Raising a Well Mannered Mutt

By Sallie Palmer

Cold wet weather and dogs

Once again winter is here. The temperature is dropping and rain is falling. That means wet muddy dogs. I have a few tips that might help you during the season of wet and cold.

If you have ever experienced a wet muddy dog dashing into your house you know what I’m talking about. It can look like a scene from CSI. Muddy paw prints across your floor and carpet not to mention the cast off of mud on your walls and ceiling if your pup decides to give a good shake. This is also the time that you wish you had trained your dog to not jump up on people. So this is what I do.

I have an old flannel sheet that has seen better days. When the wet weather arrives, I lay this sheet down in front of the doorway where my dog enters. When I invite my wet mutt into the house, I immediately command him to lie DOWN on the sheet. I then throw a large beach towel over him like he’s a kidnap victim. I rub him down and wipe his feet so he is safe to move about with just a minimal amount of moister. I don’t let him roam far. I tell him to go to his bed and do a DOWN-STAY. If your dog hasn’t yet mastered the down stay you may want to tether him. I don’t recommend crating a dog at this point because the enclosure may impede the drying out process. Once your faithful companion is dry he is free to roam around.

Now, I know there are those among us who don’t allow their dogs to come inside. Try as I might to convince you to change this practice I will at least see if I can get you to make your dogs living conditions slightly more cozy. I am amazed by people who feel that just because a dog has a fur coat that he is adequately protected from the elements. He is not. You have to consider the length of the coat and the age of the dog. Dogs with short coats obviously don’t fare as well as dogs with thick or long coats. Your pups without insulation that are skinny or old dogs with arthritis feel the elements more extremely. For those of you who still aren’t going to allow your dogs to come indoors, I plead with you to set up a warm cozy and safe habitat for your pooch.

A dog house may not be enough and please don’t make your dog sleep on the garage cement floor where it will suck the heat right out of his bones. I suggest an insulated doghouse that will not only help block out cold in the winter but it will also help block out heat in the summer. I also suggest thick soft bedding. My 7 year old dog loves his memory foam mattress. Then for those cold snaps you might want to place a ‘Snuggle Safe’ between the bedding. Snuggle Safes look like a pink Frisbee that you warm up in the microwave. You place it in the dog’s bed and it will warm the bed for several hours. Cat love them too and I actually use one in my bed. There are also specially made heating pads for pets but please do not uses a human heating pad, they can be dangerous.

*Pop Quiz* Do you know why Nordic breeds have fluffy tails? To keep their noses warm when they tuck them under when they curl up to sleep.

What about exercise? Dogs can get cabin fever from lack of running around. I don’t know too many people who enjoy walking their dog in a down pour; I make it a point to take advantage of any breaks in the weather as much as possible. When it looks like terminal rain and my dog is antsy, I get him involved in a game of ‘Go find’. I will hide a favorite toy, new chew or his favorite human somewhere in the house. Once I hid the cat and taught my dog to ‘find the kitty’. He now does that on command. I just give him the command to find and off he goes. The more time he uses searching the more energy he burns. I will also use this time to teach my old dog new tricks. This is fun for you as well as for him. There are several books and DVDs on the market that break all the steps down to easy to follow instructions. Unfortunately I taught my dog to open the pantry door where I keep the dog biscuits.

No matter what you do, you want to keep your dog warm, safe, entertained and exercised. Just remember Spring will be here in a few months.

Sallie teaches dog training classes in the Ukiah and Willits area. For more information go to www.wellmanneredmutts.net or call 707-463-DOGS

 

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