Video: Traveling with Your Dog in the Winter

Video Transcript

Hi! This is Elise McMahon with Expert Village and we¡¯re talking about how to travel with your dog. If you would like to find out more about my services you can visit my website at canineheadstart.com. So in this short clip we¡¯re going to be talking about winter travel. We¡¯ve covered the topics of how to travel with your dog in the summer that keeps your dog healthy and we¡¯re going to talk a little bit about winter travel. Winter sports can be very fun for dogs but they can also be very hard for them. If you¡¯re going to be going snow shoeing or skiing, cross country skiing with your dog, one thing you might want to consider is bringing along a pair of boots. These are fleece boots and these will protect the pads of your dog¡¯s feet and also keep ice balls from forming in between your dog¡¯s toes and in the pads of the feet. You can get these in a number of different fabrics. If you¡¯re going to be doing hiking over harder ground you might want to get a tougher material something like Cordura. They also make them in neoprene. Sled dogs used these in traveling long distance and helps protect the pads of the feet. Always the good idea to get your dog used at these home before you buy and go out try to hike five miles in the snow. So, if you¡¯re going to get boots try them at home, make sure you¡¯re getting the right size for them and I always suggest having two or three pairs because depending on how much you¡¯re walking with your dog, you could wear out the material pretty quickly. Other thing, even if you¡¯re not going outdoors and doing outdoor activities, let¡¯s say you¡¯re from the country and you¡¯re going in to the city, let¡¯s say, you are taking your dog to New York city for a weekend and it¡¯s February. Well in the cities, they use a lot of salt on the sidewalks and that can be extremely irritating to your dog¡¯s feet. Couple of things you can do, you can put bag balm on their feet, but sometimes, just putting boots on, takes away and alleviates the problems. If you ever seen a dog who has got the salt and ice burn, they¡¯re standing, they¡¯re cringing, they¡¯re very, very uncomfortable, so it¡¯s always a good idea to protect your dog¡¯s feet. Another thing you want to think about we¡¯ve talked about is bringing towels, bring extra towels with you when you¡¯re traveling in the winter and you also want to bring warm blankets. This blanket is actually a really good blanket for summer and winter. Its got a nice, smooth, cool cotton side for the summer and on the other side, its got a nice fleecy backing, so it¡¯s nice and comfortable for the dog. This can be few dog has gotten wet and cold, you can use it to cover your dog or you can also turn it into a bedding for your dog. So, it¡¯s just a nice comfortable soft place for your dog to lie down.