Snowshoeing with your dog

Snowshoeing with dogs is about my favorite winter activity! But like with most things, you and your dog's enjoyment of the activity can depend a lot upon your conditioning, preparations and training. 

If you are new to winter sports with your pup you'll want to consider the conditions you and your dog will be facing when deciding where to go and what special gear your dog may need to properly weather those conditions. 

A dog that spends a lot of time outside in nature with you the rest of the year may not need much at all. But a weekend warrior pup not used to cold weather may need a little extra help staying warm and protecting their paws. 

Emily and I spend a great deal of time outside so she is generally well conditioned to the changing weather, so only in extreme cases do I need to outfit her with any specialized gear. And I only do so if it is absolutely necessary believe it or not so much of that "dog gear" you find in pet stores doesn't actually work real well in the conditions you will face if you head out into the back county snow. 

Her breed is not a particularly thick coated winter hardy breed, however given how much she is out there her body responds by building a very thick winter coat. And that border collie coat is very naturally resistant to holding snow and debris so she handles the deep snow quite well without any kind of coat or blanket. And in deep back country snow where we are blazing trails coats usually actually work against her by piling snow inside between the coat and her body, just adding weight and she gets colder than without the coat.

And some breeds like Butters, our golden retriever have such thick insulated coats they are perfectly toasty warm even in the deepest of snow. His coat however creates a whole new problem to sort out, snowballs collecting on his coat and weighing him down! Snow will often form dense icy snowballs between his toes and pads of his feet that make it uncomfortable for him to walk. In deep powdery snow, he can pack on so many snowballs that he can barely walk, so we actually have to trim his belly feathers, between his back legs and his "pants". We've discovered a trick with his coat to grease him up a bit with coconut oil in those trouble areas to cut down on how much snow he collects. And Musher's Secret is a MUST for his feet to keep the snow between his toes from balling up. 

Which brings us to the dog boot discussion. In snow the only time I use boots on my dogs is on packed snow or already blazed trails. Because I've yet to find boots that don't just get pulled off by the deeper snow. If the snow is packed it's nice for the dogs to have the extra warmth and protection from the cold if their pads are not used to it. Again, our dogs hike year round outside on various terrains and conditions so their pads are very thick and toughen so they rarely have any issue with their pads. But a pup that spends most of it's time inside on warm soft carpet is likely going to need some protection for their pads, or the time kept very short. 

As I mentioned above Musher's Secret is a great product for dog feet, it's a thick waxy goo you slather their feet with, especially the fur between their toes. It helps keep the snow from sticking to their pads and offers a bit of lubrication and protection from the snow. Be especially careful if the snow has a thick icy crust as the surface can be very abrasive and irritating to their paws when they crunch through that top layer. 

However in the right conditions a well fitted dog boot can sure increase your dog's comfort and time able to spent in the snow! I've had the best luck with Muttlucks with Emily, she has tiny feet and all the other boots slip off too easily. Ultrapaws work better for Butters as the cuffs on the Muttlucks collect the snow too much for his big bucket feet and the straps on the Ultrapaws are higher and help prevent that. Since his feet are so big the extra weight and bulk of that style work ok for him. 

If you've never put boots on your dog before, be sure to practice with them at home first, and make sure you have your video camera ready as they are sure to give you a good show as they figure out how to walk with a boot on :) 

If I am snowshoeing on packed snow or blazed trails I will often put a warm coat on my border collie. I've found the blanket style coats to offer the most warmth and stand up the best to our adventures. She also has a thin fleece jacket that offers her the best range of motion, it's a design that just covers the top, and has a small velcro strap around her belly and chest, that minimal cover underneath keeps snow from getting stuck under the coat like it will with the other styles. I always carry a coat for her when we snowshoe whether she wears it or not, incase we stop, I put it on her when we get to a destination and plan to hang out for a bit. She clearly seems to appreciate it. 

You will enjoy the sport of snowshoeing with your dog a great deal more if you have trained them to have reliable off leash control such as a great come command and stay. The benefit of the deep snow back country trips is most dogs figure out quickly it's hard to blaze trail in that deep powder and they are better off following in the footsteps of your shoes. It's a lot easier if you don't have a leash to worry about tangling with your ski poles. And you are in for a treat when you see just how tuckered out your pups come home!

A quick note on trail etiquette when snowshoeing with dogs. Cross country skiers can get quite annoyed by snowshoers and dogs trashing groomed trails so please if you see obvious ski tracks, blaze your own trail off to the side of the ski track. When using nordic trail systems pick up after your dogs! Just kicking snow over their waste is not sufficient, and it's not going to go anywhere as long as it's frozen so please pick it up, who wants to snowshoe and ski in frozen poo land? Nobody, that's who. So pack it out! 

And here's a tip only an experienced dog snowshoer can tell you- if your pup is a coated dog keep a pair of scissors and cleaning wipes in your car. There is this awful thing that can happen if your dog gets loose poops from the excitement of their adventure, they go in deep snow and the snow holds it up instead of letting it drop away, so it just freezes to their pants. I've had to give my pups many a bum trim & wash to keep them from getting in the car with frozen poo pants. You're welcome :) 

Before heading out make sure you research the things you need to do for yourself to have a safe fun adventure! Always be prepared with proper survival essentials, even if just going out for a short adventure. Check with your local gear outfitters and supply shops as they can advise you on where you can rent gear and how to find out about your local trails.