As winter is here and the weather is just getting colder and colder. I thought it would be a great idea to give you guys a few of my tips for when walking your pooch in the winter.
Avoid ponds/lakes areas
When walking your dog in the winter you want to try and avoid the icy areas on the path. If you go near ponds/lakes on your walk and let your pooch off lead, make sure they don’t go onto them as they could be frozen over.
It’s not guaranteed the ice will hold the weight of your dog no matter how small you dog is. It could be very dangerous as they could fall in or you, yourself could slip and fall.
Dog Coats
Some dogs really feel the cold more than others. Dogs who have fine or thin fur e.g. Greyhounds, whippets, chihuahuas, French bulldogs are more prone to the cold weather faster than other dogs. Also, dogs that are very young, underweight, old, or unwell feel the cold more too. Having a coat for your dog will prevent them from getting wet if it starts to rain/snow when you are out walking them. This will also stop the wind from hitting them and making them feel cold.
Avoid icy roads/pavements
It’s important you look out for grit or salt on the roads and paths. If your dog walks on grit or salt it can really irritate their paws. You also want to make sure your dog doesn’t pull too much as it could end up with you slipping over or into the road! The most common dog walking injuries are on the hip, ankle, wrist from falls.
Keep your dogs on a lead
If it’s snowing my advice would be to keep your fury friends on their leads. This is because there could be potholes or deep patches that aren’t safe. The snow could be covering something that is dangerous, keeping them on the lead in the snow will prevent them from hurting themselves.
Distance you should walk you dog
If the weather is below minus you should only really walk you dogs up to 30 minutes at a time. For a healthy large or medium dog, a 30-minute walk is great. For a lot smaller dogs, walks at minus temperatures should only be between 15–20-minute walk. If you walk them a lot longer than this, it can cause real discomfort to your pooch’s paws. Dogs can get frost bite on their paws!
Reflective gear
When walking you dog in this weather it might be a good idea to get a reflective collar or a coat for your dog. Its also a good idea for you to wear a reflective band or hat as it gets dark early, and you want to make sure you can be seen by others while walking. There could be other people walking around with other dogs or there could be cars close by that might not see you while taking your dog out.
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