How to Keep Your Pet Warm in Winter?

As the winter season approach, there is so much cold that covers the entire atmosphere. It is in this regard that we prepare for the changing season by taking our coats, scarves, and sweaters out the closets to keep ourselves warm. In spite the fact that outdoor dogs like other pets develop a thicker coat to keep themselves warm, it is important that we intervene to ensure that they are warm and safe during winter. Therefore, if you live in a cold climate, it is advisable that you plan early to keep your dog warm both outdoors and indoors. The following are some of the great strategies you can take into consideration to make your life easy and your dog comfortable throughout the winter season.

Some Tips to Keep Your Dog Warm Both Outdoors and Indoors

1. Make for the dog a warm house. Don’t place your dog in large space

Did you know that you can customize a bedroom for your dog? The dog requires small spaces to keep them warm instead of large rooms that tend to carry lots of cold air. Well, during the winter season, one thing that you can do is prepare warm bedding for your dog to keep them warm and cozy. The best thing you can do is to customize a bed off the floor. This can be done by simply placing the bed on a low platform that is raised slightly off the ground. This is very critical in ensuring that you stop loss of heat through transmission with the ground. You can improvise the platform of the bed using bricks, cardboard sheets, books or even bricks. Ensure that the bed is well-cushioned with blankets and old clean clothing to keep the dog very warm.

2. If it is too cold. They need wear clothes

Dogs have fur on them that helps them stay insulated during the cold season. However, for small dogs, they often have short hair and thus, require extra help to help them overcome the cold chills from the cold environment. A warm sweater, cap, and booties play a central role in keeping the dog warm during the cold weather. In most cases, when you feel that the dog requires a cap to cover their heads, then it is not advisable for them to go outdoors at all.
The use of booties during the cold weather often comes in handy to keep the dog paws warm and free from irritation from salts in the environment. While this is a great way to keep the dog warm, you need to train them to walk on booties right from puppy hood as most of them may not tolerate wearing them. However, if the dog cannot stand those booties and heavy clothing, the best thing is to use positive reinforcement training. This is by putting one bootie on one foot and feeding them with a treat and then removing it. If you repeat this daily, you are simply conditioning them to associate a bootie to a treat, and within no time, they will be used to keeping warm in booties.

3. Give them warm food and warm water to drink

Provide your dog with warm foods and drinks throughout the cold season. This is so that their metabolic rate is increased and thus generating heat in their bodies that contribute to keeping them warm. Remember that dogs cannot eat snow as a source of water; therefore, their water bowls have to be checked on a regular basis or use a heated water bowl to maintain an unfrozen drinking water.

4. Keep Your Dog have more energy

As the temperatures begin to drop during winter, it is normal for the dog to consume more calories to help them keep their bodies warm by generating sufficient body heat. Therefore, it is important that you consult ha veterinarian on the best way you can increase the caloric intake without having to overfeed the dog. The best way to accomplish this is simply increasing the nutritional caloric intake of your dog by about 30 % depending on their housing condition and the nature of your pet’s coat.

5. Don’t cut dog fur too short

During the winter, all you want to do is ensure that your dog is well covered and feeling warm and comfortable. This means that you have to avoid shaving or to cut their hairs too short because their full coat is the best source of warmth. While you want to maintain a good grooming regime for your dog, combing out the knots and brushing their coat well is very important in keeping the snow and cold weather at bay while insulating the dog sufficiently. You have to note that with consistent grooming, you can easily alleviate dandruff problems in dogs especially during dry winters should this pose a problem to your dog.

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6. Give to them some dog toys to make them more active

Dogs often catch cabin fever and end up with blues during the winter season. Contrary to what many people believe that the colder weather means less activity for dogs, you have to use a little ingenuity and creativity into the dog’s life. This is important in keeping their pounds off, bodies in shape and their minds stimulated. The best way to achieve this is the use of toys indoors that will keep them active and warm. Some of these toys include puzzle feeders, kibble nibble among others. These toys often encourage the dogs to work for their food. They will toss it around the room to get the food out. As the dog gains more expertise, keep changing the toys to something different to provide more challenge and keep them active.

7. Bathe your dog with a heater 

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During winter and cold seasons, it is important to give your dog a warm bath. This is because hygiene should not be compromised during the cold season however much the temperatures are unfavorable for the dog. Considering that it might take too long to dry the dog after a bath during the cold season, the best thing you can do is bathe your dog using a heater. If you have a heater or towel dryer in the house, then it is advisable that you turn it on before you bathe your dog. If not, then you can turn on an electric heater in the room to keep the room warm. Close all the windows and doors to avoid the flow of cold air into the room. Once you have washed the dog, cover them with a towel to absorb the water. Always use warm water to bathe your dog during the winter.

Conclusion

Offering your dog warmth and comfort during the winter is a very important and humane thing you can help the dog transition safely through the season. This is by simply paying close attention to the temperatures and protecting them from injuries, hypothermia, and frostbites.