coping with cold weather and snow...

[sian]

I was hoping someone with cold-weather experience could help...

Yesterday, I walked my LH girls in -3c and snow. We'd prepped up with paw wax on the pads, and vaseline between the toes, in the "palm" (between toe-pads and stock-pad), and also on the feathering. The girls would have been happier to stay out longer, whilst I was frozen to the marrow!

Today, it was -8c, and sunny, but with 5-6cm of snow left on the ground. I'd trimmed their inter-digit hair last night, so thought we'd be fine. Same prep, but the snow kept balling, and I kept clearing their pads, until poor Izzy's snow-balls had frozen to ice, so I couldn't crumble them free. They did thaw when we got home, but the girls were keen to get into the warm...

Does vaseline stop working below a certain temp? Do I just need to apply even more? Or is it boots or nothing in these temperatures?

Help!!

[Peter]

just keep the hair short, i wouldn't use anything at all, we don't anyway and we have snow almost 7 months of the year, we had -25° this weekend but our LH doesn't mind

if the snow is wet and sticky you just clear the paws from time to time

some vaselines aren't pure vaseline but also have water as an ingredient so then you just make it worse

[sian]

Thank you!

I've trimmed the hair so that if you pul it up between the toes, it's level with the top of the toe (you have to have a LH foot in front of you, for this to make sense!) Under the foot, I've trimmed the hair in the "palm" as short as I can. But it's not easy, as obviously that hair is ticklish... I'll check the vaseline, in case it has added water, and try to trim their feet again this evening.

The snow is dry and powdery. But I guess it's more humid here than in Sweden!

[Peter]

ok good luck!

some pics from this weekend, hanne and jenny with diesel and ezhno,
you can see how frozen they were

[cummel]

that looks really cold!!!

But all, dogs and girls as well, don't seem to bother at all, looks fun to me!

[petra]

Today it's snowing again!!! Kobi likes it very much, she jumps like a deer in the snow!
When we are out all day in the snow I give her feet a little bath, just warm enough te melt rests of snow, not to hot, think about cold fingers on the heating!!!
After the bath I rub her paws with "Zwitsal", and she enjoys!!!!!

grtz Petra & Kobi

[Kobie]

Actually, we don't do anything on the feet, our weather is not comparable like where Peter lives. Freezing temperatures for months is totally different of what we are used to... We have hardly snow, the dogs don't mind if there is a week snow, they just love it !
Today, it was approxly 0°C and we did some waterwork and condition training.
Of course, the dogs must dry after their swimming adventure ;D, so doing nothing is no option. But at the time they swim, they don't think about being wet or getting cold, just the ducks is what they are interest in ;D

Lovely pics Peter, you see the dogs (and humans) loves their walks very much