenties, or teens. I am wondering how 
> long Bailey can remain outside in such weather. Obviously, I will forego 
> going outside if it is snowing heavily or dangerously, as that impedes my 
> navigation ability and would be dangerous for both of us. However, it is 
> inevitable that I will be outside while snow is on the ground and the 
> temperature is low. I know to put booties on him if the sidewalks and 
> roads are salted, but is that the only scenario in which I would use 
> booties? What is the lowest temperature dogs (German shepherds in 
> particular) can endure comfortably and for how long? I expect that the 
> answer varies based on a number of factors (breed and age of the dog, the 
> dog
> itself, the pace at which the dog is accustomed to walking, etc.), but I 
> would still appreciate anyone's input and experience with winter weather, 
> both mild and harsh. For example, will winter weather clothing be a 
> necessity for him? Although I ride campus transportation a lot, it is 
> still likely that I will be outside in 10-15 minute stretches throughout 
> the day while walking home, to other classes, exams, lunch, etc. I not 
> only want him to be able to survive this weather, I want him to be 
> comfortable enough to work in this weather. The only apparel I have for 
> him at the moment are his booties. Once again, need I concern myself with 
> anything extra? I appreciate any tips, advice, anecdotes, exhaustive 
> research and experimentation, etc. that anyone has to offer.
> Sincerely,
> Robert Hooper
> Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu<mailto:Hooper.90 at buckeyemail.osu.edu>
> The Ohio State University
> 0653 Buckeye-Cuyahoga CT
> 653 Cuyahoga Court
> Columbus, Ohio 43210
> (740) 856-8195
>
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