Walking Your Dog in the Winter: 4 Tips

Dogs do love the winter, they play in the snow and can really be excited when it comes to catching a snow ball. However, walking your dog in winter comes with its own perks. In this article, we will offer useful tips on how best to walk your dog in winter, precautions and guidance you could follow to have a safe walk with your dog.

Content:

1. Know When It’s Too Cold to Walk Your Dog
2. Use Temperature Charts to Stay Safe
3. Prepare Your Dog for Snow and Winter Conditions
4. Adjust Walk Length and Protect Your Dog’s Paws
5. Conclusion

Know When It’s Too Cold to Walk Your Dog

Not all snowy days are suitable for walking dogs. Some days may just be too cold or too icy to walk your dog. Research has shown that walking a dog at an extremely low temperature during winter may be detrimental to its health. Understanding temperature charts in the winter would help you decide when it’s best to take your dog out for a walk.

From experience, a dog’s mood should also be considered when deciding to take it out for a walk. Some dogs may show signs of fatigue in their mood and won’t want to go out for a walk or exercise a lot at certain periods during very cold winter days.

“I don’t walk my dog every day in the winter, it depends on the weather, temperature and my dog’s mood”, - Reddit User

Some of the factors to consider when deciding whether to take your dog out for a walk or not during winter may include:

• Age
• Health condition
• Breed
• Fur length
• Rain
• Wind
• Temperature

If the weather conditions are unsuitable for a walk, allowing your dog to roam in the yard could be an option. To keep your dog safe when running around the yard in winter, it is highly recommended to put a Petcube Tracker on the dog.

In cases of an escape or virtual fences, the tracker will send out alerts when your dog moves over the fence or moves away from its restricted zone. This way, your dog is safe and does not stray away.

Use Temperature Charts to Stay Safe

Studies show that dog parents are reluctant to take their dog out for a walk when the temperature is below 0 degrees, as this could be risky, especially for breeds with short hair. While temperatures above 7 degrees are fairly comfortable for dogs, it is crucial to monitor the temperature of your dogs when on a walk in winter.

“Cold weather can pose dangers for dogs of all sizes and ages”, - Dr. Sandra C. Mitchell

Table 1: Temperature chart showing different temperatures during winter alongside their risk levels

Prepare Your Dog for Snow and Winter Conditions

Preparing your dog for winter is the most important activity before taking it out for a walk. After making sure the weather conditions are right, getting them warm against the elements is the next step.

To keep your dog warm while enjoying its walk on a cold winter’s evening, put on your dog warm clothes such as a winter coat or jacket. A Petcube Tracker could also come handy in case it breaks loose from the leash. This tracker would help in locating the dog by sending a live GPS location of the dog.

The jacket should be a suitable size and stretch from around the neck to the tail region, giving it the flexibility to move around and keep warm.

Adjust Walk Length and Protect Your Dog’s Paws

Moisturizing your dog’s paw with paw balm or vaseline before and after a walk will help protect the paw against snow, ice and salt. Walks should be short and the dog’s temperature checked regularly.

Use of booties could also be beneficial if your dog is comfortable walking in them. Booties also help protect the paws from snow, ice and salt. When using booties, the nails should be trimmed to avoid discomfort.

Conclusion

Walking your dog in winter would be safer if you understand weather conditions and know the best time to take your dog out for a walk. With precautionary measures like putting on warm clothes, use of moisturizers and constant monitoring of your dog’s body temperature, walking your dog in winter would be without any hiccups.