<p>PAWS Dog boots … which are really more like stretchy galoshes seem to be very well accepted by most dogs. The dog can feel the ground so they are happier about it. They are reusable/disposable --meaning you get 12 in a pack and when they poke a toenail through one, toss it! Pricing is good also.</p>
<p>My Shelties have always had sufficient coat that they’ve not needed an additional one until this year. My Masters agility dog was very sick in March, and while she is recovered enough to be posting a <strong>double double Q with 58 points</strong> this past weekend (dmd will know what I mean!) she’s on meds that have apparently kept her from growing any coat after a huge shed. She needs a coat if she’s going to be outside any length of time, and she has a lovely puffy teal parka.</p>
<p>No boots here. With four dogs, it would take as long to ‘boot’ and ‘deboot’ them as it did on the walk! In the winter, we use a product called Invisible Boot. It’s a cream that you put on the pads to protect them Where we live, lots of salt is used and that can damage, and hurt, the pads. We’ve used this for years and it works well. It’s a natural product and is ‘lickable’. :)</p>
<p>emerald, That dog is so cute. My dog had boots at one point, not because he needed them as much as we had fun putting them on. He was so cute in them but he couldn’t walk very well in them.</p>
<p>So true about dogs like comfortable temperature. Mine burrows under a comforter in winter.</p>
<p>Not only do I put sweaters and jackets on my dog, I have heating pads for her 2 beds. And the cat has them for his, as well. I do not dress the cat, however. He has claws!</p>
<p>Our corgi-beagle mix has a few clothing items but all for practical purposes - like keeping his coat dry if it’s raining or snowing (we walk no matter what!!!) He has a raincoat, a sweatshirt “hoodie” (American Apparel) and a water repellent with fleece underneath velcro coat for winter. So it’s purposeful rather than for vanity - to keep him dry and not wet/smelly after his walks!</p>
<p>The one thing that is a problem around here is when people salt their walks - salt in the paws is not so good. We try to wash/wipe his paws more in the winter when he has been exposed to the salt.</p>
<p>Now his collar collection - THAT is something else! We love changing out his collar for the holidays, our favorite sports teams, etc. We have an area in one of our closets that has a rod we call his “collar closet” - my favorite one is an adorable “Life Is Good” one we picked up this summer in Oregon. :)</p>
<p>No heating pad but his first floor bed is right next to the heat radiator. He loves the radiator! Always worry I’m going to wake up to baked dog one morning!!</p>
<p>We’re in the same country as Consolation. It gets well below zero at times. We’ve never done anything extra for our dogs. They love being out in the cold and snow. We do have a nice doghouse for them, but they NEVER use it!</p>
<p>I live in Arizona (hence the name) and my dog (a chow lab mix) is SO freaking happy the weather is cooling off (down to a brisk 77 today). He is like a puppy again.</p>
<p>(Our issues revolve around dealing w heat, obviously)</p>
<p>I can see why people get something for breeds like Italian Greyhounds. They just do not have the coat to keep them warm in freezing winds. But a lot of this seems to be dressing up toy dogs like dolls. As a person who has always had large, double-coated dogs, I can’t relate. :)</p>
<p>BTW, I really disagree about the advisability of shaving double coated dogs in hot weather. Their coats protect them from the sun. They blow their undercoat seasonally. I would suggest that if you live in a place where the summer temps are really high, and you expect your doog to be outdoors a lot, you shouldn’t get a St. Bernard or a Newfoundland! Or an English bulldog, for that matter, since it is hard for them to breathe in very hot, humid weather. To tell you the truth, I am attracted to big dogs that have a utilitarian breed standard, not exaggerated pushed up faces or tiny size or whatever. I also like the feel of a nice longish coat. Don’t like the feel of smooth, short coats. It’s just one of those things. :)</p>
<p>My pit thinks my house is too cold - 62 degrees. She stays curled in a ball all the time and goes back to bed (in my bed) on cold mornings. She hasn’t figured out how to burrow under blankets and doesn’t like it when I put them over her. I really should have named her Goldilocks. </p>
<p>My Boston Terrier’s pads would get cut up in the snow and ice. I tried boots but he wouldn’t keep them on. He loved being out in the snow but sometimes came in with bloody paws. My neighborhood doesn’t have sidewalks so we don’t get to walk on hard surfaces often enough to toughen up their pads. It’s also a problem because their nails aren’t worn down in walks.</p>
