snow

the snow has finally started here and I am at a loss as to what I should do. Bella and I jog every day, she can't get enough of it. Should I find boots for her or what does everyone do about the wet snowy legs. Her coat is finally growing back in and is about 2inches long. I want to keep her in a puppy cut if possible. Should I dry her off just with a towel and brush when completely dry or use a hair dryer. Since this will be an everyday thing I want something relatively simple that both she and I can handle.
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I personally would find a full body rain suit. I've seen a lot of dogs with them on here.
where do I find those???? Petsmart or are those only on line????
Walter wears boots if we're going to be out for a while. It stops the snowballs on the paws and prevents irritation from the salt.
how high do the boots go up his leg??? Where do you get those????
Many people here have gotten boots here: http://www.brightybooties.com and pawsazz.com There was a specific kind ...starts with a m that people seem to get the most, but the name is escaping me.

If you do a search on the forum "search all terms" for raincoats or rain coats ...a lot of threads come up with where people bought their full body coats. Here's one brand I saw someone recommend here.

http://www.thefind.com/query.php?query= ... +Raincoats
^^
Mutlaks.

I put boots on my gus and then throw towels or sheets on the floor when they come in covered in snow. Of course now that Marley has a coat I guess her snow suit goes on as well - my neigbors get quite a bt of enjoyment out of wondering what I am up to next I think :wink:
I have the tall Brighty Booties. We used them for show to keep the coat clean.
Now they will get a real workout! 8O
got sheep wrote:
I have the tall Brighty Booties. We used them for show to keep the coat clean.
Now they will get a real workout! 8O


Dawn - what would you guess the fabric on the sole of the boot is?
That's right! Many people wear those and seem to like them a lot (to OP).

Anyway, I saw this and have to say I LOVE this suit.

http://www.poochsuit.com/
after they are all dried off should I plan on extra grooming or stick to my weekly brushing schedule???
kerry wrote:
got sheep wrote:
I have the tall Brighty Booties. We used them for show to keep the coat clean.
Now they will get a real workout! 8O


Dawn - what would you guess the fabric on the sole of the boot is?


I'll have to get back to you on that one. I'm at work, they're at home.
Does it say on the website Jo posted?
sheepiegail wrote:
after they are all dried off should I plan on extra grooming or stick to my weekly brushing schedule???


I treated the wet like they had just had a bath.
Up on the table, pin brushing as the dryer was running.

However, now that we aren't doing show coat, I would be a little more lax. If air drying (after squeezing excess water off with a towel) I would periodically brush and fluff. Dries faster and dries fluffier.
I think Bella and I can manage that
got sheep wrote:
kerry wrote:
got sheep wrote:
I have the tall Brighty Booties. We used them for show to keep the coat clean.
Now they will get a real workout! 8O


Dawn - what would you guess the fabric on the sole of the boot is?


I'll have to get back to you on that one. I'm at work, they're at home.
Does it say on the website Jo posted?


No none of them say - I always wonder if its a canvas or something else. I am intrigued about making my own on other colors and maybe a little stylish detail :roll:
kerry wrote:
got sheep wrote:
kerry wrote:
got sheep wrote:
I have the tall Brighty Booties. We used them for show to keep the coat clean.
Now they will get a real workout! 8O


Dawn - what would you guess the fabric on the sole of the boot is?


I'll have to get back to you on that one. I'm at work, they're at home.
Does it say on the website Jo posted?


No none of them say - I always wonder if its a canvas or something else. I am intrigued about making my own on other colors and maybe a little stylish detail :roll:


I'll check tonight - but it will be late. I work 'til 7 and I'm stopping to do a little shopping on the way home. Remind me tomorrow if I forget, OK?
^^

I am in Vt for the weekend for a CPE trial - I keep forgetting to see if the hotel has wi-fi......cr@p it doesn't. I wonder if there are Panera's in VT :roll:
Joahaeyo wrote:
That's right! Many people wear those and seem to like them a lot (to OP).

Anyway, I saw this and have to say I LOVE this suit.

http://www.poochsuit.com/


Oh my goodness. a poodle astronaut.

