Midwest winters can be brutal for people and pets alike. In general, if it’s too cold for you to be outside for any length of time, it’s too cold for your pets. Dogs can get frostbite too! While there are some dog breeds better suited for cold weather, we recommend keeping pets indoors during difficult weather conditions.
Because our winters can be long and endlessly filled with inclement weather, we’d like to share a few tips to help you and your dog survive and stay happy!
- Keep walks short, but try to provide them more frequently so they still get proper exercise
- For long cold weather stretches, visit your local Home Depot for an indoor walk- many allow well-behaved pet dogs
- Mental enrichment goes a long way towards keeping a dog happy; feed from puzzle toys, set up obstacle courses in your home, or train a new trick on those days you can’t get outside for exercise
- Musher’s Secret is a good option to use on the dog’s pads for cold-weather walking protection
- If you’ve walked the dog on surfaces that have been salted for ice, wipe their paws and in between toes upon coming inside. If they lick the salt off themselves it can make them ill and bother their feet
- Place an LED light attachment on or use a reflective collar for nighttime visibility and added safety for you both