The Snuggle is Real

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COLD WEATHER SAFETY

Some dogs LOVE the cold weather. Huskies, bernese mountain dogs, malamutes, newfoundlands, even labradors love the cold, snowy weather. But especially if you have a dog who is short-coated and doesn't do well in the cold, here are some tips to keep them safe while they're exploring in the cold:

Keep your walks short when it's under 20 ° F. If it's too cold for you, chances are it's too cold for your dog to be out for an extended period of time.

  • Use a jacket or other layers (snood, jammies, etc) to keep any extra body heat from escaping. if your dog has very short fur.

  • Use booties to prevent their pads coming in contact with salt on the sidewalks. (We also recommend getting your dog used to the booties ahead of time by putting them on your dog while indoors a few times and keeping them busy/walking around.)

Wipe off paws as soon as you come inside if you don't use booties.

  • You can also use Musher's Secret balm/ointment when you come back inside to keep paw pads from cracking.

  • Use a humidifier inside your apartment to keep their skin and pads from drying out.

  • Try not to give baths a lot during cold months, as it can dry out their skin even more.

  • If your pup is trying to get inside buildings on your walk to warm up, it's probably time to head home.

If you need help coming up with appropriate cold-weather changes for your dog, reach out to your SSDT trainer, and they'll be happy to help you!

APARTMENT-FRIENDLY EXERCISE

Giving your dog enough exercise when it's cold out can also be a challenge. Here are some ideas that we use with our dogs when we need to get them extra tired when we can't spend tons of time outside:

Recall practice/Hide and Seek inside the apartment - giving treats when they find you can be an extra incentive to play!

  • Teach them a new trick - you can teach your dog a new cue or trick to make their brain super tired. This can also involve getting them to do something physical (jump over your leg/a broom, run to their crate/place, etc).

  • Set up hallway/apartment playdates with other dogs you know.

  • Give them shredding activities - take cardboard boxes (amazon, chewy) and hide treats/kibble inside the boxes and let them tear it up! Shredding is a natural behavior for dogs, and when we allow them to do it appropriately, it can help to make them nice and satisfied by the time  we want to relax with them.

  • Practice leash walking them up and down the hallway outside your apartment!

If you need help with creating a plan to exercise your pup on super cold days, contact your SSDT trainer and they can help you! We also have a virtual training option where we can help you come up with training and management plans your dog via zoom if you need extra assistance.

TRAINEE OF THE MONTH

RUA THE RETRIEVER MIX

A NOTE FROM RUA'S GUARDIANS: 
“A year ago we adopted Rua, a retriever mix, from a rescue that brings dogs to NYC from rural shelters in the state of Georgia. She was noted to be exceptionally sweet and smart - which she still is! What none of us realized was keeping a rural dog mentally stimulated while battling her separation anxiety can become a nearly full time job. Luckily between training sessions and weekends with  trainers Emily and Victoria, we learned methods that work. Rua has gone from tolerating being alone for -2 seconds to up to 6 hours without the use of frozen, lickable objects (she waits for them to defrost). While Rua always has great dog manners, her human manners needed serious work as well. We are no longer hostages in our own home- we can now eat sitting down at the table, watch a movie with her, and even have her leave Christmas presents under the tree alone. None of this seemed possible for the first 4-6 months. We are so indebted to Emily, Victoria and her helper-pup Raiden for helping us train Rua into believing it’s okay to be a NYC dog!"