The dog days of winter: How to keep your dog active and safe during extreme cold weather

Keeping dogs active outside during the winter months is challenging. But luckily, there are ways to work around it.

Rachel Elliott
Kicker

This winter, Newfoundland and Labrador has seen extreme cold and much more snow than in recent years. For dog owners, these conditions require keeping their canine loved ones active and entertained while indoors.

Benjamin Oates, a first-time dog owner of a four-month-old Labrador puppy named Gus, said keeping his dog  active during the winter has been a challenge.

“You’re supposed to get 60 to 90 minutes of exercise a day for a Labrador puppy,” Oates said. “We’ve only been getting about half an hour to 45 minutes just because I can’t get out and stay out that long in the cold, and he doesn’t want to either.”

Oates said he’s been having to play indoors with Gus, so that the puppy gets at least a small dose of exercise during the day.

“Fetch around the house; hide-and-seek is his favourite,” Oates said, “Just a bunch of small, little five, ten-minute activities instead of one big walk.”

Oates said the cold has been uncomfortable for Gus’s paws whenever they go outside.

“He doesn’t want to be outside. He hurts his paws, so he’ll get halfway up the road and just stop.”

Beware of frostbite

Vetrinarian Maggie Brown-Bury said extreme cold can be very uncomfortable for dogs. Different breeds adapt differently to the cold, but she says leaving them outside for long periods of time is not safe.

“They can get frostbite, especially if they have thin hair, upright ears,” Brown-Bury said. “So when the temperatures are extreme, you really don’t want to be putting them out and leaving them out.”

Brown-Bury said knowing your dog and what they like can help support their mental stimulation when it comes to indoor activities. She mentioned devices such as puzzle feeders, which force dogs to interact with them in order to be rewarded with treats, and wobbly balls, which will drop kibble bits here and there.

Brown-Bury said Snuffle Mats are another great tool for dogs to use. These mats help hide food and treats so your dog uses its focus to find them.

“Twenty minutes with the Snuffle Mat trying to find food is the equivalent of, like, an easy walk.”

Brown-Bury said salt on the ground can irritate a dog’s paws. She recommends owners buy a bottle with a nozzle to clean off their paws when they come in from outside. She also recommends stocking up on dog toys before a huge snowstorm.

Picking up on your dog’s body language will help you determine if the weather is too cold for them, Brown-Bury said. If you see them lift their paws and shiver while outside, these could be important cues the dog is uncomfortable.