Make a Quick Vet Visit: Winter can be hard on dogs if they are not in perfect health. If your dog has health issues it can be hard for them to keep warm, and sleep well both very important to your dogs health. Many aliments go unnoticed in your dog’s behavior during warmer weather and only rear their head during the cold, when immune systems are weakened. Keep in mind that different breeds can handle the cool better that others
Winter Grooming: Keep your dog’s hair maintained so that winter coats can grow in easily. Grooming your dog is a crucial step in winter preparation. Dogs grow thicker fuller coats in the winter to help them keep warm.
Warm Shelter: While this may seem obvious it is often one of the most common things over looked. Many dog owners pick up a house and think they are covered from then on out. Reality of it is that dog houses need to be looked at and treated every year. Clean it thoroughly to make sure that the sleeping environment is clean. Wind chill factor is one of the most important elements of winter.
Healthy Weight Gain: Dogs like other animals use body mass as a way to keep warm during the winter. Depending on your dog’s weight and health, you may want to help your dog healthy bulk up by adding a small extra feeding per day. The additional weight gives your dog energy to burn and stay warm during cold days.
Understand Temperature Tolerances and Watch The Weather: Knowing how high and low of temperatures your dog can thrive in is vital to keeping your dog safe in the winter. Different breeds can handle different temperatures depending on their coat. Some dogs like Huskies have been bred to work and live in conditions as cold as -75 degrees. While other breeds like Bulldogs were not intended to live in conditions consistently lower than 40 degrees. Watch the weather regularly to see if you will need to bring your dog in.