Seriously, I need to order 3 of these. The money I spend on them will be more than offset by the money I save on the utility bill by not having to run the hair dryer two hours a day in the wet months. With 3 VERY HAIRY critters who love to roll in the snow it's a good investment.
Back on topic - I also used boy- sized long sleeve t-shirts on Chewie when he was a puppy. I may go back to that again now that we will be out mushing in snow again this winter.

They are kind of hard to see - dark green t-shirt on a dark puppy!

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What's Snow ? :lmt:

From Sunny Upside down land :P :lol:

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i would love those booties for the rainy times here. they get into mud. bet my guys would not walk in them. must take a lot of training
oesmom2 wrote:
i would love those booties for the rainy times here. they get into mud. bet my guys would not walk in them. must take a lot of training


Actually, no. The first time you put them on they sort of prance around because they don't know what else to do. The next time, they have it figured out & they move around like normal.
yep, Chewie ran like the wind in his!

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Mine come all the way up to their "pits". Cover the entire front legs & pretty much of the back legs. They don't use them for lengthly running like Chewie does but they have had to wear them for extended periods of time. The first time on they sorta of prance, I think more because of the noise of the fabric & wondering what is going to happen when they move. Once they realize they are going to be sure-footed they move around just as they normally would, walking & running in them.
When jogging on the street, be aware that the salt they throw down to melt the ice can hurt their paws. There's a product called mushers the sled dogs use to keep their paws from icing up and protect from the salt.

I als read spraying some regular cooking spray like Pam keeps the ice from getting stuck between the paw pads. Anyone ever try that?

Mine will NOT wear the boots :roll: By the time I get one booty on, they are pulling off the other...
I bought child size leg warms last year they work great for going over the legs. They cover her entire legs. Then put a sweater over the body.

Gertie/Erin :wink:
The boots Chewie has on in the pictures are different boots - those are made of fleece and are specifically made for sled dogs. They are from www.kondosoutdoors.com

The Brighty Booties are the tall ones.

Kerry - the Brighty Booties are made out of a nylon fabric on the main boot. The soles/toes are overlaid with a waterproof, textured naugahyde type material. There are 2 velcro straps - one right above the pad in the pastern area, the other near the top. When on the rear legs, the top one goes above the hocks, below the stifle.
Dawn, quickly went to that site and am I looking at the correct ones? They are only $3.95? 8O I remember paying much more than that for the mutlucks I think...and my dogs hated them!

Do these have traction on the bottom for ice?
Ashley wrote:
Dawn, quickly went to that site and am I looking at the correct ones? They are only $3.95? 8O I remember paying much more than that for the mutlucks I think...and my dogs hated them!

Do these have traction on the bottom for ice?


Where did you see that number? No, they're $45 plus $4.95 shipping. They're worth it, though. I have a couple pairs and they're nicely made but I've never had them leave them on for extended running. Whenever Owen does go crazy in them, he always manages to lose one. I put it back on, cinch it up and it doesn't come off after the second time. I have no idea why it works that way.

I like the Musher's Secret balm for their pads just for regular going out in the snow and playing. It really seems to help plus it's easy to put on and isn't greasy and messy.
Ashley and Jill - I think you each are looking at the 2 different boots.

The kondos boots are the cheaper priced ones. These are the ones I have : http://www.kondosoutdoors.com/mm5/merch ... y_Code=DB7

The price is per boot. They are fleece all over, with a double velcro closure. He wore them for 8 miles running in thick gumbo mud. Under the boots his feet got wet, but NO MUD!! :D
The idea is that the fleece fabric in more like running barefoot - the pads expand naturally upon impact with each stride and they still can use their nails and toes for safe traction a bit. However, they aren't meant for city use on salted surfaces. The "elephant hide" ones they make are waterproof, if you need that. However, they aren't as soft and natural and if icy out they could slip.
That's why the mushers use the fleece - they are safer for traction and don't rub or wear on the feet and pads. Boots that have soles like shoes on them would do that, and are made for casual walking only.


