Winter questions?

[Edgars walker]

Our pup is 13 weeks old now and weighs in at about 16 lbs. Now that winter is upon us, I need some advice.
1. House training in a blizzard. We had our first good snow storm last night, today and tomorrow. Edgar really doesn't like to go out in the snow, especially not long enough to get both elimination processes started. Any suggestions, we live in Ontario so we are bound to have a long winter of this.

2.Indoor excercise. As I said above Edgar does not like to go out in the snow, how do we get him enough excercise inside. He hasn't figured out fetch yet and chasing our 3 yr old only lasts so long.
Again your suggestions are welcome.

3. Snow removal from fur. Edgar is part golden retriever and his fur absolutely get matted with snow. How do we get the snow out of his fur when he comes in. We have tried the towel and it doesn't work and we really do not want water all over the floors while he melts and for some reason my wife objected to the idea of putting im in the dryer.

Thanks for the help.
Steve

[zookeeper]

I am not an expert or anything but I do have some ideas for you. I'm in Alberta so we get the cold and snow, too and we've managed to keep our very active Brittany happy for 12 years. These are some of the things that worked for us.
1. Snow is a totally new thing for your pup but it can be so fun. Go out with him when he goes out to pee and then play for a while. Let him experience snow and cold in a fun way. Pretty soon he'll be OK going out and staying out long enough to do his business.
2. Spend some time teaching your pup to fetch. If he has some retriever in him, he will catch on fairly fast and it will become a favorite game. Of course, fetch in the house will only be good for a few more months and then he will be too big and energetic for the space. Most larger sized dogs actually like being out in the snow once they figure it out. You may have to bundle up for exercise outside. On those -40 days Edgar may just get a little less exercise. It won't hurt him. We don't usually get that cold for weeks on end.
3. I don't know that anything works perfectly for snow removal. Be prepared for a few puddles. You might try brushing or combing him at the door when he comes in.
I hope that helps. I'm willing to bet Edgar is out frolicking madly before the winter's out. Good luck.

[Carrie]

I think Zookeeper's advice is very good. Make the snow into a fun thing, playtime. My short haired Chihuahuas and Doberman are expected to go out and do their business whether it's 30 below or 30 above. We go for our walks almost every day unless it's below about 10 degrees Farenheit. They wear little coats and this year, I need to find a way to protect Lyric's ears. Those ears don't have as much hair on the inside as the little dogs. So, I'm working on that. But that's just for walks. They can certainly go out for 5 minutes to go to the bathroom.

Can't you just spread a big towel on the floor or in his crate and let water just soak up? A little melted snow can easily be wiped up. I'm sort of a neat freak and that doesn't bother me in the least. It sure beats the mud. LOL.

[hotrod41573]

I'm in Georgia and we have red mud. Diamond don't like going out to potty in the rain but we go anyway. I agree with Zookeeper and Carrie.


hotrod and Diamond

[Tiffany0204]

hahah I know what you're talking about, we got the same snowstorm as well!

Gizmo didn't like the snow at first, when it was falling, but my how he LOVES it now! I'll kick the snow with my feet and he'll go chasing after it, and guaranteed if there's a snowbank he'll run and dive into it. Try throwing treats into the snow, and see if he'll run after it. Once he figures out that the snow is edible, and fun to kick around he'll like it more.

As for excersing indoors.... Not too sure, I would more concentrate on getting him to enjoy it. Another thing one of my older dogs liked to do was chase the snow while we were shoveling the driveway. I'd run with the shovel and throw the snow up, and he'd go diving into the snowbank to get the snowballs.

As for the snowballs on the legs? Beni had the same thing, and we'd normally take him to the back room and put some warm water in the industrial sink, and melt them off. It's alot of work, but if you're not wanting to wait for them to melt, it's pretty much the only other alternative you have.... oh, the joy of living in the snowbelt!

[Carrie]

Red mud! Well, at least it's prettier than brown mud. It's all mud though and it does make a mess, doesn't it. Oh well...

oh, the joy of living in the snowbelt!

LOL. Yes, and the joys of having a longer haired dog. Neener neener neener. I don't get snow clumps hanging off my dogs. I just get frozen dogs. LOL.