winter questions

[SVanderkolff]

Our pup is 13 weeks old now and weighs in at about 16 lbs. Now that winter is upon us, I need some advice.
1. House training in a blizzard. We had our first good snow storm last night, today and tomorrow. Edgar really doesn't like to go out in the snow, especially not long enough to get both elimination processes started. Any suggestions, we live in Ontario so we are bound to have a long winter of this.

2.Indoor excercise. As I said above Edgar does not like to go out in the snow, how do we get him enough excercise inside. He hasn't figured out fetch yet and chasing our 3 yr old only lasts so long.
Again your suggestions are welcome.

3. Snow removal from fur. Edgar is part golden retriever and his fur absolutely get matted with snow. How do we get the snow out of his fur when he comes in. We have tried the towel and it doesn't work and we really do not want water all over the floors while he melts and for some reason my wife objected to the idea of putting im in the dryer.

Thanks for the help.
Steve

[chocolatepuppy]

Can't help much with the potty training in a blizzard, that's the reason I adopted my dogs during other seasons.
As for keeping him busy inside, maybe try teaching him tricks to keep his mind busy.
My one dog has lots of fur but usually we can get her dried off pretty good with a towel. As for putting him in the dryer, probably not a good idea. If he's 16 lbs already he may not fit in the dryer when he gets bigger.
Good luck with your new pup!

[pihlaja]

Poor Edgar may not like it, but he's going to have to get used to the snow!



Living in Finland with a Samoyed and Shetland Sheepdog, I know where you're coming from about the "snow balls" stuck on their fur! We really just let the balls melt to a point where they fall off or we can rub them off with a towel (our Samoyed actually picks them off himself with his teeth ). Also, we don't let them into the main part of the house until they are dried off--they get to stay in the work room which has a linoleum floor that can handle the melted snow balls and the dogs have their own special rug to roll around on to help get the snow off. This is just to keep the rugs in the rest of the house dry and so I don't get a nasty shock when I step on one of those little snow balls.

As for the matting, once the snow is melted off, take a comb and gently comb through his hair. To help speed the melting process, you can also use a blow dryer.

I would suggest taking him for short walks where the snow is NOT deep to help him get used to being in the snow. This is best done during the day when it's not so dark--at least in the beginning. And, if you notice he doesn't like his paws getting wet/cold, doggie mutluk shoes could prove helpful.

If you haven't tried it already, I would STRONGLY suggest you buy him a Kong! They are these little rubber toys that you stuff with goodies and are RE-USEABLE and very durable, so they are well worth the money you pay for them (which really isn't that much--probably US$10-12 for the larger ones). The dog has to work to try and get the goodies out. Our Samoyed can be entertained by a well-stuffed Kong for a good hour and a half, which is amazing considering how easily bored Samoyeds can get!

Also, you could go out on sunny days with your child and play in the snow. It would help show Edgar that snow can be fun, too.

Our Samoyed never had a problem with snow--being an arctic beast, he's always loved snow. However, our little Sheltie isn't too fond of snow and it took us some time to convince him he wouldn't die if left out there to potty in the land of white.

Most importantly, though, is DON'T GIVE IN! Since you live in Canada, it's not like winter won't come again! It will take time, but Edgar will just have to learn to--at the very least--tolerate the white stuff long enough to potty before coming in!