Puppy's First Winter

It snowed overnight here in Western PA. After a couple little paw lifts when figuring out the white stuff was wet and cold, Renegade went right into running, playing, and eating the snow. So I figured now was a good time to talk about some winter safety tips for your dog. First, a lot of dogs love to make like a vacuum and suck up the snow. So keep in mind how much of this they are doing when considering your housetraining schedule. But even more essential is making sure it is a safe environment outside where you are walking them. If you use ice melting products on your porch, walkway, or driveway where your dog may be walking, make sure they are pet safe. You don't want them eating snow that may have dangerous chemicals in it or walking through those chemicals then licking their paws later. And some of those chemicals can also hurt their paw pads.  You have a couple of options for added safety for their paws. You can work on desensitizing them to wearing boots to protect their feet (I've tried several brands with my older dogs and have found Pawz brand has stayed on them the best and they didnt seem to notice them as much after wearing them a couple minutes).  Or you could use a paw wax product like Mushers Secret to add a layer of protection to their paw pads. I have done both and both are effective. Right now while Rengade is so tiny and still growing I went with the paw wax option for today. Watch your dog for signs they are getting cold or their paws are getting cold like them shivering or lifting their paws, or suddenly laying down in the snow. When snow is wet it can also accumulate like little ice balls between their toes especially if your dog has long fur around their toes. That can be very uncomfortable for them so keep for trimmed and the boots or paw wax can also help prevent that.

If your dog does not like to go out in the cold or wet snow, you will have to be extra diligent in making sure they have done their business outside before letting them run back in the house. Make sure they aren't getting too cold and protect their paws to help with this. And also make an even bigger deal of success when they go outside. Lots of praise and a treat they love! Make it worthwhile for them to go out to continue building good habits.