With temperatures dropping and wintry weather on the way, our four-legged friends need extra care. Here are our tips to keep your doggy friends warm and safe on winter walks.
Keeping your dog warm
When the weather gets colder, let your dog's winter coat grow. Short-haired breeds, puppies or old dogs might need a winter dog coat. If you’re walking when it’s dark, make sure your dog is visible with a flashing collar or high-vis jacket.
Introducing a coat to your dog
Dogs can sometimes find it difficult having things placed over their heads and around their bodies. If your dog has never worn a coat or harness before, it’s important to introduce it carefully. Follow these simple steps.
1.Before you try and put the coat on your dog, lay it on the ground and put a few tasty treats on it so your dog can sniff and investigate it.
2. Once your dog is familiar with the coat, lift it and feed your dog a treat through the opening. Gradually move your hand a little further back to encourage your dog to move their nose and mouth through the opening to get their treats.
3. Once your dog is comfortable with putting their head through the coat, you can place it on their body, continuing to give them treats. If at any point your dog is uncomfortable or retreats from the coat, remove it and feed them anyway. Try again another time and take it back a step if necessary.
Once your dog is comfortable having the coat put on, they'll need to learn to get used to the feel of it and how it affects their natural movement. Scatter feeding and letting them just move around to find the treats on the ground can help to distract and reward them. If this happens every time their coat goes on, they'll soon look forward to wearing at walkies time!
Top tips for winter walks
Keeping your dog active
It can be difficult to keep dogs physically exercised during these dark evenings, especially when public parks are closed at dusk. Our tips will help keep walks fun and your dog active, even if the weather is bad:
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