We may be moving into the summer months but there’s nothing wrong with booking your winter snow break right now ready for the end of the year. When it comes to your break, you won’t have to worry about putting your dog into a kennel if you don’t want to – and that can bring you a lot of joy! Dogs love going on vacation with us, and while you may be used to bringing your pooch to the beach, why not bring him with you on your next winter break and let him enjoy the snow?
The only issue that you have to be aware of is that the winter offers dogs a range of risks. While the image of your dog running through the snow and biting the snowflakes may be cute, unless you are equipped with the right pet safe salt and dog booties, you could be putting him at risk. There is often toxic salt on the ground outside that you can’t control and you have to be aware of the temperatures out there so that your dog is as safe as possible while enjoying themselves. Below, we’ve put together a list of tips that’ll help you to protect your dog on your next winter break.
- No matter the weather, don’t cut down on the daily walks that you have with the children. During the winter break you’ve scheduled, you want to make sure that you still go for the daily walks and make sure that your dog is getting the right amount of exercise. Keeping their walking habits going during the vacation is important for their ongoing health and as long as you make sure that it’s not too strong a snowfall or too cold a day, you can get out and your dog gets their needed exercise.
- Protecting their paws is important. You need your pet pooch to walk without hurting themselves, and their paws are very sensitive to the cold weather. The snow, ice, and salt on the ground can harm the paws of your pup, and you can buy cute little doggy booties to keep their feet protected. They still need to go on walks and they need to exercise, and the right booties will help them to enjoy their time outside without harming their paws.
- Continue to wipe down your pet every time he comes back in from the snow and rain. The cold weather doesn’t affect dogs’ coats too much, but the salt they could risk rolling around in isn’t always pet-safe like the salt you’ll buy for the front and back door. When your dog plays outside, they will risk rolling around in the salt and that also means that they will risk licking the toxic salt off their fur. If you ensure that you wipe them down every single time they come inside. Have towels ready by the door and give his coat a wipe when he comes in the door and do it thoroughly!
- Keep the seasonal flowers out of reach. When you go on a winter break, you will come across holly and ivy, poinsettias and mistletoe. You should ensure that you keep them out of the way of your dog because these can be toxic for them. You need to know that mistletoe can cause hypotension and ataxia? They could even kill your dog! Being aware of all of these plants is going to help you to keep your dog safe.
- Christmas and fairy lights are going to be beautiful as an addition to your winter vacation, but your dog is going to see them as a new toy. Keeping electrical cords out of reach of your dog is vital if you want to prevent them from chewing up the lights and burning their mouths. There is also a very real risk of electrocution, which really wouldn’t be ideal.
Bringing your dog on a vacation may be exciting in the summer but it brings its own risks in the same way the winter break does. By understanding all of the risks ahead of you in the winter, you can ensure that your dog has everything he needs to enjoy the vacation with you rather than be left in kennels. Prepare yourself for everything that the cold weather has to offer your dog, and you will be ready to enjoy the break properly without too much worry that your dog could get hurt or get sick. Take the time to look at the vacation spots that are perfect for dogs this winter!