Category: Animal House
hi! For those of you who trained your dogs in southern climates (California, Oregon, etc.), what was it like when you got your dog home and winter set in? What were some of the challenges? How did you face them? Any advice will be appreciated. Winter is coming soon, and while I know Jenny has had some exposure to snow, it gets VERY cold and snowy here in the winter on occasion.
Thanks in advance,
Kate
I've only worked my dog a few times in the snow and it was very slow going. Since she was trained to sense unevenness and stuff, she was very cautious walking in the snow since it wasn't an even surface. I know some places recommend doggy shoes for super cold or hot weather, but I didn't need them since we didn't work alot out in it. However, I do have to say that my first guide absolutely loved to play in the snow. She was fascinated by it and loved chasing snowballs. So be sure to have doggy snowday play time :)
awe that is so cute, smiles.
Hi Kate,
It's Raven here, and I live in West Michigan where winter is quite harsh, especially because of the proximity to Lake Michigan.
My golden was raised and trained in New York, so he had exposure to snow during his puppy raising. During his guide training, from November to April, there was not much snow in NY, so my instructor had nothing to say about how the massive snowfall here would affect his guide work.
Every dog is different. Some are very confused by the snowfall, and others just continue guiding normally as if it's no big deal.
My golden guy needed extra work because as soon as several inches fell, he started running curbs flush with the sidewalk and pathways and driveways, too. I was still able to feel with my feet or just use my ears to tell where I was, so I would stop at the places we needed to and tap the spot with my foot saying whatever it was to let him know that we needed to stop or turn here. So if the golden guy ran a curb, I would stop, heel him to my side, and tap the place with my foot, saying "curb." Or sometimes, I would just stop at the place, give him the "touch" cue, and give him a treat for bumping his nose to my fist.
As for traveling altogether, I use waterproof booties on my dog. The big chunky ones are not really made to fit nicely on a dog's foot so that they are completely comfortable while walking. Dogs walk on their digits, so putting those big booties on them is like someone putting shoes over your hands rather than gloves. The waterproof booties are made of latex and allow the dogs to still walk comfortably, and they protect against the salt and brine that is sprayed onto roads. I can't speak for their protection against temperature. I just got these things back in March, which was past the harshest part of winter. February is the most harsh here. This past February, we had lots of snow and about two to three weeks where the temperature never got higher than 20dg Fahrenheit. I definitely encourage you to order the waterproof booties though.
As for weather you'll need a coat or jacket for your dog, only you can determine that. If you notice that your sweet girl is shivering when you leave out into the frigid weather, then you should get her a coat or some kind of winter wear. She's a golden lab cross though, so if she's got a thicker coat more like my golden, then it's likely she won't need any extra protection. If anything, she'll probably love the chilly weather and playing in the snow.
Hope this helps.
Raven,
Thank you! I got her some new booties yesterday, and thankfully it's not cold/snowy enough for us to have to use them yet, so we can get used to them in the house. She was prancing around with them in the pet store yesterday, but she liked them better than the other ones we had for her before (I think they may have been the latex ones, but they don't fit). THese new ones fit her well, and she can still feel with them on her paws (kinda like wearing gloves).
Kate
Hi Kate,
What is the brand or company that makes the booties you got for Jen? I'd like to look into them.
The latex ones I have for the golden guy are very thin. They stretch to fit over the dog's foot, so if you got a size for large dogs, they should fit over her paws perfectly.
awe sounds neat and practical, smiles.
Raven, they're called Top Paws. SShe's not a huge fan of them, but she'll play and run while wearing them. I just have to figure out the best way for the Velcro strips to be attached, and we're golden! Or, in this case, black...
Kate
Update!
We now have SNOW!!!!! Jenny is a little bit funny with snow. She likes to play in it, but it does not appear to distract her work unless there is a big dump on the ground that has not been cleared (we had 10cm or 4" of snow and she had a hard time staying on unshoveled sidewalks). My big concern is her paws... she does not like the boots very much... withing 90 seconds of them being on, she has lost a boot because she can't quite feel it on her paws... but she gets very cold in the paws without them!
Help?
Kate
There is a product called Musher's Secret. I haven't personally used it, but I have a few friends who use it in cold weather, and it was developed for sled dogs. Its a waxy substance that you rub into the dog's paws. It creates a waterproof barrier between the paw and the snow, and prevents the dog's pads from getting cut by the ice or salt, and from cracking because of the cold.
When I had my dog and I lived in Michigan, I carried unflavored chapstick with me. Its just vasolene, so I would just put that on her before we go outside. The downside is that it can leave pawprints when you walk indoors. Musher's secret won't do that.
Here's the website: http://musherssecret.net/
Cody, thanks for this! I will check it out for sure! I think Jenn's a trooper and can hold out until I can get a can.
Kate
Kate, i'll suggest you check with the school and her trainer. Some dogs are require to ware booties because they have low hit/cold torerent, some dogs are okay with that. In fact, my trainer told me ones, dogs generally work better on a cold condition than on a hot condition.
Booties are good, if that is what the dog needs, but it may also be necesary and could have counter effect if the dog does not need it.
Hey,
I talked to the school and they do recommend things like booties or anything to protect from the EXTREME winter cold here. Perhaps the boots themselves may not be a solution... she does not like them... but I bought this can of Musher's Secret this morning, so we will see how it works!
Kate
Please keep us posted with an update on the musher's secret. I'm looking into getting some myself for Ditra. We go out and I always worry about her feet in wintertime. I have tried booties for her, but she tends to kick them off, so this may be a better solution.
