Winter Preparations for Your Outdoor Dog

Cold weather is fast approaching and if you have a predominantly outdoor dog, follow these preparation guidelines to ensure a warm, dry space for your dog this winter!

1. Outdoor Dog Runs

If your dog has an outdoor, fenced dog run, here are a few things you can do to make sure your dog can stay sheltered and warm.

• Board up/cover the top and sides of the fencing. Using tarps or plywood and zip ties or wires, secure these to the sides and top of the dog run to block wind, rain, and snow from getting inside your dog's enclosure.
• Make sure your dog has a dog house or retreat with an opening just large enough for them to fit into. Your dog's body heat can help to keep them warm in a dog house. Make sure the opening of the retreat is facing a wall so the wind cannot get into it.
• Replace bedding daily (if needed) so that your dog always has something warm and dry to curl up with.

2. Nutrition in Cold Weather

Outdoor dogs expend more energy to keep their body temperature up in cold climates. Ensure that you are supplementing your dog's diet with a little extra food as needed. It is also important that you are feeding your dog a high-quality food with adequate fats to keep them healthy during the cold.

Adequate fresh water is an absolute necessity. Snow and ice are NOT substitutions for fresh clean water.

3. Things to Avoid

It is NEVER acceptable to keep a dog on a chain or lead in an outdoor environment. Most dogs (especially in the pacific northwest) are not comfortable in extreme cold weather, wind, and rain and you risk injury to your dog by keeping them tethered. Your dog will try to escape the cold and can get themselves wrapped up in their lead causing injury and infection.

If you're going for a walk or playtime for an extended period of time in temperatures below 35 degrees, you'll want to cover your pet's feet with booties. Dogs are susceptible to frostbite so make sure they are protected.

4. When in doubt, bring them inside!

Dogs are almost always happier in the house with you. If you're home, bring them inside in cold weather. Your dog will be happier and healthier inside where it is warm and dry. And you'll stay warmer with a big, warm dog cuddled up next to you!

Dog Parks!

Many behavior problems in dogs are caused by a lack of physical and mental activity. Dogs were born to lead active lives. They’ve worked alongside people for thousands of years, hunting game, herding and protecting livestock, and controlling vermin. Dogs’ wild relatives lead busy lives, too. Their days are full of hunting, scavenging, avoiding predators and complex social interaction. Most pet dogs, on the other hand, spend the majority of their time alone at home, napping on couches and eating food from bowls-no hunting or scavenging required. Many become bored, lonely and overweight. They have excess energy and no way to expend it, so it’s not surprising that they often come up with activities on their own, like unstuffing couches, raiding trash cans and gnawing on shoes.

To keep your dog happy, healthy and out of trouble, you’ll need to find ways to exercise her brain and body. If she enjoys the company of her own kind, visits to your local dog park can greatly enrich her life. Benefits of going to the dog park include:

• Physical and mental exercise for dogs Your dog can zoom around off-leash to her heart’s content, investigate new smells, wrestle with her dog buddies and fetch toys until she happily collapses. Many dogs are so mentally and physically exhausted by a trip to the dog park that they snooze for hours afterwards.
• Opportunities to maintain social skills Dogs are like us, highly social animals, and many enjoy spending time with their own species. At the dog park, your dog gets practice reading a variety of other dogs’ body language and using her own communication skills, and she gets used to meeting unfamiliar dogs on a frequent basis. These valuable experiences can help guard against the development of fear and aggression problems around other dogs.
• Fun for pet parents Dogs aren’t the only ones who enjoy dog parks. People do, too. They can exercise their dogs without much effort, socialize with other dog lovers, bond and play with their dogs, practice their off-leash training skills, and enjoy the entertaining antics of frolicking dogs.

Here are a few of the dog parks in our area:

1. Grandview Park

Grandview at 37 acres boasts grassy fields, an all-weather play area and a long winding trail with fabulous views of Mt. Ranier and the Green River Valley.  Grandview sits on a double plateau.  The parking lot and the two entrances to Grandview sit on the upper plateau – two trails and a stairway lead down to a large grass field and an all-weather play area that used to be a soccer field.  Large logs (former light posts) surround the play area and provide seating for park users.  A paved walking trail circles the play area.  An open-air shelter in the large field provides shade in the summer and protection from rain in the winter.  Grandview Dog Park provides wide open spaces for dogs to romp, play and explore making it a popular destination for regional dog owners!

2. Marymoor Park

Marymoor is an example of a model dog park.  Covering 40 acres, Marymoor Dog Park includes fields, woods and a river, with well maintained access beaches, paths, walkways and bridges.  Over six miles of looping trails offer a variety of dog walking opportunities.  Five river access points are available for dogs that like to swim and water retrieve.  Acres of natural fields are available for dog romping, fetching and exploring.  It is a myth that “dog parks are just for for dogs.”  Rather, Marymoor Dog Park provides recreation for PEOPLE – over 800,000 visitations of people with their canine companions are made to Marymoor Dog Park each year, making it one of the most popular destinations for regional recreation!

3. French Lake Park

This is a large, 10-acre park with lots of trees, a pond, and a lot of space for running around! Make sure you bring your dog's own drinking water and a towel!

As always, if you don't have time to take your dog running or to a dog park, bring 'em on down to Holiday Kennels' Doggy Day Corral! We will exercise your pets for you while you work or do homework. Remember, a tired dog is an obedient dog!