Help dealing with snow!

[Teresa]

A friend is taking a few days off and is planning on taking her dogs up north, and there will probably be snow. We were invited to join her for a few walks and I'd love to take this chance and let my girls get to know snow!

However, none of us has ever taken a dog walking in the snow, so can anyone please help us?

How do we keep their paws from getting sore from the snow and the ice? Are coats helpful, or do they make it any worse?

How do we deal with those "snow balls" thei get on their coats, if that happens to us?

Anything we should definetely know before we go?

Any input that makes our new experience the best possible experience for rookie dogs and owners in snow will be much apreciated!

[Henk ten Klooster]

Terrific topic, Teresa. Here snow is fun, but ice can be very dangerous. This is of help: 

http://animals.howstuffworks.com/pets/how-to-give-first-aid-to-your...

[Teresa]

thanks Henk, 

That is a nice first aid site :-)

Good to know what to do just in case, but lets hope we don't need to use this nice piece of information! :-)

[Teresa]

Thanks Camilla,

very helpfull! I'm guessing we'll be near 0 ºC most of the time. We'll make sure we don't let our dogs freeze to see the sights! :-)

What's concerning me more is swore paws really, none of the dogs have ever walked on snow or ice and I'm not sure if I should protect their paws or anything like that! But cutting hair short is a good idea, and we do it for mud anyway! :-)

[Gillian Kennedy-Sloane]

Vaseline on paws can help snow sticking and a warm hair dryer is an easy way to melt "snowballs" in feathers on return.

[Teresa]

Thanks! Wil make sure we wash their paws, and we might also try the vaseline!

As for the anti freeze, we'll just have to be careful!

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, we really are rookies when it comes to snow and don't want to make what should be a wonderful experience into a nasty one!

[Elizabeth Ball]

I hope you enjoy witnessing your girls' first snow experiences, Bella reverts to being a complete puppy in the snow and hares round like a loony.  I always have to remember to have a special tasty treat in my pocket when we venture out in the snow otherwise I don't get a look in and would never get her back in the house because she is enjoying herself too much!