Hey!
My Musher's Secret arrived yesterday and it seem to work quite well! The only real thing is that I am trying to figure out how much of it to put on her... I don't think I am putting enough on her because her back right paw tends to snowball. The cool thing is that you can feel it on the paws so it is very obvious when you will need to add more.
Kate
Another product i've just ordered, i have used mushers but wanted to try something different, is called paw-stick or fou-stick if your in the U.S. It's all natural, protects against salt, heat, sand etc. It's all natural, so the dog can lick it off, smells like pepermint, and best of all comes in a gluestick type container so you'd just put it on their paws like your glueing something. Like I said, I just ordered it, but I have a friend that uses it and she loves it.
Glad the musher's is working for you. I'm sure it will take a bit of trial and error to get down exactly how much to put on, but you'll get it.
Jen, as someone who has used Musher's... how much do you put on? I am having a bear of a time! Half the time she tries to lick my hands and the floor and her paws because she likes the piney smell of it.
LOL
Kate
This post is very interesting. Though I don't live in an area where it snows, my school gave all the students booties. They look like little shoes with vel cro straps. We were told to only put them on them for 45 minutes at a time, as they sweat through their paws. Tripp walks funny at first, but gets used to them after a while. I only have to use them now and then.
I broke down this week and got Jenny a sweater... she's so stylin'... she loves it! A jacket is a bit of overkill... I just put Mushers on her paws and the sweater, and she loves it... no more shaking and shivering while waiting for the bus in -30.
Kate
That's great, glad to here she's warmer. minus 30, wow that's cold. And I thought 19 degrees was cold. lol
I'm really glad to hear she's taken care of and that the musher's worked for you two. I'll probably have to get my dog a sweater when I move back north. Hopefully I can find one that doesn't look too silly.
I use the waterproof booties too when there is salt, although my guide doesn't like them too much. I had her were the more shoe-like boots, but like Raven said, it's like making a human wear footwear on their hands. Don't worry too much about her getting cold, dogs have thick fur. Labs originate from Newfoundland and were originally bred for retrieving nets from the sea in below-freezing temperatures. This means that their coats are not only waterproof, but warm enough for the coldest of climates! German sheperds have nice thick coats as do most golden retrievers, so the same is true for these breeds.
SUCCESS!!
I got Jenny to wear BOOTS!!!
I decided to get some disposable booties to try out with her, and they worked like a charm! She didn't rush (more than she usually does in the cold); may have even slowed down a bit. We did lose one bootie, but that might have been due to the elastic around the top. But hey... I think she gets it now!
Woohoo!
Big momentous doggie day!
Kate
The trouble is, labs who were bred for this were also conditioned for it since puppyhood, and were not made to sit still at a bus stop the way a guide dog is. You always see them with their master either standing or sitting. Fishing dogs and other dogs like that are always moving around, or are allowed to curl up the way their wolven ancestors did: paws tucked in, nose next to the belly. Guide dogs stand up, exposing their vulnerable belly to the blowing North Wind. Plus they were raised indoors with outdoor excursions. They have never slept outside, dug holes in the snow, or been allowed to manage their temperatures freely. They can't, for instance, just walk around to the lee side of a tree or structure, as the wild things would to stay out of the wind.
So the dog handlers who are managing this like Kate is, are doing the right thing to be concerned.
People talk about breeding, but conditioning is at least as important as breeding. Imagine you, in a 3-piece suit, sitting at a train station in sub-zero temperatures.
An Inuit, a fur trapper or other less urbane human, would crouch, not sit, and would get down behind something to stay out of the wind. We silly urbanites stand in the wind, work through winters, wear clothes that aren't made of fur and eat foods that don't help keep us warm. And we expect the same of our canine companions. So one simply cannot compare labs from Newfoundland to an urban-raised dog guide who mimmicks humans in behavior and constantly exposes its vulnerable belly to the wind in a way its wolven ancestors only would if they were at a dog trot or a good run, not just standing around or sitting.
So my hat is off to the dog guide hanlders like Kate and Cody who, understanding all this, give their dogs a fighting chance in an environment decidedly against their physiology.
Awww, thanks, Leo!
At first I thought the booties were going to be a losing battle; am glad I toughed it out!
Yay Kate! I'm glad you were able to get the booties to work. Those types of booties work great.
I do agree with you to appoint, Leo. Conditioning does have something to do with it also, it's a combination. I'm not saying coats and such shouldn't be used, particularly if the dog is shivering or showing signs of discomfort. But many dogs over heat if made to wear heavy coats. Regardless of conditioning, they still have fur, although as you said, the shorter fur on their bellies is more vonerable. I like your compairison between the typical urban dweller and an Inuet by the way. Perhaps some dogs, even guides still maintain the ability to remain warm in cold temps? It may also depend on where the dog was trained. My dog was raised and trained in the Midwest, a climate that gets very cold and snowy. So maybe her conditioning and breeding have made her so that she is less effected by the cold. Perhaps one day I will have a dog that is not so adapted. She's my first, I certainly don't know everything. I just know lab history and my own dog so I guess maybe I don't have the experience. My apologies.
Yea, Kate! :)
Further update.
We are now experiencing the winter thaw... and OMG it is WET!!!
I got Jenny girl the PAWZ booties that Raven recommended (either on this thread or another one). I got her larges, but they are much too big, so hubby picked up mediums yesterday. While most of the worst of winter is over, it is at least good to know that she can have something that fits if we get more snow (I HOPE NOT!)
Kate
well nice to hear they are working out well, smiles.