Winter and the City Dog

Winter and
the city dog

Winter safeguards for city dogs copyright (c) 2021 Frania Shelley-Grielen.
All rights reserved.

New York City winters can be serious; all that ice, snow and blustery weather,
keeping streets and sidewalks clear and safe to navigate takes some heavy duty
doing. That means tons of salt, sand and chemical deicers which can harm and
irritate paw pads and can be dangerous if ingested. Keeping warm indoors means
dry heated air which can create dry skin in both human and canine. Here are some
tips to help you and your dog make it through to spring:

Chemical deicers are mostly chloride salts which may contain magnesium,

potassium,

calcium or sodium. These salts are engineered to melt ice and

snow

quickly as possible

and are frequently heavily applied to city

sidewalks.

Contact

with these caustic

chemicals may be a source of great

discomfort for most

ogs

and

can make winter walks

truly uncomfortable for

both you and your dog.

(The

uses

these chemicals are also

problematic for

urban birds, squirrels, feral

cats,

ground

water and storm runoff.)

Your dog may express overt discomfort on contact with salt and

deicers

For

example,

my dog, Daisy, will stop, whimper, hold up an affected paw

and then

proceed to

attempt

to lick off the offending material. Or your dog

may appear

reluctant to

take walks

and more eager to return. If at all

possible, chemical

deicers

should be

avoided. (Bathing

your dog’s feet in a

bowl of warm water on

return home

is always

a good idea, no matter

what

the weather.)

Booties are one way to protect the feet of your dog. When shopping for booties

make

sure

to purchase a set which have actually been designed to fit dog paws

appropriately

your dog refuses to wear them or balks at the sight, think

either

novelty or fit. And

while

you can get your dog used to the idea of

wearing

booties

(offer treats before,

during and

after trying on and wearing),

you surely

do not

want to get your dog to

accept wearing

shoes that hurt. A

popular brand

of doggie

galoshes

are rubber booties

that resemble

balloons.

Disposable, reusable

and

affordable, these paw coverings do

work but must be

put on carefully to avoid

catching a dog’s sensitive dewclaw.

Again,

practice

beforehand with feeding

treats

at the same time to create positive associations

with winter footwear.

Removing

them without

the elastic snapping your dog’s

paw

in the process also

takes some

focus.

If you do use

booties for your pet,

remember to rinse

them

off

after use.

Caught in the latest snow storm without paw protectors? Carry one moist

washcloth

in a

plastic bag and another dry one in a separate bag. If your dog

reacts

deicers

you can

remove them on the spot. Make sure to wipe and dry

thoroughly as

possible.

An emollient protectant that is applied directly to your dog’s paw pads is

another

product

that promises to protect from winter sidewalks as well as hot

asphalt in

the

summer.

While this may be effective against the driven snow,

chemical

deicers

seem to penetrate

despite the product’s claims. Advantages

to using this

type of

product are in the ease of

use and the added benefit of

conditioning paw

pads

along

with protecting them.

Leaving your dog tied outside while you run an errand inside is never a good

idea

any

kind of weather, and now it can be illegal. The City Council passed

a law

several

years ago

banning owners from tethering dogs wearing choke or

nch collars.

The

law

also

prohibits leaving a dog without food, water or

shelter

for more than

minutes

while

tied up.

When it comes to coats, it comes down to what your dog is already wearing

and

what

type of breed you have. When purchasing a dog coat look for

something

that

will also

protect your dog’s underside, the part most

exposed to the sidewalk.

Also,

try and get

something fitted for a dog and

not a human; better dog coats are

modeled more

along

the

lines of a horse

blanket and not a parka.

Puppies typically have less body fat than adults

so they would most always

benefit

from a coat. Huskies, Newfoundlands, Bernese

Mountain Dogs, etc.

are

probably

not going to appreciate any extra clothing in this

weather, but most

other breeds

might. Also, if your dog sports a show cut such as a

cocker

spaniel’s

where most of

the dog’s upper coat has been shaved off, you definitely

want to go

for the dog coat.

Indoors, the dry heated air found in most NYC apartments affects both you

and

your

pet.

Try and pay extra attention to grooming your dog in the winter

season.

Brushing

your

dog can distribute oils throughout the coat and benefit

the

skin by

stimulating

blood

flow. Brushing also controls matting, which can

be a

source of

harmful

bacteria.

Remember, your dog only needs to be bathed

once a

month.

And

you can

use

conditioner

after you shampoo your dog

(and

which

reduces

static

electricity)

long

s you rinse extra thoroughly.

This article is an original work and is subject to copyright. You may create a link to
this article on another website or in a document back to this web page. You may not
copy this article in whole or in part onto another web page or document without
permission of the author. Email inquiries to info@animalbehaviorist.us

"Booties are one way to protect
the feet of your dog. When shop-
ping for booties make sure to
purchase a set which have
actually been designed to fit dog
paws appropriately. If your dog
refuses to wear them or balks
at the sight, think either novelty
or fit. And while you can get
our dog used to the idea of
wearing booties (offer treats
before, during and after trying
on and wearing), you surely do
not want to get your dog to
accept wearing shoes that hurt."

Cold enough for a coat for you? Your dog probably needs one too

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