Dutch Shepherd Forum

It was -37C this morning! It has since warmed up to -30 but it is still pretty chilly today. At this temperature, the dogs don't get much pleasure in going outside. I still walk them, it just shortens the time we spend outside.
A lot of dogs here wear coats and boots. My dogs will wear coats but they refuse to wear boots! Halo's paws will get cold and she stops to lick them
I have tried using vet tape on thier paws to keep a flexible barrier between their paws and the ice/snow but it gets expensive since you only get one use.
We have had a mild winter this year (average -20) so the odd really cold day is no big deal.

Usually the snow starts to melt in May so we still have quite a while before we can enjoy some spring weather! The good news is we have lots of nice snowy trails and lakes to walk across for about 7 months of the year!

Does anyone else live somewhere that gets this cold? If so, how do your dog(s) deal with it?

wow - that's cold . I live in the Northeast and it has been a really mild winter. I can't relate to those numbers you posted - brrrrrr......... wait a sec - i think those temps are in Celsius (sp?). I relate better to fahrenheit.

Your white dog (Halo?) blends really well in the snow.

Diesel wrote:It was -37C this morning!

mmmmm camping weather. okay, not really.

Where in the northern hemisphere are you that it is -34F in March?

icvanstra wrote: mmmmm camping weather. okay, not really.

Where in the northern hemisphere are you that it is -34F in March?

We live way up in the Northwest Territories, Canada. We are so far north that in late December we only get about 5 hours of daylight and in the summer nearly 21 hours of daylight! Winter starts late October and goes to May... but the summers here are second to none...not too hot not too cold.
Diesel and I did a 6 day roadtrip from my home province of Ontario a year and a half ago.

Oh man, you can have that cold!!!

Very cool pics!

You may want to look into a newish product, called Pawz. They're disposable rubber booties, come 12 to a pack, and you can reuse them. I got a pack for when we're dealing with various paw/foot injuries . They're pretty thin, so you would want to keep the nails short, but they'd work as well as vet wrap.

Diesel wrote:It was -37C this morning!

Ya, that is why I am on the southern tip of Vancouver Island...so nope, no tips for dealing with those temps!

Brrrrrr, I thought -20 was cold enough... can't help you, I guess learning them get used to the shoes might work? Usually they forget about them as they get to run and play?

Diesel wrote: We have had a mild winter this year (average -20) so the odd really cold day is no big deal.

Really??

Last winter was cold, I have coats for the girls when it get below 20. No booties either, havent had any problems with snow or ice in their paws yet. Last year Thalie came snowshoeing with us and her paws were fine. Sadie dosnt like the cold, too skinny I would guess

Dutchringgirl wrote:

Diesel wrote: We have had a mild winter this year (average -20) so the odd really cold day is no big deal.

Really??

Last winter was cold, I have coats for the girls when it get below 20. No booties either, havent had any problems with snow or ice in their paws yet. Last year Thalie came snowshoeing with us and her paws were fine. Sadie dosnt like the cold, too skinny I would guess

It's funny how fast you can adapt to cold weather! Last winter we had about 20 days at -40 and the rest closer to -30 so once you get used to that -20 is lovely. And once we get to 0C (32F), it is t-shirt weather!

Leih: I have heard of Pawz and I have been meaning to try them out. What size did you get? Diesel's paws are rather small for a medium dog.

Marjolein: I havent found a boot that will actually stay on their feet once I manage to get them outside...plus Diesel walks so akwardly in them which is why I tried the vet tape, I wanted something that would feel natural to him and stay on. But this Pawz product seems promising.

This is one of the reasons it's worth living here and dealing with the cold!
I took these pictures last night in my backyard.

wow!! Aurora Borealis - beautiful!! It must be stunning to see in person.

wow, special!

To see in person the northern lights one day is on my 'bucket list' but not sure how well this southern gal could take the cold. We rarely have a freeze here in Louisiana.

Nice pics thanks for sharing

Beautiful pics - but so not worth putting up with the cold for me

WOW! Great pictures.
I've been to the North West Territories myself many years ago.