Winter Safety Tips

Winter time is a fun time for dogs! Snow is great fun to run in, play in, catch snow balls, and even roll in the snow. There is nothing funnier than seeing our snow puppies coming inside covered in snow on their faces and bodies. Winter does have it's own sets of hazards that we have to prepare for.

The first winter hazard is well...the cold. Small dogs, dogs with little to no body fat, and dogs with short coats are more susceptible to the cold. Even though a dog may have a thick fur coat if they have not been acclimated to colder temperatures (IE moving to Michigan from Florida in winter time temperatures) they can also be more sensitive. Grooming is a must during the snowy months! A mat-free coat will dry out faster and provides better insulation from the cold than a coat that is in poor condition. Keep walks shorter and check your dog's pads post walks. Ice can form balls between the toes and salt from the street can irritate pads. If irritation occurs there are special wax based products designed to protect pads from the elements.

House training can take a backside with deep snow and colder temperatures. Small dogs can be up to their chest or deeper in snow so finding their bathroom area can be difficult. The simplest thing is to clear a path. Clean up after your pooch even in the cold, young dogs can have an interest in frozen poo. Young puppies may need to be supervised just in case they try to pretend they went to the bathroom so they can go back inside. In deep snow you even have to worry about larger dogs using the snow as a ledge to jump over fences.

The last hazard of winter is the dreaded cabin fever! Dogs just like people need fresh air, sunshine, and to run off excess energy from time to time. Dreary, cold, and wet days make it difficult to let dogs burn off energy. Fetch up and down stairs can be a good way to tire your pal out. Tug-of-war and Find Your Toy are also good exercises. Find your toy gets your dog to use his nose to find the toy you hid, start easy and let your dog see the toy. Eventually you will be able to hide the toy in another room and he happily use his nose to find his toy. Doggie Day Camps, meet-up groups, and training classes here at Best Friends are another way to burn off winter steam. A couple days a week playing with other dog can burn off a lot of energy. Obedience classes may not be strenuous but the positives of mental exercise cannot be underestimated! One of my favorite winter time slum busters is trick training. I only teach tricks in winter time because there are only a few tricks that need to be done outside. Agility classes are great for mental and physical stimulation. Best Friends' agility classes are offered indoors.

Winter time can be so much fun for us and best friends so with a little prevention winter can be safe and fun for all of us. Best Friends can help with grooming, training classes (including three levels of obedience, Rally Obedience, and Agility), Doggie Day Camps, and a monthly free meet-up group. For puppies, under six months of age, we offer a free hour long socialization and play hour from one to two pm every Wednesday. Call 586-792-3000 for details.