April 30, 2019

Winter is coming!

Comfort is something that is not often discussed in regard to wellness, especially with dogs. It is a goal of mine for my dogs to be comfortable. When they are comfortable, their behaviour will be as good as it can be.

Winter means a change in the type of dog beds that I use. I will put the flat type of beds away now until summer and bring out the round beds with high sides that the dogs like to snuggle into on cold nights.
Colder temperatures also mean that I change from cool, cotton sheets for their beds to lovely polar fleece blankets for their beds.

I also use a single bed size electric blanket on their beds over winter and leave it on low all day and night. The dogs can then go and warm themselves if need be during the day if they get cold. *Please use your common sense with electric blankets especially with young dogs in the house who like to chew stuff!

Due to the temperature, I now stop giving frozen food. I will thaw bones, berries or barf and try to feed it at room temperature. I have already put on a bone broth with some kangaroo tail and will use this in the dog’s breakfast, along with some oatmeal and protein. Evening meals will be pretty much the same with some steamed veg and protein, as well as their supplements. They will get slightly less food if they are not as active due to the rain, so they don’t gain too much winter weight.

Our exercise routine will also change slightly during winter as the rain may prevent us going out very early. Plus, it’s dark until 7am now so sorry BT, no more 5am walks for a while. The dogs love to lay in front of our gas heater after breakfast to warm up before heading out on a walk.

Much to his disgust, Bender wears a jacket on morning walks as he is 12 now and his back gets cold. Keeping him warm means that he is more flexible and less inclined to injure himself.

I will start rewarding the dogs for going outside to use the toilet if it is raining or if the grass is cold and wet. Why? Because I don’t want this good habit to ever change! I get a lot of calls from clients in winter about dogs whose toilet training has declined (wet grass, rain) so being proactive is important.

Maintaining flexibility and coordination, especially for older dogs is also very important during the colder months. Proprioception training is important all year round and can be done indoors while it is raining outside. I recently completed my Proprioception Instructor’s Course and am now qualified! Get in touch for more info.

Don’t forget grooming and husbandry during winter either. If you have a long-coated breed, please don’t stop taking them to the Groomer. With a longer coat they need to go more often.