The Brighty Booties are about $50 a pair. They worked well for shows keeping him clean and dry while out pottying and such. I haven't used them *yet* out in the snow pulling the sled, but we will when we get enough snow!
Dawn, would the fleece work for the boys when they're up north? They get lots more snow than we do here. We don't have paved roads or salt so they would be walking in fairly deep snow or in the road, which is actually an old fire trail. We do have the road scrapped so we can get in and out, it does get icy sometimes.
So what would be your recommendation for boots to be used specifically for traction and walking on ice? I've read more than one story about a dog running on ice and slipping with a bad injury as a result. Your thoughts on which boot? Stick with the mutlucks you think?
bestdogs wrote:
Dawn, would the fleece work for the boys when they're up north? They get lots more snow than we do here. We don't have paved roads or salt so they would be walking in fairly deep snow or in the road, which is actually an old fire trail. We do have the road scrapped so we can get in and out, it does get icy sometimes.


The fleece are going to give the best traction. If they are running around - either working or just racing around and playing, I would go with the fleece for traction. I have the Kondos "elephant hide" ones, but only used them to keep his feet dry before I got the Brighty Booties. They would slip as well.

The bad thing is they are short. They are made for pad protection when out mushing - from icy patches or granular snow. So keeping OES's hairy legs dry is really not a feature!

What I plan on doing is going back to using a long sleeve t-shirt and using the fleece boots - that way I only will get snow on the back legs. When we get enough snow I'll let you know how it works! :D
Ashley wrote:
So what would be your recommendation for boots to be used specifically for traction and walking on ice? I've read more than one story about a dog running on ice and slipping with a bad injury as a result. Your thoughts on which boot? Stick with the mutlucks you think?


I haven't used the mutluks. Do you have a link to them?
I think the link is www.muttluks.com

I'm not at my home computer but if I reemember, thats the site.
I really like my muttluks. Seemed to be what everyone recommended if they lived in a cold state. Hopefully I'll still get to use ours for rain or something now that we moved to a warm state. :lol: I even have one that is real thick to warm them up a bit.

My dogs never like wearing stuff, but I don't like wet dogs, so....
The more they're in them, the more they will tolerate it even if they have a frown the entire time. :) Took a year of clothes constantly on my small dog for her not to stand like a statue. For Yuki, just took getting her mind off the shoes... so playing with daddy in the snow did it (with an occasional tippy toe walk/hop still noticeable).
got sheep wrote:
The boots Chewie has on in the pictures are different boots - those are made of fleece and are specifically made for sled dogs. They are from www.kondosoutdoors.com


I use these because they are non-leather and I have been pretty happy with them. My only complaint is that we sometimes loose a bootie in deeper snow. I think they just kind of slip off. When they stay on they work quite well! Walter got used to them very quickly and walk/romps in the snow like normal. Going to get 2 more sets for the other dogs this year!

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got sheep wrote:

Kerry - the Brighty Booties are made out of a nylon fabric on the main boot. The soles/toes are overlaid with a waterproof, textured naugahyde type material. There are 2 velcro straps - one right above the pad in the pastern area, the other near the top. When on the rear legs, the top one goes above the hocks, below the stifle.


Thanks I have to do something with Miss Marley - seems she has taken up daintily licking her front legs (like a cat) and turning the fur red. Not exactly what a judge wants to see :roll: And I also think the sand in our agilty trainig center is contributing since the hue is the same as the discoloration of the sneakers I wear there. I am thinking of making her boots to wear for class and leg warmers for in her crate (when she seems to lick most)
I looked at the Muttluks website. They seem like they are well made.

The only concern is that with a leather sole, they do have the potential to slip more. Leather or imitation leather gets rigid in cold weather and the stiffness makes slipping more likely. That is why the kondos ones are made of fleece (they do make some with covering, but not used by "real mushers"). The closer they are to barefoot is the best for traction and stability.

The need to protect from salt is a whole different issue - then waterproof becomes more important.
Thankfully mine aren't forced to deal with that. Just the occasional winter shows in urban areas. Our other places (like The Paw) use dog friendly products. :)
Kirby loves to play,hike and walk in the snow. We do have hiking boots for him. They have tread on them. He likes wearing them in the snow, and ice. But not when the weather is good and the roads are dry. He also seems to like them if we hike where there are sand burrs etc.

He can collect an amazing amount of ice and snow, etc in those pads.
Lu
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