She LOVES snow, and gets proper down and dirty in it. If there's water she'll charge through it and get wet. She seems fine, I check her paws and for any discomfort. She's always happy and energetic. We walk in forests where the roads are not salted.
I would like to know if snow booties are really necessary? Also a fleece, I have one but have not used it yet.
Any advice on winter and dogs that love the outdoors.
When you are too cold, though, it is probably time to come inside.
Generally a dog does not need boots for an outing of reasonable length on walking paths. The usual reason that people use them is to protect pads from road salt which stings the poor pup. Or to protect from continually forming iceballs that make the walk difficult for the pup. If your pup is stopping and lifting her paw that's usually a sign of discomfort.
Dogs who do certain sports, dogs who have to traverse certain kinds of terrain, dogs who tend to gather iceballs quickly and continually and so cannot walk, dogs who are handicapped, might wear shoes even when there is no salt on the path.
Many of mine hated shoes, and honestly trying to keep them on was more of a pain than it was worth. So for them my rule was that we stopped when I could no longer keep up with the ice balls.
However, I had a couple of handicapped dogs who needed shoes. Melon, the collie of my user name, had an extensive collection. In his case, shoes allowed him to enjoy the snow, sun, and fresh air, and contributed to his quality of life.
But be warned: You have to train your pup to wear shoes. (The initial reaction is often worthy of the 'ministry of silly walks'.) Some learn to accept them, others never do.
But before you go down the shoe route, perhaps try paw wax.
Musher's Secret if you can find it in Switzerland, or Fyra Ess salve are two I like, but there are other brands available at most pet stores. Put the wax on just as you are going out, your pup standing on a towel, as it can stain some floor types. And bring a small tub with you, as you might need to re-apply it on the walk.
ETA:
As for a fleece: Again, depends on the dog. Breeds with very little body fat such as Greyhounds have trouble in the cold and so often need a fleece when it gets below freezing. My collies and shelties, haystacks on legs, with their long insulating double coats, laugh when the thermometer turns blue. Coats completely unnecessary, and more of a hindrance, for them. They were made for the outdoors. My poodle felt the cold much more. His coat, while fluffy, was single, and not insulating. He was also rail thin. So he was happier in a coat.
If you do go with a coat, make sure it is waterproof! A non-water proof fleece or knit coat can quickly become a wet blanket, making the dog even more uncomfortable. Also make sure the dog can easily and cleanly piddle in the coat - for obvious reasons.
Your little one is eight months already?
Why have we not seen more photos? Hint, hint.
She be like this then?
My last dog was a Pit Bull x Labrador and never wore a coat until we went abroad one Christmas and she was put in boarding kennels. The UK temperature was -15 when we returned and the kennels had given all the dogs sheepskin coats. From then on, she point blank refused to go out in the cold. I relented, bought her a coat and she refused to go out without it in winter. She could always unhook her lead and bring it to you, but began unhooking her coat and bringing that to you too.
Now I have Appenzellers and we really don’t need boots. My girl needs a light fleece if it’s really cold just as she warms up—once she’s moving she’s fine but if I don’t put anything on her in the beginning of say a -10 snowshoe, she’ll be quite stiff and shiver. So I’ve learned to carry a lightweight fleece like a warm up rug for horses so she can have a little help getting warm. Once we’re in our rhythm I take it off as she gets quite warm in her own insulated double coat. For whatever reason my male has never had that problem but he carries a bit more body fat.
Well, when they start to piss icicles, it can definitely be considered as too cold !
And then we started to trim the hair right back between her pads, which seemed to help. And then, off the advice of a Swiss neighbour and dog breeder, we just smeared the pads and between the pads with Vaseline petroleum jelly - both of these things were winners. And we'd just give the feet a quick wipe when we returned, which was never a drama as we were having to dry her from all the snow she'd rolled in anyway.
She never seemed to need a doggie coat, probably because she spent the entire time racing about like a lunatic in the white stuff.
All of our immediate Swiss neighbours have dogs, and none wear coats even on blizzard days on our mountain - I don't know if its because they too tear about and/or because the dogs are all of Labrador size (so maybe hold more body heat?) and/or are bred in Switzerland (so maybe have an inbuilt resilience?)
I did a similar thing with doggie boots, attaching them via a string to the back loop of their harnesses. If it falls off the paw it's still attached to the mutt. Kind of a fiddle, but after losing the Belltie's third very expensive custom-made corrective boot, well - needs must.
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By the way, my favorites are Ruffwear:
https://ruffwear.com/products/polar-...nter-dog-boots
And Sabro:
https://sabro.de/hunde/gassi-co./pfotenschutz/
I found the formed/molded sole boots best for my narrow-pawed collies and shelties. However, if your dog has rounder paws, be sure to try this type on first to see if they fit.
Heffalump has Clydesdale feet - big ol' uncollie-like splayed clodhoppers. He cannot wear this type of shoe. (He can't wear any shoe, mostly because the concept short circuits his one lone brain cell. Love him just as he is, though.)
We've had paw problems recently (possibly due to the cold) and the vet suggested Vaseline on the pads/nails before the dogs go out can help - not as big an obstacle as boots and stops some of the sticking and temperature problems. Will be giving it a try.
(I see she has perfected the 'butter wouldn't melt' gaze... )
Thanks for the pics - Luna is a treasure.
(Luna's feline sibling in pic three is a beauty too!)