<p>But a lot of this seems to be dressing up toy dogs like dolls</p>
<p>:) </p>
<p>Guilty as charged! But, not really for my Doxie. He needs the sweater. My Chorkie (deceased) and my Yorkie puppy were/are dressed for pure fun and cuteness. :)</p>
<p>BTW, I really disagree about the advisability of shaving double coated dogs in hot weather. Their coats protect them from the sun</p>
<p>You can “shave” their hair w/o getting down to the skin. If you use a #5 or #6 then you’re leaving a few inches of hair…certainly enough for sun protection. These cuts are sometimes called “puppy cuts”…a good amount of hair is still left.</p>
<p>abasket, your beagle-corgi mix must be unspeakably cute! We have a rottie mix and he has no problem with weather, but when he got a leaf stuck on his paw, I seriously thought he had injured it because he was limping around. If we put boots on him, I don’t think he could walk!</p>
<p>I didn’t mean removing all their fur and I didn’t mean all dogs. Just like needing a coat is breed specific, so is grooming and the type of grooming. I was just pointing out that dogs are not all the same and I think I phrased it poorly.</p>
<p>Cartera, my pit will drag her crate and dog bed to where our heating vents are. She also has zero problem waking us up to get under the covers with us lol</p>
<p>My Boston Terrier did that. My pit is just figuring out how to cuddle. She will put her head in my lap and sits on my feet with her back to me waiting for a massage, but she isn’t comfortable getting under the covers or completely curling up next to me.</p>
<p>cnp55 and alwaysamom, thanks for the recommendations. I ordered some of the PAWZ just now as soon as I found them on website. My toy poodle gets cracked paws from the salt everyone but me uses. We get a lot of ice around here, that doesn’t shovel off as easily as the snow (of which we also get a lot.) Mailman hates me I’m sure. The smallest boots we found still are too large and fall off. Last winter I gave up and we didn’t do many long walks, but a lot of playing fetch in our longest hallway. She wears coats that I sew partly to cut the wind, but also because the just-below-freezing soft snow gets balled up in her poodle fur in big clumps.</p>
<p>Now we have a 2nd dog and new problems. She’s a dorkie (we think, a stray.) Have to put a coat on her in all kinds of wet weather. She is sturdy enough and with thick enough fur not to need it for protection, but so low to the ground that her belly is filthy sand/mud when toy poodle comes home with only paws dirty. Can’t give her a bath EVERY day. Had to seriously modify the pattern for the short legs and long body and have stomach coverage extend further back. </p>
<p>Also, with 2 dogs, have to walk daily no matter the weather, or they’ll drive us bonkers. Hope those PAWZ or that cream works. Otherwise I’ll have to hunt for some plowed but unsalted trails in parks around us this winter.</p>
<p>Our dog always wore a sweater in the winter once he got to be older. He would refuse to ask to go out in the winter and just pee in the house otherwise. He hated the sweater but it was the only way he would go out, so he wore it. We never even thought to try it until he started refusing to go outside in the snow.</p>
<p>I’ve been watching this thread with keen interest, as when we get a dalmatian next year he will need daily runs to help him suppress his urges to eat our house. They need lots of exercise even in winter and they do not tolerate cold well, and the salt is awful for their paws. I’ve read he will probably need a coat and he might need boots, too. Make sure you let us know what ends up working for you, OP.</p>
<p>I thought I would probably get something like a labradoodle, but we got our pup from the shelter and he was the best fit when we were ready to actually take one home.
I think he is part Rhodesian ridgeback, so he likes it a little warmer, the damp gets to him, just as it gets to my arthritis.
We have a wall heater in the bathroom and he stands next to it while I am drying my hair.
He doesn’t get under our covers, yet, but he is at the foot of our bed before we even get in!</p>
<p>I used to make fun of people who dressed up their tiny dogs in outfits, but really, who cares?
If the dog doesn’t mind (& some like it, I suspect)who am i to judge?
At least they are paying attention to their dog, unlike some who leave them tied up 24/7 and only throw some kibble or fresh water their way when they feel like it.</p>
<p>Yeah - there are worse things than being overly attentive to your pets. Personally, I’d rather see a pink headband with a bow on a dog than on a baby.</p>
