This winter, here are three changes you may want to make to your dog's routine and care to ensure that your dog stays healthy and warm throughout the winter.
#1 Cut Back on Baths
The first thing that you need to do is cut back on how frequently you bath your dog. During the winter time, due to outside exposure to cold temperatures and wet conditions, as well as dry air inside of your home, your dog's skin is prone to become dry and flaky. This can be very irritating for your dog. Washing your dog as frequently as you do in the winter only makes this condition more pronounced. Frequently washing your dog will strip their sink of the very natural oils that work to prevent their skin from getting dried out during the summer time.
When you do wash your dog, make sure that the soap that you are using contains moisturizer. This will help negate the effects of losing some of the natural oils during the washing process that your dog depends on to keep their skin from drying out.
#2 Watch the Temperature
Pay attention to the temperature outside before you take your dog outside to play or let your dog out to play in your yard. If it is so cold outside that you would not feel comfortable being outside, it is most likely too cold for your dog to go outside except for the necessary bathroom breaks. When outside in sub-zero temperatures, or even when its more normally cold outside, your dog can develop frostbite and suffer from hypothermia.
If you have to take your dog outside for exercise when it is really cold, keep your trips short or bundle your dog up with booties and a sweater. When you go inside, if your dog got wet at all, be sure to dry your dog off.
#3 Provide a Warm Bed
Finally, make sure that you provide your dog with a nice, warm bed to sleep on. Keep your dog's bed away from areas that are really drafty. You should also not locate your dog's bed right next to a heating source, such as a space heater or fire place. Being so close to all that heat can cause your dog's skin to become dried out. Find a nice place away from a heating source and away from draft to place your dog's bed. A nice, big dog pillow works well for a bed during the winter time.
For more winter tips for your dog, contact vet clinics like Canine Center.
