Christmas is just around the corner and winter is practically upon us. Like you, your dog probably gets excited to see the snow and the ground, but unlike you, your dog doesn’t know how to look after themselves during winter and keep safe. You know not to stay out for too long and that you need to wrap up warm, but this isn’t something that crosses your dog’s mind. No one wants to see their pooch injured or sick, especially throughout the festive period, so follow the tips below to keep your dog happy and healthy.
Shorten Your Walks
Your dog may have a fur coat, but they will still get cold if you stay out for a long time, so make sure to put them in a doggy coat if they have short fur. To avoid them getting too cold, it’s important to shorten your walks on really cold days. Of course, they still need to get exercise, so you could either take them out more frequently, or play with them inside. You could even make them an obstacle course in the house to keep them entertained and exercised for a few hours.
Keep Them Leashed
Your dog may be the best-behaved boy or girl on the planet, but you never know when something is going to catch their attention. When this happens, they could try to run off and catch, so then you have to run after them. Not only is this dangerous for you, as you could slip and fall while chasing them, but it’s also dangerous for your dog, as they could do the same. The lakes are going to be ice cold throughout winter, so if your dog is prone to jumping in them, this is another good reason for keeping them leashed.
Inspect Their Paws
Make sure inspect your dog’s paws every single time you come home from walking them. Salt and de-icers are everywhere during winter and unfortunately could irritate your dog’s paws if they stepped in them. When it starts to irritate, your dog is also likely to lick their paws, which could make them ill. To reduce this chance, soak your dog’s paws in room-temperature water. This will also melt any ice that could cause frostbite between your dog’s toes.
Don’t Forget Fleas
Don’t forget to visit this website and pick up your flea treatment! Although fleas can’t survive outside during winter, they can still reproduce in your home and be picked up from other dogs, so the cold weather is not an excuse to skip your flea treatment. If you find that your dog does have fleas, then you might want to flea bomb your home too. After all, no one enjoys getting uninvited guests at Christmas.
No one wants a sick or injured poochy, especially this close to Christmas, so it’s important to take proper care of them. It might be cold, but don’t avoid exercising your dog completely, and when you do take them for a walk, make sure you keep them on their leash.
Good read, my dog Milo loves winter!
Thank you for this post, my dog doesn’t like the cold weather so we shorten our walks 🙂