Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota > Minneapolis - St. Paul
 [Register]
Minneapolis - St. Paul Twin Cities
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 07-06-2009, 01:26 PM
 
Location: Mahtomedi, MN
989 posts, read 2,952,604 times
Reputation: 329

Advertisements

Quote:
Originally Posted by Slig View Post
It's funny how ignorant some people are. I'm not sure if you've heard of "dog sled races" in Alaska and Canada? Dogs run and pull sleds thousands of miles in the snow. A little bit of snow isn't a big deal for a dog.
People tend to pamper dogs. They are like a part of the family, so I guess there is no real harm in pampering them a bit. Not likely that a dog of any breed will freeze going outside in the winter for a couple minutes. Little dogs are not as well suited for the cold as big dogs.

We have two short hair chihuahuas. They don't like the cold at all, but they can handle a couple minutes outside in the winter. I was able to train them to use a box indoors. The two dogs together weigh 8 lbs, so box is pretty good solution. Shih Tzu is pretty small and might be willing to learn to use a box. They do have long hair, so outside should not be a huge problem either. It took me about a week to train the first dog. We got the 2nd dog from the humane society and he took to the box right away with no effort or training. Sadly, he was abandoned by somebody and apparently spent at least several days outside in late winter.

Dogs will get used to a routine. If you take a dog for a walk every day they get used to winter. Not all dogs are well suited for that, but most are. Many dogs enjoy playing in the snow too.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 07-06-2009, 02:40 PM
 
Location: Here
418 posts, read 903,912 times
Reputation: 224
It may help to get your dog a fleece coat and booties as a previous poster suggested. I take my dog for daily walks, 2x per day, regardless of weather. Of course, it's shortened in the extreme heat and cold, but nonethless, we're out there. I'm sure my neighbors think I'm nuts.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 09:42 AM
 
242 posts, read 431,547 times
Reputation: 283
Add me to the list of folks who aren't ignorant: I have heard of dog sled races and know that those types of large dogs don't have a problem in the snow. My dogs are different. They are 8 and 10 pound toy poodles who lived the first few years of their life in California and aren't used to being cold. When one of them starts limping and refuses to walk on the snow or ice it's probably because it's uncomfortable for him.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 09:59 AM
 
Location: Bel Air, California
23,769 posts, read 28,907,768 times
Reputation: 37326
Quote:
Originally Posted by Slig View Post
The dog booties can be added to the long list of marketing scam products that are solutions to invented problems. I've been living in Minnesota long enough to know that albeit extreme and isolated cases dogs adapt and handle themselves just fine in the snow/winter weather. I call anyone who buys into that crap as being ignorant.
Presenting the Ignoramus Dog Sled Race...

Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 10:00 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,305,348 times
Reputation: 5303
Unless you took that picture yourself you can't post that. Mods?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 10:02 AM
 
Location: Chicago
409 posts, read 1,237,173 times
Reputation: 263
Quote:
Originally Posted by Ghengis View Post
Presenting the Ignoramus Dog Sled Race...
Ownage.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 10:08 AM
 
Location: Minneapolis, MN
10,244 posts, read 16,305,348 times
Reputation: 5303
Quote:
Originally Posted by DaPerpKazoo View Post
Ownage.
Whatever, I just went through 11 pages of google images of dogsled races and didn't see any dogs wearing those lame bootys. Just because one jerk did it doesn't mean it's the norm.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 12:33 PM
 
9,685 posts, read 11,064,369 times
Reputation: 8426
My 2 Golden's LOVE the snow. They jump in front of the snow that I shovel (in an attempt to "retrieve" the snow). The only problem is their pads. Sometimes the snow re-freezes in between their toes. Occasionally, I see my dogs limp but not until they are out for a few hours.

When this happens, they lick their feet and chew out the ice and they are back up and running. Other than -30 degrees, I will leave them out all day long. You won't get a shiver out of them.

BUT, my neighbors have two Weimaraner's (super short hair) and they shiver almost immediately. In the summer, my dogs pant hard in 90 degree weather while the Weimaraner doesn't miss a beat. In summary, the hair makes all the difference in the world. Go figure.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-07-2009, 12:42 PM
 
9,685 posts, read 11,064,369 times
Reputation: 8426
Those sled dogs are sponsored by Sorel Boots!

In all seriousness. I've been to Alaska several times. In the Iditarod (and depending on the temperature), they absolutely use booties. One musher might use several hundred booties before the completion of the race.

See Iditarod Race Information and Updates--Ultimate Iditarod
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 07-08-2009, 07:21 AM
 
21 posts, read 98,549 times
Reputation: 17
I'm ignorant of a lot of things snow related. That's why I'm in this forum, to observe and ask questions. I'm glad this question was asked because I want to adopt a small dog and I was wondering how it worked with the snow. It may seem like a dumb question to those who have lived with snow, I haven't lived with snow since I was 9 years old.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Minnesota > Minneapolis - St. Paul
Similar Threads

All times are GMT -6.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top